Professor Martin Hall (left) and Andrew Stunell MP

The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State visited the University to meet academics and students at the centre of excellence for energy, take a tour of the 'house in a lab', and learn about Salford's innovative research into sustainable building and domestic retrofit.

In anticipation of the Government's Green Deal initiative due to be launched next year, the Minister heard how Salford academics are conducting research into fuel poverty, and how to help low income and vulnerable people overcome fuel price rises and the effects of energy inefficient housing.

He also learnt about the University's research to understand how best to influence and change energy inefficient behaviour and habits in the home, as well as the original low-energy 'tea cosy' houses the University developed and designed with Salford City Council in the 1970s - which remain more efficient than housing stock being built today.

Built to monitor domestic energy consumption within aged housing stock and act as a test-bed for new materials and behavioural studies, the Energy House is a fully-functioning home - complete with running taps and a flushing toilet. It is part-funded through the European Regional Development Fund.

The Minister said: "Over 40% of the UK's green house gas emissions come from the built environment, so we must make every effort to ensure retrofit schemes like the Green Deal work, or the country risks losing its battle against climate change. That's why I've come to the Energy House today. This fantastic facility shows us that greening our homes isn't just an elite pastime, it's something everyone can do.

"With the countdown to the Green Deal underway, the Energy House will be a vital tool for understanding how measures to improve energy efficiency work in practice. I have argued for many years that we must close the gap between the predicted improvements of retrofitting and actual energy performance, so I'm delighted the Energy House will help us achieve this."

The University's Vice-Chancellor, Professor Martin Hall, added: "We were very pleased to welcome Andrew to our Energy House. His enthusiasm for our work clearly demonstrates that our cutting-edge research into highly relevant energy issues is in line with the Government's ambition to make all UK homes zero carbon from 2016."

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