Energy
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Events produce retrofit recommendations for Greater Manchester
The University of Salford has wrapped up a series of workshops which have been advising individuals and organisations across Greater Manchester on the practicalities of reducing carbon emissions from homes.
The University has overseen the Greater Manchester Low Carbon Housing Retrofit and Process Innovation Group which has held four meetings over the last 12 months, with the final event being held at Manchester Town Hall on 18 March.
The expert group included retrofit expert Dr Will Swan from the University of Salford, Charlie Baker from Urbed, and Michael O’Doherty from Manchester City Council and discussed products and processes that would help improve the reduction of carbon emissions and fuel poverty, while minimising the time and cost of installation when retrofitting houses.
The group also examined related issues such as waste and water use reduction and improving comfort in people’s homes – with a focus on factors such as humidity and air quality.
Some key outcomes have included identifying problems in both new build and retrofit building projects such as ventilation in super-insulated buildings. The group also identified monitoring devices and software that can be used to improve the performance of domestic and commercial buildings. Group discussions occurred on what new low-carbon technologies have achieved the greatest carbon savings.
Gary Bateman from the University’s Energy Hub said: “This series of events has made it possible to deliver some serious improvements to the process of reducing fuel poverty and carbon emissions thousands of homes across Greater Manchester.
The Process and Innovation Group has been managed by the University of Salford’s Energy Hub and the Green Infrastructures European Regional Development Fund, and links in with the work being carried out across all areas of urban retrofit at Salford. This includes leading research on behaviour change and new product development within the Energy House, a 1910s terraced house built within an environmentally controlled chamber.
If you would like to receive more information or attend events, courses and conferences organised by the Energy Hub, please contact Gary Bateman (0161 2954406, G.Bateman@salford.ac.uk).
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