http://www.newenergyworldnetwork.com/renewable-energy-news/by-technology/energy-efficiency/uk-to-launch-first-energy-efficiency-test-bed-house.htmlThe world’s first prototype house for testing sustainable energy methods is set to be launched by the UK government this week, as an annexe to the University of Salford in Manchester.To be built in a sealed testing chamber at the university, it will be used to test ways of making old housing stock more sustainable through the use of new materials.
The house is wired up to energy usage monitoring equipment, an artificial weather generator and other scientific instruments that can monitor the building’s energy use.
It will be the centrepiece of the University of Salford’s new energy hub, which is a multi-disciplinary research centre drawing on expertise from its in-house team of academics.
About 70 per cent of the UK’s residential property in existence today will still be inhabited in 2050 and 91 per cent of all UK homes would benefit from energy efficiency improvements, according to a report by local governments.
The report showed the country’s least efficient properties were predominantly constructed prior to 1920, making up 15 per cent of UK homes while accounting for 23 per cent of carbon emissions.
UK Minister for Climate Change Greg Barker is to open the energy house on Thursday 27 January.