Baxi Ecogen and Building Control, 09/12/10 By Ruairi Kay

British Gas were onsite today installing the Baxi Ecogen Micro-CHP and new wet radiator system. CHP (combined heat and power or cogeneration) is the process of producing both electricity and useful heat from one source. Large scale CHP has been around for some time, but reliable micro domestic models are only starting to become available. The Ecogen unit produces an output of 1kW of electricity while providing 6kW of heat via a free [...]

Blog 6: Client Visit 25/11/11, by Ruairi Kay

Today we were joined by client representatives from Crawley Homes and Crawley Council for a tour of our 4 retrofit projects.  Things are progressing well at St Joan Close. The external wall insulation is all up and has had a base coat of silicon render plus mesh. We have had to leave the insulation off the windows reveals, as well as the finish coat, until the new windows arrive. Ideally the windows should go in before [...]

Blog 1: Twyford Road on site, 30/11/10 by James Traynor

After an initial delay, works have now fully resumed at Twyford Road with anticipated completion in late February. Following our regular site meeting last Friday it was confirmed  by the Main Contractor (Breyer) that the Internal strip out (including asbestos removal) was now complete.

Photographs show the underside of the existing roof exposed with NBT ‘Pavaclad’ (wood wool) insulation stacked prior to installation on [...]

Blog 2: Strip out, 25/11/10 2010 by Ruairi Kay

The strip out of 22 Hasting Road is now complete and the main work is starting. The plasterboard lining has been removed from the inside of the mansard roof along with the existing mineral wool between the timber frame. This had been packed to the full depth of the frame allowing no gap for ventilation behind the felt.  The guys on site have been carefully cutting sheets of Celotex and fitting them between the studs with a 50mm gap left [...]

Blog 2: Work Starts, 25/11/10 by Ruairi Kay

The strip out of 33 Warnham Road is now complete and the main work is starting. The property is system built using concrete panels with timber frame infill. In plan the terrace is made up of pre cast concrete I sections forming the flank and party walls with timber frame infill panels to form the front and back elevations and contain the windows.  The retrofit package involves removing these infill panels, which  are in poor condition [...]

Blog 2: Strip Out and Work Begins, 25/11/10 2010 by Ruairi Kay

Like Hasting and Warnham Road, the strip out of the Birches is now complete and the main work is starting. First fix electrical has been done and the guys on site are currently constructing the plant deck in the loft. These needs to be suspended 400mm above the existing joists to allow for the new 450mm Rockprime loft insulation and will support the heat recovery ventilation unit and invertors for the photovoltaic [...]

3 Seymour Street

Blog 1 (25.11.10)

This project is slightly ahead of programme with all finishes removed and underside of roof boarding complete. The floor insulation (spacetherm) is currently being laid and wall insulation is due to follow on shortly. Following our fortnightly site meeting on Tuesday we made an inspection of this tiny (37Msq) almshouse property owned by Cambridge Housing Society.

Photographs show the underside of the existing roof lined with OSB and taped at junctions with [...]

4 Gaymer Memorial Cottages, Attleborough, Norfolk

Blog 1 (30.08.10)

The ECD retrofit project, Gaymer Memorial Cottages project in Attleborough, Norfolk for the TSB started on site at the end of August and is due to complete in January 2011.
Works include: New heating system via ASHP with SHW panels; New high performance steel windows (to match existing crittall); High performance aerogel insulation as dry-lining to walls and solid floor; super-insulated attic; LED lighting throughout; [...]

Blog 5: External Wall Insulation Starts, 12/11/10 by Ruairi Kay

This week’s site visit to Crawley also involved a trip to the other 3 Retrofit  For the Future projects we are undertaking with Crawley Homes and Wates Living Space, see separate blog posts for more info.  At St Joan Close it was nice to see some of the airtightness problems highlighted in the last blog post put right. 

Sealing the electrical penetrations at first floor ceiling and wall to [...]

4 Gaymer Memorial Cottages, Attleborough, Norfolk

Blog 2 (25.11.10)

Things are progressing well at Attleborough with completion anticipated in early January (1 week behind programme).  The site is very busy at the moment with several trades onsite this week including plumbers; window fitters; electricians; MVHR and PV installers, etc. 1^st fix electrics and plumbing are ongoing with installation of PV due later this week.

Following our fortnightly site meeting on Tuesday we managed to [...]

Blog 1: Introduction, 1/11/10 by Ruairi Kay

14 The Birches is a 1950’s end of terrace property which has already undergone ‘Decent Homes Standard’ improvements.  Works such as window replacement and loft/cavity wall insulation have previously been carried out in a piecemeal fashion and have resulted in a property that is satisfactory for living in. The house is built in a traditional cavity wall construction, with timber facias, plastic gutters and concrete [...]

Of all the characteristics of low energy dwelling design in the UK, the most emotive of all seems to be the ventilation strategy. The combination of an apparently innate hostility towards mechanical ventilation and a bloody-minded determination to live in draughty buildings has seen the UK fall way behind the likes of Germany, Scandinavia or Canada when it comes to understanding best practice in the design and installation of heat recovery ventilation. Perhaps tarnished by stories of [...]

Blog 4: Cost Review and Site Visit, 03/11/10 by Ruairi Kay

Today we had our monthly client and design team meeting for the project, held in addition to our weekly meeting. The main issue on the agenda was project budget! Since our original budget estimate and submission to the Technology Strategy board in last 2009  there has been an increase in the project costs. This is attributed to a number of factors: increase in material costs, i.e. Spacetherm aerogel that has [...]

Blog 1: Introduction, 1/11/10 by Ruairi Kay

33 Warnham road is a 1960’s semi-detached property which has already undergone ‘Decent Homes’ improvements. Works such as window replacement and loft/cavity wall insulation have previously been carried out in a piecemeal fashion and have resulted in condensation and mould growth. The tenant reported less than satisfactory comfort levels, with the building facing extremes of temperature in both the winter and the summer months. The [...]

Blog 1: Introduction, 1/11/10 by Ruairi Kay

22 Hastings Road is a semi-detached property which has already undergone some  ‘Decent Homes Standard’ improvements but does not meet the CO₂ emissions demanded of the TSB competition. Works such as window replacement and loft/cavity wall insulation have previously been carried out in a piecemeal fashion and have resulted in condensation and mould growth to the first floor bedrooms within the mansard roof. A standard Cornish Unit [...]

Blog 3: Airtightness Strategy and on Site Workshop 12/10/10 by Ruairi Kay

Today Ecological Building Systems joined us on site to hold an airtightness workshop with the whole construction team. Airtightness is a very important element of our whole house retrofit strategy. Once we have addressed the issue of heat loss by conduction via insulation to walls, floor, roof and triple glazed windows, the next big contributor to heat loss is via uncontrolled [...]

It’s a common misconception in the UK that achieving the Passivhaus standard is simply a matter of matching a few increasingly familiar yet often misunderstood principles. The usual culprits are “U-values of 0.15 W/m2K, triple-glazed windows, an airtightness of 1.0, heat recovery ventilation . . .” and so on. “Not too difficult . . .” someone only familiar with the Code might think. Well, think again. Above all, the CEPHD course teaches just how much more [...]

Blog 2: Sub-contractor co-ordination meeting 05/10/10 by Dan Jenkins

ECD, Wates and Crawley homes met with Sub-contractors from Solar Technologies (PV), Envirovent (MVHR) and Wattbox (Energy Monitoring) on Friday morning to coordinate ducting and cabling. A meeting was held in the loft space to discuss the spatial requirements of the PV inverter and the MVHR heat exchanger. Guy Henderson from Wates came armed with his coloured marker pens to draw the cable and duct run [...]

Blog 1: Introduction, 29/09/10 by Dan Jenkins

10 St. Joan Close, one of four retrofit schemes ECD Architects are carrying out for Crawley Homes in Crawley, East Sussex, started on site the 6th September.  Due for completion at the beginning of December, the existing residents are looking forward to celebrating Christmas in their ‘new’ energy efficient home.
ECD, Crawley Homes and contractor Wates have worked closely with the residents throughout the design period to [...]

I think my A-level Applied Maths teacher of some 25 years ago would have been pleased with me today, as would my A-level Physics teacher. I suspect some of my tutors from the combined architecture and engineering degree at Bath University back in the late ‘80’s would have felt some measure of satisfaction too. Because today was probably the first day since qualifying as an architect that I really applied my maths and physics knowledge, handwritten equation by handwritten equation, [...]

 James presented the results of the research recently carried out for Westminster City Council and Dolphin Square Foundation into Energy Efficiency in Private Flatted Dwellings. The overall objectives of the research were to reduce CO2 emissions and to reduce fuel poverty. The more specific aims of the study were to explore the legal, financial, social and practical obstacles to implementing energy efficiency measures in the private residential sector. UK householders are currently [...]

I can scarcely believe it but Ecobuild has somehow managed to get even bigger in 2010. For those who remember its modest beginnings barely five years ago when there could have been no more than a few dozen exhibitors in the lobby at the QEII conference centre, its exponential growth is testament to the rise in interest in all things ‘sustainable’ in the ensuing years – or more likely to the ability of the mainstream construction industry to rebrand itself in a greener [...]

ECD Court Farm Road ‘Retrofit & Replicate’ has been awarded winner of the Inside Housing magazine’s Low Energy Social Housing Project of the Year Award 2009. The Inside Housing Sustainable Housing Awards celebrate ‘the projects and organisations at the forefront of housing sustainability best practice.’

Announced Friday, 23 October at the London Hilton Hotel, the award was received by client, Hyde Housing Association, and the ceremony was attended by members of [...]

ECD Court Farm Road ‘Retrofit & Replicate’ has been awarded winner of two awards at the National Home Improvement Council Awards 2009:

• The Big Green Home Award
• The George Plucknett Award

The Big Green Home Award was presented to the project which demonstrated the widest range of energy efficiency products, measures and microgeneration technologies to be retro fitted, maximising cost/payback and CO² savings. Judges comments reviewing the ECD [...]