More than 40% of our total energy demand is used for heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting and powering electrical appliances in domestic and commercial buildings. As a large percentage of buildings were designed and built in an era when energy was relatively cheap and carbon emissions were of little concern there are major opportunities
for improving existing buildings and for the development of considerably more energy efficient designs for new buildings.
Improving energy efficiency
Perhaps the highest priority, particularly for existing older domestic buildings, is a reduction in their heating costs by cutting down on heat losses through the use of much improved insulation and by switching away from or greatly reducing the use of hydrocarbon fuelled heating systems (oil or gas) which will also cut carbon emissions.
Given the size of the older housing stock, replacing it with modern and much more energy efficient dwellings would be financially prohibitive but refurbishment using modern materials and techniques may be a viable approach. In fact, even Historic Scotland is working with Scottish universities to analyse energy efficiency in a number of their sites located across Scotland. The data on the thermal performance of these traditional buildings will be used to develop new guidance and measures to improve their energy efficiency and reduce their CO2 emissions.
Modelling and performance simulation software
For new buildings the advantage is that architects and engineers can start from scratch with the benefit of advanced computer based modelling tools for energy use and other environmental parameters alongside well-established structural design models. One research project has even developed a model which enables the user to disaggregate energy consumption and resulting CO2 emissions of a specific house and then apply the effect of reduction measures.
Another Scottish university project has produced building performance simulation software, commercialised as Integrated Environmental Solutions ltd, which is a leading method of estimating the energy consumption of a building in operation and allows designers to refine their efforts to produce low energy buildings.
All this allows architects to design buildings that produce considerably less CO2 emissions and consume far less energy. However, in order to achieve low energy consumption and low CO2 emissions designers will need not just better design software but also the confidence to design into their buildings such new energy technologies as
solar thermal for water heating, photo voltaic systems and/or other micro renewable energy technologies for electricity generation.
Integrating these energy technologies seamlessly into their designs also requires first class modelling tools in order to determine the most appropriate specification in terms of output, energy storage needs and the most appropriate monitoring and control systems.
As those energy technologies themselves are further developed and additional new solutions become available – for example fuel cell stacks for domestic combined heat and power units – then these will need to be assessed in terms of their contribution to low energy low carbon buildings.
Developing new materials
Materials development also forms an important element of the work being undertaken by Scottish universities. This includes work on conventional materials such as timber framing but also new methods of insulation. A major research project into dynamic insulation - commercialised as the Energyflo TM product - offers the possibility of pre-warming the incoming air that permeates through porous walling or roofing components, contributing to energy demand reduction through reduced heat loss through the building fabric. This work included the development of
breathable concrete as an ‘appropriate technology’ for dynamic insulation and also as an effective thermal storage medium.
Research into new fully adaptive building materials continues in other areas across Scottish universities as indeed does work on technologies such as solar cells that can be used as glazing materials. Of course, at the same time as developing designs for low-carbon built environment solutions and energy efficient designs it is important to remember that buildings are for living and working in. There are then issues of thermal comfort, overheating, air quality, light levels, noise and vibration to be considered for their contribution to the indoor environment.
Preventing biodeterioration
The indoor environment of buildings also has a crucial effect on human health and the presence of allergens, fungi, bacteria and mites all of which need to be monitored and measured. It is also important to ensure the prevention of the biodeterioration of buildings and building materials and to understand and be able to deal with the distribution and significance of building pests.
Multi-disciplinary research teams across Scottish universities are studying all of these topics and others, and are already collaborating with industry and other research groups.