Urbanism
Environment
Design
Environment
Design
Energy Workshop
The Core Design Group and Community Land Trust came together again at the start of RIBA Stage 4, to discuss options for energy saving services within the emerging design.
Marianne from URBED and Jim from LEDA, our services engineers, led a Tuesday evening session focussing on the pros and cons of different systems. The workshop compared communal or individual supply, MEV versus MVHR, the sustainable benefits of electric heating over gas boilers, and options for allocating electricity from Photovoltaics.
Whilst there were some differences of opinions between the groups, overall it became clear that the most important requirement was a system that was simple to manage and use, and keep running costs low for businesses and residents rented units. The aspiration for reduced energy bills within affordable housing has been a key driver for the project throughout, and is ultimately one of the most important considerations in the design and service provision.
Jim from LEDA explains the typical distribution of energy use within housing. On average a dwelling spends £1250 per year on energy.
