GHA Monitoring Programme Technical Report published

06 Jan 2012 11:15 am

The GHA have completed the first phase of its field-leading monitoring and feedback programme. The programme, launched last year and sponsored by the Energy Saving Trust (EST) and Communities and Local Government (CLG) allowed the GHA to compare the performance of four energy efficient dwellings at three member developments (post construction); against Government regulations and targets, and to compare the actual measured performance against predicted performance.

Developments tested include Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust’s Temple Avenue in York (CSH Level 4), Crest Nicholson BioRegional Quintain’s One Brighton (EcoHomes ‘Excellent’ and One Planet Living®) and Ecos Homes’ Old Apple Store in Somerset (CSH Level 5). Project partners Leeds Metropolitan University, UCL and Oxford Brookes University conducted the fabric performance tests which consisted of co-heating tests, heatflux measurements and thermal imaging.

Three out of four of the dwellings achieved a measured heat loss level compliant with the Part L 2013 Building Regulations design target. The tests did detect a performance gap, but showed a measured whole house heat loss of an average of only 14% higher than designed, which is significantly less than the 60% performance gap recorded for other new homes in a previous study in 2008.