At Karbon Homes, we are running a number of experiments to help us explore innovation in the area of net zero homes.
With new technology and businesses emerging quickly in this field, we find running small experiments helps us test what is right for us, our net zero priorities and you, our customers.
Below are just a few examples of the exciting innovations that we are trying out…
Environmental Homes Pilot
We are currently developing an environmental homes pilot across four properties.
The aim of the project is to explore how different building, design and environmental regulations will impact on the net zero performance of these properties.
We’ll be able to see the impact of homes at 2013 regulations, 2021 regulations, 2025 regulations and at the 2025 Future Homes Standard which ensures new homes will produce 75-80% less carbon emissions than homes built under current regulations.
This will enable us to better understand how current and future thinking in design of homes might impact on their day-to-day performance in reality. We will use this learning to inform our net zero home designs over the coming years.
Tesla Powerwall
Thanks to National Energy Action and Northern Powergrid’s Innovation Fund, we’re going to be trialling the use of battery storage to support vulnerable customers using electrically powered medical equipment in the event of a power cut.
We’ve selected five properties to be fitted with Tesla Powerwall which will provide essential electricity backup for those customers.
We can then use this pilot to set the foundations for us to explore future solar panels and battery storage options.
Over the long term they could also be used to support the transition to net zero.
Alternative Heating Pilot
Another energy saving solution we’re working on is installing infrared heating panels in two blocks of flats to replace old, poorly performing electric storage heaters.
These panels are a low cost, low maintenance option with efficiency savings of up to 60% compared to night storage heaters.
The heaters emit heat as infrared radiation which heats objects and people in its path in a radiant way as opposed to the more traditional convective transfer which relies on heating the air in the room to enable heat transfer.
The panels are easy to install and can be designed as part of bathroom mirrors, wall art or pictures.
We’ll be piloting the infrared panels this year, which will include monitoring their performance and getting customer feedback to see if it’s worth rolling them out further.
Energy Efficiency Upgrades
Thanks to funding through the UK Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) we are about to embark on some energy efficiency upgrades to our homes in Ouston and Otterburn.
We’re working with E.ON and RE:GEN to install upgrades that are designed to reduce the energy demands on homes, by reducing heat loss and providing free energy.
We’ll be checking the level of insulation in lofts and increasing the thickness if necessary, adding external wall insulation (a layer of insulation attached to the wall and finished with a render) and installing solar panels on roofs which will produce electricity which customers can use for free.
This benefits these homes by reducing their energy demands, reducing our customer’s carbon footprint making their home more environmentally friendly and giving customers a warmer and more comfortable home.
As with everything we do, we will take everything we learn from this project and see how we might apply it to our future work so we can continue to make improvements.
On the horizon
That’s just some of the exciting eco-friendly innovations we are working on, with more on the horizon, including our innovative Karbon Zero Eco Show Home which will aim to show how a hard-to-treat property that isn’t energy efficient can be improved to get it as near to net zero as possible. We'll share more information about that and other projects in the future.
While we’ve come to the end of Net Zero Week, it’s not the end of our Net Zero journey. We’ll continue to share more details on these and other innovative projects on our response to climate change journey, as well as showing you how you can be part of it.
At Karbon Homes, we are running a number of experiments to help us explore innovation in the area of net zero homes.
With new technology and businesses emerging quickly in this field, we find running small experiments helps us test what is right for us, our net zero priorities and you, our customers.
Below are just a few examples of the exciting innovations that we are trying out…
Environmental Homes Pilot
We are currently developing an environmental homes pilot across four properties.
The aim of the project is to explore how different building, design and environmental regulations will impact on the net zero performance of these properties.
We’ll be able to see the impact of homes at 2013 regulations, 2021 regulations, 2025 regulations and at the 2025 Future Homes Standard which ensures new homes will produce 75-80% less carbon emissions than homes built under current regulations.
This will enable us to better understand how current and future thinking in design of homes might impact on their day-to-day performance in reality. We will use this learning to inform our net zero home designs over the coming years.
Tesla Powerwall
Thanks to National Energy Action and Northern Powergrid’s Innovation Fund, we’re going to be trialling the use of battery storage to support vulnerable customers using electrically powered medical equipment in the event of a power cut.
We’ve selected five properties to be fitted with Tesla Powerwall which will provide essential electricity backup for those customers.
We can then use this pilot to set the foundations for us to explore future solar panels and battery storage options.
Over the long term they could also be used to support the transition to net zero.
Alternative Heating Pilot
Another energy saving solution we’re working on is installing infrared heating panels in two blocks of flats to replace old, poorly performing electric storage heaters.
These panels are a low cost, low maintenance option with efficiency savings of up to 60% compared to night storage heaters.
The heaters emit heat as infrared radiation which heats objects and people in its path in a radiant way as opposed to the more traditional convective transfer which relies on heating the air in the room to enable heat transfer.
The panels are easy to install and can be designed as part of bathroom mirrors, wall art or pictures.
We’ll be piloting the infrared panels this year, which will include monitoring their performance and getting customer feedback to see if it’s worth rolling them out further.
Energy Efficiency Upgrades
Thanks to funding through the UK Government’s Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) we are about to embark on some energy efficiency upgrades to our homes in Ouston and Otterburn.
We’re working with E.ON and RE:GEN to install upgrades that are designed to reduce the energy demands on homes, by reducing heat loss and providing free energy.
We’ll be checking the level of insulation in lofts and increasing the thickness if necessary, adding external wall insulation (a layer of insulation attached to the wall and finished with a render) and installing solar panels on roofs which will produce electricity which customers can use for free.
This benefits these homes by reducing their energy demands, reducing our customer’s carbon footprint making their home more environmentally friendly and giving customers a warmer and more comfortable home.
As with everything we do, we will take everything we learn from this project and see how we might apply it to our future work so we can continue to make improvements.
On the horizon
That’s just some of the exciting eco-friendly innovations we are working on, with more on the horizon, including our innovative Karbon Zero Eco Show Home which will aim to show how a hard-to-treat property that isn’t energy efficient can be improved to get it as near to net zero as possible. We'll share more information about that and other projects in the future.
While we’ve come to the end of Net Zero Week, it’s not the end of our Net Zero journey. We’ll continue to share more details on these and other innovative projects on our response to climate change journey, as well as showing you how you can be part of it.
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