Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Lead Researcher: Professor Fiona Fylan
Our decisions are influenced by a wide range of factors and understanding these helps us design solutions that can more effectively solve societies problems. The challenge of net zero is social technical and so requires innovations to ensure strategies and policies are person-centred. At LSI we have undertaken research to investigate more sustainable travel options, as well as explore how people use energy in their home, and specifically their motivations and challenges around retrofitting their home, or switching to low carbon heating systems such as Heat pumps, Hydrogen Boilers and Infra-Red heating.
Evaluating the performance of novel Internal Wall Insulation
This report presents the preliminary findings from before and after building performance evaluation (BPE) field trials undertaken to measure the impact of six TIWI and one conventional IWI retrofits. Their impact on thermal bridging and hygrothermal models identified how they affected moisture risk. Dynamic simulation models predicted the energy demand reductions to evaluate potential carbon and fuel bill savings. Coheating tests measured the reduction in the heat transfer coefficient (HTC) measured in W/K, which describes the holistic impact on the home’s heating demand. In addition, blower door tests and heat flux measurements quantified the difference that the retrofits had on infiltration (uncontrolled air leakage) and fabric heat loss, i.e. wall U-value measured in W/m²K, respectively. Appraisal of the installation costs and how the TIWI products could overcome installation barriers was undertaken, supported by surveys in 100 homes to identify insulation and dwelling characteristics that affected costs or risks, such as requirements to replace plumbing, boilers and radiators, apply decoration or repair damp walls.
Research outputs
This project is currently in progress, if you would like any more information, please contact us.
Leeds was designated a core city for trialling the Government’s Green Deal domestic energy efficiency policy. Leeds Beckett University undertook a monitoring and testing programme on 65 dwellings to investigate the effectiveness of the insulation measures installed and to understand any underperformance. This report outlines the findings from a series of investigations including: surveys, air tightness tests, co heating tests, in situ U-value tests, hygrothermal and thermal bridging modelling, in-use monitoring and occupant interviews. The surveys revealed that the ‘whole house approach’ to retrofit was, more often, missing, and quality assurance around insulation detailing was regularly absent, leading to avoidable errors and potentially embedding problems in the installations. Furthermore, moisture issues were, in the majority of instances, over-looked or made worse despite over half the sample having some form of damp. Despite this, energy savings were observed and the appearance of the dwellings were improved, thus apparent satisfaction was generally high, even though the installs were imperfect and moisture problems were introduced.
Research outputs
Evaluating the success of MVHR retrofits
The aim of this project was to assess the effectiveness of the whole house mechanical ventilation and heat recovery (MVHR) systems within the existing UK housing stock. This was investigated via field trials into homes where MVHR was installed as part of a comprehensive energy efficiency and environmental improvement package. Evaluations were made in terms of energy use, thermal comfort, internal air quality and acceptability to tenants.
Research outputs
This project extends the reach of our earlier work on public acceptance of hydrogen by establishing how to communicate with the public about using hydrogen as a domestic energy supply and enable them to make an informed choice about their energy supply. It involved developing a communication guide, producing an animation to explain how hydrogen is produced and why it does not produce carbon dioxide, and developing an interactive display for the public to use to find out about hydrogen and its role in reaching net zero.
Public perceptions of hydrogen are currently only guessed at by the research and industry community. As a result, we have no idea about how communities and individuals would respond to the prospect of a 100% hydrogen conversion, which could change the look and feel of daily core practices e.g. cooking and heating. As part of the H21 NIC project a programme of social science research is being undertaken by Leeds Beckett University. This research will ensure that some of the issues regarding perceptions of hydrogen are confronted and new knowledge generated. The research aims are as follows:
Generate insight into baseline public perceptions of the safety of hydrogen and other energy technologies/vectors including how they vary by a range of socio-demographic and geographic variables.
Generate insight into how people respond to the possibility of using 100% hydrogen in the three-key, gas fuelled social practices (heating, cooking, travelling), including how they vary by a range of socio-demographic and geographic variables.
Understand how public perception of the safety of hydrogen evolves across the range of socio-demographic and geographic variables when considering the H21 NIC evidence.
Build a hydrogen research network of social scientists across the UK who may then become involved in the delivery of the proposed research activity or who may play advisory roles in the development of a body of research, data and expertise around the opportunities and challenges of hydrogen.
This research project provides insight into how communities and individuals would respond to the prospect of a conversion from natural gas to hydrogen gas. It explores how to explain a hydrogen conversion, the barriers that exist to a conversion, perceptions of safety, and the information that the public require to make an informed choice about their future domestic fuel.
The high-rise electric heating & hot water pilot project was a two-year project to compare an existing heating system (electric storage heaters) and a new, sustainable, ground source heat pump in high rise blocks in Leeds. Two case study high-rise blocks were selected for this project due to their construction type, energy efficiency rating and negative resident feedback. The Heights East and The Heights West are 10-storey, Townsen design blocks, and each contain 60 flats with an equal mix of 1 and 2 bedrooms. Electricity use, internal conditions and occupant experience were monitored over a 2-year period in 20 flats (10 flats per block) to provide insight into the way that occupants heat their homes and manage their energy use. Phase 1, covering the first year of monitoring, evaluated the existing heating system, with Phase 2 in the second year monitoring in the new system.
The project found substantial reduction in both energy use and carbon emissions following the change to a heat pump, despite the influence of Covid on home occupancy rates during Phase 2. The heat pump also received praise from occupants, who saw improvement in their thermal comfort and valued the additional control that the heat pump system gave them. The findings from this project had significant impact, and were central in influencing future low carbon policy and investment within Leeds City Council. The pilot blocks are typical of those in both local and national stock, many of which will require upgrade to their heating systems in the coming decade. This research provided evidence on the effectiveness of heat pumps as a possible alternative solution for heating in high-rise buildings.
Two hydrogen exhibition homes, built with the support of BEIS, are demonstrating hydrogen appliances to the public and the gas industry. The homes are heated using a hydrogen boiler and hydrogen fires, there are hydrogen hobs and cookers, and even a hydrogen barbeque. This project has two aims. First, to understand how the public respond to visiting the hydrogen home, including how their attitudes towards hydrogen have changed, whether their questions were answered, and whether visiting the hydrogen home has motivated them to make lifestyle changes to reduce their carbon footprint. The second aim is to measure the effect of hydrogen appliances on air quality. We have placed sensors throughout the house to measure air quality metrics including temperature, particulates, volatile organic components, nitrogen dioxide and ozone. Importantly, given our previous research showed that the public are concerned about whether using hydrogen will cause condensation and damp in their home, we are also monitoring humidity. The research will therefore establish the effect of heating and cooking using hydrogen on air quality and the risk of damp.
Local councils spend a substantial amount each year resolving issues arising from damp and disrepair in their social housing stock. To understand the causes of these issues, the LSI undertook a series of quantitative and qualitative research exercises in collaboration with NPS and Leeds City Council. These tests included: airtightness measurement of dwellings, thermographic surveys of dwellings, occupant interviews and analysis of in-use internal environment data. This series of tests were performed across a representative sample of 31 dwellings taken from a wider estate where issues with damp were higher than average.
The sample was selected to include dwellings both with reported damp issues and with no reported issues, so that data may support the identification and disaggregation of likely risk factors contributing to moisture related issues.
The project was instrumental in identifying commonly occurring fabric issues, including missing insulation, thermal bridging, faulty seals, and penetrating moisture. Engagement with the occupants also highlighted common behaviours that led to an enhanced risk of moisture issues, such as under ventilation and indoor clothes drying. Importantly, the research also explored the rationale behind such behaviours and the occupant perspectives on risk, responsibility and awareness when considering the links between moisture, damp, and mould. The findings were used by Leeds City Council to improve their strategy for retrofit and damp mitigation, including providing additional guidance to occupants on managing moisture in the home.
Nationwide BPE investigations into low carbon homes
In 2011, the Technology Strategy Board (now Innovate UK) launched the £8m Building Performance Evaluation (BPE) programme. An overarching aim of the BPE programme was to assemble comparable data and knowledge about a large number of buildings to enable analysis across the body of case study information, leading to generic findings#, conclusions and learning for the sector as a whole. As part of this programme, the Centre for the Built Environment (CeBE) were successful in securing over £500,000 of external funding to undertake six post construction and early occupation studies (25% of all of the domestic projects awarded under the Technology Strategy Board BPE programme) and two in-use performance and post occupancy evaluation studies. Additionally, all participants involved in the wider BPEP were required to adhere to standardised BPE practices based on the Leeds Beckett University Coheating Text Protocol.
Research outputs
BPE of Prototype Low Carbon Dwellings
The Temple Avenue Project, funded by the Joseph Rowntree Housing Trust, outlines the initial evaluation of the design, construction and performance of two prototype low carbon dwellings and helps establish the extent to which an existing 1930s masonry house can be renovated so as to achieve a level of performance commensurate with the advanced energy and carbon standard of the prototype new dwellings. The two prototype dwellings contained some technological innovation and were constructed between July and December 2009. One prototype was constructed using thin-joint masonry construction and another using a structural insulated panel (SIPs) build system. The concurrent renovation works to an adjacent existing dwelling explored the impact of two standards of renovation, one reflecting the standard fabric measures that are currently considered to be cost effective and one reflecting the more challenging requirements of an 80% emissions reduction and incurring greater capital costs.
Research outputs
Fiona is a Health Psychologist who applies behavioural sciences to better understand behaviour and to develop and evaluate interventions to change behaviour. She works in areas such as energy use, transport choices, road user behaviour and healthcare provision.
