CLEVER Homes

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CLEVER Homes

• Monitoring results and conclusions
• Sarah McLean
• sarah_at_ukace.org
• Association for the Conservation of Energy

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Presentation outline

• Background information
• Monitoring undertaken
• Results
• Conclusions
• Policy recommendations
• Achievements

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CLEVER aims and objectives

• Demonstrate two types of solar powered
  ventilation technologies in housing
• Aim to improve indoor air quality, reduce energy
  bills, and improve occupants health wellbeing
• Guide government policy
• Assist other organisations undertaking similar
  schemes

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Project partners
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Project specifications

• In NI, installed two types of positive input
  ventilation systems Nuaire Drimaster Ecosmart
  and Sunwarm into 120 homes (78 in fuel poor
  homes)
• In RoI, 127 Sunwarm systems being installed
  through SEIs House of Tomorrow Programme (92
  operational to date)
• Systems supply tempered, filtered air into the
  home, replacing old, contaminated, vapour-laden
  air
• Provide solar heated air or cool air
• Sunwarm system has two roof-mounted solar
  collectors- can provide solar water heating
• Air taken from outside, the roof space, beneath
  roof tiles (Ecosmart) or through solar collectors
  (Sunwarm)

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Project specifications cont.

• Also installed energy efficiency measures- cavity
  wall insulation, loft insulation, low energy
  light bulbs
• Ventilation systems and energy efficiency
  measures heavily subsidised for all project
  participants
• Undertook monitoring of a subset of NI
  participants to evaluate impact of systems on air
  quality, temperature humidity, health and
  energy consumption

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Monitoring undertaken

• Air quality, temperature humidity
• 26 households (20)
• Three x two-week monitoring periods
• Before installation, one month after, six months
  after
• Pollutants- nitrogen dioxide (NO2), benzene
  (CH3CO), formaldehyde (C6H6)
• Monitored in bedroom, living room and kitchen
• Health surveys of most participants pre-
  post-installation, which also covered
  condensation mould and energy use
• Energy consumption questionnaire to monitored
  households estimating fuel consumption,
  electricity records from NIE

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Air quality monitoring

• Benzene, formaldehyde NO2 common indoor air
  pollutants
• Cause range adverse health effects- from
  irritation of eyes, nose throat to serious
  illnesses such as cancer
• Common indoor sources cigarette smoke, gas fires
  cookers, household products building
  materials
• Monitored using diffusion tubes (see photo below)
• Analysis of data undertaken by ACE

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Results- benzene
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Results- formaldehyde
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Results- nitrogen dioxide
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Temperature humidity monitoring

• Temperature and humidity levels in the home
  influence the comfort and health of householders
• Determine the presence of mould and condensation
  and the growth of house dust mites (an allergen)
• Monitored using data loggers (see photo below),
  and via health surveys for mould condensation
• Analysis of data undertaken by John Stewart
  Zhengen Ren, QUESTOR Centre, Queens University,
  Belfast

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Results- temperature humidity

• Monitored homes kept at or above the 16C
  temperature recommended by health guidelines,
  both pre- and post-installation
• Relative humidity was not found to be low enough
  post-installation to prevent the growth of house
  dust mites
• In some cases, relative humidity might also be
  high enough to support mould growth
• However, health surveys founds that mould growth,
  damp and condensation were reduced
  post-installation for the majority of households

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Results- damp, mould condensation
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Health monitoring

• Pre- and post-installation surveys to assess
  impact of ventilation systems on
• health status of householders
• use of health services
• use of energy
• mould condensation levels
• Face-to-face interviews, 84 response rate for
  pre-installation survey (87/103) and 78 response
  rate for post-installation survey (86/120)
• Survey and analysis of results undertaken by
  Donal McDade colleagues, Social Market
  Research, Belfast

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Results- health
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Results- health

• Similar results for children of participants with
  significant reductions in the proportion of
  children reported to have dry coughs, asthma
  attacks and wheezing/whistling in the chest
• Less visits to the doctor by participants and
  their children post-installation (over a 12 month
  period)
• Improvements in health most likely linked to the
  improvement in air quality and the reduction in
  damp, condensation and mould attributed to
  installation of the ventilation systems

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Energy consumption monitoring

• Potential for households to save energy because
  the solar ventilation systems provide warm and
  cool air when necessary, reducing the need to use
  other forms of space heating or cooling (Sunwarm
  system also provides solar water heating when
  there is leftover heat available)
• Questionnaire sent to all monitored households,
  requesting records/estimates of heating fuel
  consumption pre- post-installation
• 73 response rate (19/26)
• Health surveys also gathered information on
  energy use
• Electricity records provided by NIE where possible

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Results- energy consumption

• Most figures provided by monitored households
  were estimates of fuel consumption
• Results of the energy saving questionnaire and
  NIE data showed no consistent pattern of change
  in fuel consumption among monitored households
  pre vs post-installation
• Health surveys found that energy use during
  winter had fallen significantly and fewer
  households were worried about the cost of heating
  their home post-installation (74 pre vs 32
  post)
• Overall, not clear if the ventilation systems
  reduced energy consumption and associated CO2
  emissions
• The reduction in households that were worried
  about the cost of heating suggests that these
  participants were comfort-taking, so still a
  positive result

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Conclusions

• The Ecosmart and Sunwarm ventilation systems have
  improved indoor air quality by reducing benzene
  and formaldehyde levels
• The systems have not been shown to reduce
  relative humidity enough to avoid the growth of
  house dust mites and some homes might also
  experience mould growth
• However, for the majority of homes, the systems
  have been successful in reducing mould growth,
  condensation and damp
• The health surveys suggest that the ventilation
  systems have led to improved health of
  participants and their children
• Improved health is most likely a result of
  improved air quality and reduced mould and damp
• Further research needed to determine the impact
  of the systems on reducing energy consumption and
  CO2 emissions

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Policy recommendations

• Support a follow-up monitoring project for CLEVER
  Homes to see if results persist in the
  longer-term and to gain more conclusive evidence
  on impact of the ventilation systems on energy
  consumption CO2 emissions
• Consider developing further schemes incorporating
  the installation of solar ventilation systems in
  existing and new-build homes in NI and RoI
• Investigate the possibility of incorporating
  solar ventilation systems as eligible measures in
  fuel poverty programmes

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Key achievements

• CLEVER Homes has resulted in several housing
  developments in NI and RoI with solar ventilation
  systems installed, that can serve as model
  examples for stimulating uptake of similar
  practices
• Monitoring undertaken demonstrates the benefits
  of the Ecosmart Sunwarm solar ventilation
  systems in terms of improving air quality,
  decreasing damp, condensation and mould growth
  and improving the health wellbeing of occupants
• Resulted in many practical learning points that
  can be used by other organisations undertaking
  similar projects
• Raised awareness of the benefits of energy
  efficient and renewable technologies in the
  public private sectors
• Involved successful cross-border cooperation and
  built strong relationships between the project
  partners