Energy House 2.0 is a unique research facility obtaining ground-breaking data to improve environmental housing standards in the UK market
Photography courtesy of Cosentino
Working in collaboration with The University of Salford on its Future Home project, Bellway Homes has selected Dekton to be part of its test house in the groundbreaking project, Energy House 2.0.
Named the Future Home at The University of Salford, the project’s mission was to drive innovation to find solutions to the challenges around global and domestic energy efficiency. The Energy House 2.0 project is an impressive £16 million research facility built in the University of Salford and part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), for the enabling of SMEs to innovate and develop low carbon technologies for the built environment.
Energy House 2.0 features two environmental chambers that house two detached new build homes for the purpose of testing and evaluating against Future Home Standards due to be introduced from 2025. Bellway is testing its home using low-carbon technologies to help deliver its industry leading carbon reduction targets. The project uses data to influence how future houses are built, and educate customers on how to use their home in the most efficient way possible. Over the next two years, data will be continuously collected, including stress tests and trials with real people living in these purpose-built homes, to better understand consumer habits and building capabilities.
Photography courtesy of Cosentino
Enduring rigorous testing, The Future Home has been exposed to temperatures as high as 40°C and low as -20°C with the recreation of wind, snow, solar radiation and other extreme weather conditions. The state-of-the-art facility has the technology to replicate over 95% of the world’s climatic conditions, ranging from the normal to the extreme.
Academics will analyse double and triple glazing, solar energy, water waste and the efficiency of air-source heat pumps. This will not only be instrumental in accelerating the progress towards low carbon and net zero housing design but will allow housing developers to monitor cost effectiveness and educate consumers on how to best reduce their energy bills.
Photography courtesy of Cosentino
Bellway Homes only sourced the most premium, durable and sustainable materials for its home, including waste-efficient taps and showers that monitor water consumption to infrared ultra-slim radiators placed on the ceiling instead of the wall.
The Kelya range by Dekton® was chosen for the bathroom and kitchen surfaces, thanks to its cradle-to-grave carbon neutral status and its outstanding technical and aesthetic properties. Marrying function with form, heavily veined marbles in light cream and dark slate hues create effortlessly eye-catching surfaces for both rooms.
Perfect for both internal and external applications, Dekton® can be used for cladding, walls and floor in bathrooms, kitchens and other high traffic areas, as shown here. It is stain and scratch resistant, can withstand extreme temperatures, is non-porous for easy maintenance and is UV-resistant – one of the key reasons for its specification in this project.
As part of Cosentino’s wider commitments to sustainable design and manufacture, Dekton® aligns perfectly with the project’s overarching aim – to create environmentally conscious designs that benefit inhabitants and do not cost the planet.
Photography courtesy of Cosentino
Commenting on the project, Director of Energy House Labs at the University of Salford, Professor Will Swan stated, ‘The growing challenges of climate change and the cost-of-living crisis mean we need to consider how we build and operate our homes. As the cost of gas and electricity keeps going up and up this work is even more important to create a sustainable and economically viable future for this country and the world.’
Bellway Homes’ Group Technical and Innovations Manager, Jamie Bursnell, commented, ‘We only chose materials that were of the highest quality, that had proven durability and would genuinely improve the lives of the homes’ inhabitants. Every surface or product chosen had to be able to withstand rigorous testing and stand up to scrutiny. Dekton® consistently deliver surfaces that are manufactured to the highest standard whilst also being one of the most environmental surface solutions on the market.’
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