Energy efficiency in buildings

Heriot-Watt’s urban energy research group is in the forefront of investigating how to reduce energy consumption in buildings.

The Tarbase (Technology Assessment for Radically Improving the Built Asset BaSE) project won its funding from the Carbon Trust and the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council. It has brought together universities and industry to tackle a wide range of issues from building materials and air-conditioning equipment, to on-site generation of heat and power and what sort of changes people are prepared to accept.

Reducing carbon emissions in existing buildings  

Most research on reducing carbon emissions focuses on new buildings and Heriot-Watt University is unusual in investigating how to improve existing buildings. This is a crucial area for research since half of the houses in the country are more than 50 years old. The project has identified bundles of carbon-saving technologies for houses, schools, shops, offices and hotels which would cut current emissions by at least half.

Historic Scotland has also funded the team to apply its techniques to traditional dwellings, showing how carbon savings can be made even in properties which are solid-walled. 

The team hopes to extend its research to apply the Tarbase model to park houses and short life chalets, such as those found in caravan parks.

Adaptation and resilience in a changing climate

Heriot-Watt researchers are also carrying out projects under the national £6million Adaptation and Resilience in a Changing Climate programme. With future climate predictions for the UK being made in terms of probabilities, designers face new difficulties in designing buildings which provide comfort with low emissions.

The Heriot-Watt researchers aim to produce a practical design method to adopt existing and new buildings for future climates without the need for designers to have a sophisticated statistical understanding. As part of this, they will draw up guidelines for what size of heating, ventilation and air-conditioning equipment there should be.