DOI: 10.5176/2301-394X_ACE15.175
Authors: Dr. Haşim Altan and Mohamed Refaee
Abstract:
This study has been undertaken as part of the BIG Energy Upgrade (BEU) project, which aimed to deliver a new approach to energy efficiency and renewable energy projects within a minimum of ten of the most deprived communities across six local authorities within Yorkshire and the Humber region in the UK. The properties have been assessed by energy efficiency experts and were brought up to modern standards with a range of measures including smart electricity meters, heating system upgrades and improvements in building fabric. It was important for the success of the BEU project that detailed monitoring and post occupancy evaluation are performed on a sample of houses before rolling out a wider refurbishment. The University of Sheffield - Building Environments Analysis Unit has carried out an intensive monitoring programme pre and post refurbishment. This study aims to investigate the impact of airtightness on the indoor environment of two dwellings; one is well sealed and the other is less sealed. The results showed that thermal performance is better in the well sealed house when compared with the less sealed house. The living room and the bedroom air temperatures were compared with the recommended standard guidelines, and it was clear that both patterns did not comply with the recommendation. The average temperature of the living room and the bedroom value is 17.5°C and 15°C respectively for home one and 18.5°C and 19.5° respectively for home two. Carbon dioxide and noise are higher in the leaky dwelling than the well sealed property.
Keywords: airtightness; indoor environment; deprived communities; residential buildings; indoor air quality; social housing; energy efficiency
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