A one day symposium on zero/low carbon sustainable homes took place at The University of Nottingham on the 24th October, 2012. The event offered professionals within the construction industry a unique opportunity to gain added and significant insight into the innovations, policies and legislation which are driving the construction of zero/low carbon energy efficient homes both here in the UK and elsewhere in Europe. It explored solutions to sustainability issues “beyond” the zero carbon agenda. BZCH followed on from the successful ‘Towards Zero Carbon Housing’ symposium the University hosted in 2007. This event is part of the Europe Wide Ten Act10n project which is supported by the European Commission Intelligent Energy Europe.

1. Beyond Zero
Carbon Housing
exploring solutions to sustainability issues
beyond the zero carbon agenda
2 4 th O c t o b e r 2 0 1 2 a t T h e U n i v e r s i t y o f N o t t i n g h a m
Department of Architecture and Built Environment

2. ©
Copyright Notice
A l l t h e m a te r i a l i n t h e s e s l i d e s
m ay n o t b e u s e d o r re p ro d u c e d w i t h o u t t h e
ex p re s s p e r m i s s i o n o f t h e a u t h o rs

3. Green Street – A Research
Overview
David Bailey
David Bailey Dept. of Architecture & Built Environment, Faculty of Engineering
Contact: laxdb@nottingham.ac.uk University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD

4. Research Context
Timber vs. Masonry Debate
This work forms part of a
larger study looking to the
post occupancy performance
of sustainable housing in the
UK with the aim of
delivering more efficient
buildings in the light of
Government emissions targets
within the building sector.

5. The Green Street Case Study
The case study development is located in the
Meadows, Nottingham. The Green Street
development is a newly constructed housing scheme
accredited at CSH Level 4. The 8 houses under
investigation incorporate both timber and masonry
fabrication techniques and even have similar
layouts..

6. Methodology
Environmental Performance Evaluation
Achieved through a mixture of fabric testing, computer modelling and ongoing
performance analysis of utilities and environmental conditions within the properties.

7. Methodology
• Co-Heat Testing • Air Permeability Testing
• Thermography Fabric Testing • BUS Methodology
• Computer Modelling • Life Cycle Analysis

8. Handover Study - Introduction
This paper seeks to address performance variability between design and as built
performance in domestic applications by looking at the influences of occupant
interaction.
Modern sustainable housing requires a significant amount of technology oriented
solutions which in turn require some level of occupant interaction. Simply put, if
users are not trained to employ these technologies in the proper manner, then they
will not perform as specified.
Thus the paper asks the question, have handover and training procedures targeting
new house owners evolved and become more formalised with the advent of more
complex sustainable technologies and design concepts in the ecologically oriented
housing sector?

9. Results
The results and key themes of the study show:
• Demonstrators are not aware of the significance of sustainability and the impact
that occupant behaviour has on the performance of a house.
• Demonstrators struggle to understand many sustainable technologies and concepts
which are taken for granted within the modern sustainable housing industry.
• Demonstrators struggle to appropriately communicate worthwhile information in
the standard 1 hour tour and handover manual format.
The figures also support the notion that practical explanation is not necessarily
indicative of sustainable instruction. Behavioural determinants are often addressed
adequately in terms of functionality but the demonstrator pays little attention to the
sustainability.

10. Conclusions
The study shows occupants are not receiving appropriate guidance and
encouragement. It suggests that occupants struggle to absorb the amount of
complex information provided.
The solution must focus on the
presenting the information in an
appropriate manner.
Ultimately ever stricter ecological standards employed in housing necessitates a
complete reform of the handover process. The precedence exists in the form of
the Soft Landings Framework (BSRIA, 2009) currently used in commercial
applications.

11. Air-tightness Testing - Introduction
Air-tightness is an integral component in the
development of sustainable construction.
Impacts:
• Building energy performance,
• Thermal comfort
• Indoor air quality
The premise of this paper is
that the current regulations
are not stringent enough,
they have too many holes
and not enough failsafes.

12. Air-tightness Testing - Results
Minimum air-permiability for the
effectiveness of MVHR - 3 m3/h/m2.
Only a percentage of housing is tested.
Remedial measures to ensure these
houses pass the specified level are not
applied to the entire site.
The result is housing that is designed and
constructed to reach a stringent and
sustainable level of air-permibility, but in
reality falls below this standard.
DESIGN vs. AS-BUILT PERFORMANCE

13. Thermography – Internal Garages
Despite being constructed to Building Regulations, thermal imaging would
suggest that internal garage walls should perform to the same standard as
external walls, as the garage is an un-heated space.

14. THANK YOU FOR
LISTENING.
Any Questions?