3.7 Energy Buliding Performance

Question 1

What can you do to conserve energy in your home?

Answer 1

1. Switch off appliances rather than leaving them on/standby can help you save up to £80 per year
2. Draft excluders can help help reduce your spending on heating to up to £35 per year
3. Up to £50 per year can be saved by using your kitchen appliances more carefully e.i the sink, kettle and washing machine.
4. Own a water efficient shower head that saves water, less money spent on water and heating water.
5. Simply spending less time in the shower.
6. Turning off lights when your not using them.
7. Generate renewable energy.
8. Ensure your appliances ( especially lightbulbs ) are energy efficient. The EU imposed a ban on incandescent lights 01/09/09.

Question 2

How does insulation influence the energy efficiency of a building?

Answer 2

Insulation is critical for efficient heating of the household, the house loses an enormous amount of heat energy that when reduced can save loads of money on heating. Insulation in the ceiling is critical as the heat loss from an average dwelling through the roof is around 42%.

Question 3

How does air tightness influence the energy efficiency of a building?

Answer 3

Air tightness is the resistance to inward or outward air leakage, an air tight building therefore has lower heating bills, less drafts and reduces the chance of rot and mould.

Question 4

How does glazing influence the energy efficiency of a building?

Answer 4

Approximately 12% of heat losses come from the windows, the gal between the windows will reduce heat transfer through conduction from outside to inside. It’s also worth noting that although more efficient triple glazed windows are less economically viable due to their much longer repay period as opposed to double glazed.

Question 5

What is a U value?

Answer 5

It is the thermal transmittance, the U value tells us about a materials ability to transmit heat from one point to another.

Question 6

How do you calculate the rate of flow?

Answer 6

Rate of flow = U x A x T~
U= U value
A= Area
T~= Temperature difference

Question 7

What is the zero carbon homes policy?

Answer 7

The Zero Carbon Buildings policy requires all new homes from 2016 to mitigate, through various measures, all the carbon emissions on site as a result of the regulated energy use.

Question 8

How is Zero Carbon achieved?

Answer 8

1. Good fabric energy efficiency.
2. Inclusion of on-site low carbon heat and power tech
3. Use of allowable solutions to compensate for carbon emissions that are difficult to achieve on site.

Question 9

What is the current carbon compliance target?

Answer 9

11 Co^2/m^2/year