Where am I?

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It can only be the University of Salford’s Energy House 2.0

We were invited to the official opening of Energy House 2.0 as Property Tectonics has a long-standing relationship with the university and the team at Energy House.

This £16 million research facility is the largest climate-controlled chamber of its kind in the world. Energy House 2.0 has been part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and the University of Salford alongside additional partners. There are two test chambers, each large enough to fit two detached houses. The climatic conditions can be controlled to as low as -20 Degrees Celsius and increased to highs of 40 Degrees Celsius and it takes around 30 hours to go between the two extremes. The simulated weather conditions within the chamber can " replicate the weather in 95 per cent of the populated globe, " says Richard Fitton.

The facility will begin testing the 2 houses within the next couple of weeks. These were built in the chamber through a mixture of traditional house-building practices and modern construction methods (MMC). Barratt Developments and Bellway Homes have worked with Saint-Gobain UK to build the two detached, three-bed family homes. Each home has multiple utilities and facilities, including different heating systems, wastewater and heat recovery systems, air source heat pumps, a roof-mounted ASHP system and solar PV systems. Yes, they can make sunshine inside the chamber as well as snow. How cool is that! Or hot, depending on the testing phase!

There are sensors everywhere, from the walls to the ceilings, even in the soil in the foundations, to monitor potential heat loss. The multiple systems have all been installed simultaneously to be tested individually, in like-for-like scenarios, and then compared, ensuring that the building fabric is kept intact and test scenarios are the same.

Leading manufacturers will test their smart home products and integrated systems that will help reduce energy usage, running costs and the reduction of CO2 emissions and determine which products would work best at scale for the ‘homes of the future’.