HOUSE

HOUSE is an interactive tool of enabled elements allowing a team of stakeholders to 'play'. The elements each represent an eco-intervention such as passive ventilation, insulation, a heat pump and solar panels. A team of users that might include an architect, an HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) company, a constructor and the owner 'play' at configuring the elements and exploring the multiple interrelated attributes of the interventions. In essence this is smart RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) devices meets Dolls-House. The aim of this research is to explore and quantify to what extent a dolls-house approach to eco-design enables improves stakeholder interaction and what elements and interface provide effective design aids.

This proposal enables impact by boosting consumer understanding and choice, providing new opportunities for eco-tech companies and providing a route by which energy saving treatments and generation technology can be introduced to both hard to treat and newer housing stock.

The HOUSE concept provides a new approach to interaction between a customer and energy solution provider. Although the precise nature of HOUSE will only become apparent as a result of the research undertaken here, the potential is to open up the marketplace.

As an example of the scope of impact to impact on the lives of many millions of people just in the UK, the vast majority of the UK's 6.5 million hard to treat homes have suspended timber floors which let cold air, dust and mould in from the void below, creating cold draughts and uneven temperatures, which significantly impacts occupants comfort, disproportionately to the amount of heat lost. Recent studies demonstrate that un-insulated timber floors can contribute as much as a quarter of the total heat loss for these period properties. The addressable UK market for underfloor retrofit insulation exceeds 6 million homes, worth more than £16.5bn in retrofits. The two initial target market segments are:
1. Social Housing Providers: Local councils and housing associations represent a clear and addressable market and combined account for 600k 'hard to treat' older properties, and a currently untapped market for under floor insulation worth up to a £250m per year.
2. Owner Occupiers: Accounting for 4.25m 'hard to treat' homes, owner occupier's represent a large but fragmented market.

Private landlords are characteristically driven by incentives to upgrade properties, in particular legislation announced by the Government that will introduce a minimum energy efficiency standard for homes rented from a landlord from 2018. Private landlords have over 1.25m 'hard to treat' older homes.

Several eco-tech measures target the worst performing buildings, social households and those in fuel poverty where there are few cost effective or practical alternatives.
1. Health and comfort: For vulnerable members of society maintaining a comfortable temperature is of high importance for the quality of life, health and well-being.
2. Disruption: This is a key factor for the majority of property owners. The using of HOUSE provides an assessment and indication of the time needed for retrofitting a dwelling.
3. Quality Control: HOUSE improves the quality of information and accountability.
4. Empowering: The construction industry faces an ageing workforce and difficulty attracting new recruits, intelligent tools like HOUSE are an important step in creating expanded and new markets for eco-tech providing modern and desirable career paths.

Each eco-tech measure has significant scope to radically impact the UK based on a range of environmental measures. Eco-Tech measures have multiple benefits ranging from: improvement to SAP Assessment Rating / EPC Certificate; air permeability improvement following air tightness test (draughts). Underfloor insulation alone provides a cost effective and practical method of treating the 6.5 million worst performing buildings in the UK that will save 5000 kWh of heating energy and 1000 kg of CO2 per home annually. With the potential to save the UK over 32 TWh/yr if fully rolled out (equivalent to about two Kingsnorth Power Stations). As well reduction in energy bills, energy usage and CO2 emissions increased adoption of eco-tech arising from the use of the HOUSE negotiation tool will consequentially result in environmental monitoring including improvements to temperatures and air quality and improved health and less cold-related deaths and associated reduced number of GP/hospital visits.