Energy savings trial in solid wall insulation
20 January 2010
The Energy Saving Trust has appointed BSRIA for a major new contract to carry out energy monitoring and data recording for solid wall insulation and retrofit field trials in up to 200 existing homes across the UK.
The contract is valued at approximately £700,000 and will run to April 2013. The contract covers two similar projects, the first being the energy monitoring of Energy Saving Trust's field trials of solid wall insulation and the second as part of the Technology Strategy Board's 'Retrofit for the Future' competition.
The project will work with the insulation industry to support the installation of new and existing forms of solid wall insulation, with in-situ monitoring of performance. Recently, several new insulation products have entered the market. They are still developing and their in-situ performance has yet to be established, but they do offer potential for the millions of un-insulated solid walled homes in England.
The purported energy savings vary widely and their acceptability to householders has yet to be determined. The aims of the project are therefore to establish the in-situ performance of a wide variety of solid wall insulation systems, with a focus on reduced energy consumption and carbon savings.
The requirement of the TSB Retrofit for the Future project is to undertake ongoing energy and internal conditions monitoring of each property once the retrofit works have been completed - for a period of 2 years. It is likely that many of the retrofit projects will take some time to complete, so the two-year monitoring period will extend into 2013.
Further measurements of airtightness, thermal imaging and in-situ U values will also need to be undertaken at a suitable point once the retrofit works have been completed.
For more information contact Nigel Anderson:T: 01344 465600E: nigel.anderson@bsria.co.uk