Printed Heat Flux Sensors for Building U-Value Measurement

To achieve the UK Government net-zero ambition requires an 80% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050\. Decarbonising domestic buildings is essential, as heating homes accounts for 7% of the UK's total energy demand. Heat-flux sensors measure heat transfer rate through surfaces, like walls and windows, to find the 'U-value' (i.e., thermal conductivity) of a building. This value quantifies the insulation performance of building materials.

A growing application for heat flux sensors is their use in the construction of green buildings. One of the main aspects of a green building is that the power consumption of these buildings are bare minimal. To achieve this, it is necessary to determine where and how much heat (flux) is created at different parts of the building so that relevant construction material / HVAC operation can be applied for better heat distribution. This information is crucial for assessing energy efficiency and optimising a building's ongoing fabric performance.

Unfortunately, current technologies for measuring the thermal performance of building fabrics are still too costly and complex, severely limiting the ability to properly assess, and thus effectively finance energy efficiency improvements. Our goal is to reduce the cost, and increase accessibility of heat-flux measurement technology for U-value measurement using new materials and processes.

Vector Homes develop novel sensors and materials for green housing. This project will fund a collaboration with Printed Electronics and Tyrrell Building Technologies. Together we will develop a low-cost, fully-printed heat-flux sensor, by leveraging modern screen-printing, a high-throughput and industrially compatible manufacturing technology. We will design a 'smart-building' product around this sensor, for seamless integration into new-builds, to provide continuous thermal-health-monitoring. A disruptive technology for assessing and improving the real-life thermal envelopes of buildings.