aurora house brochure
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Affordable low Energy Housing Today!TRANSCRIPT
Opening of the low‐energy, low‐carbon house, the “Aurora”
By John Swinney
Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable growth
1 December 2009
Today, at South Lanarkshire College, East Kilbride, just a few days before the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth and Politician of the Year, launches the first, affordable, low‐energy, low‐carbon home targeted at the mass market.
Programme 11:30 am Guests gather..................................................Rm 342 12:00 Welcome ..........................Stewart McKillop, Principal Introduction...................Angus Allan, Depute Principal Address................John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth 12:20 Guests guided to house for the official opening 12:45 Buffet lunch for all guests, provided by
Hospitality students, South Lanarkshire College
Networking and close
a
FACTSHEET 1
The low‐energy, low‐carbon house ‘Aurora’ is the result of successful and unique partnership between South Lanarkshire College, Dawn Homes and more than 50 private‐sector partners.
The house showcases the high insulation levels, low air leakage and low‐energy technologies capable of reducing net energy use and energy bills to zero while at the same time contributing towards challenging government targets to reduce greenhouse
gases and carbon emissions.
The low‐energy house exceeds building standards requirements likely to come into force in 2013 and then in 2016 by which time all new housing will require to be “net‐zero‐carbon”.
South Lanarkshire College, College Way East Kilbride G75 0NE Telephone: 01355 807780
FACTSHEET 2
FACTSHEET 2
In addition to the high insulation levels, the carefully‐designed and constructed frame minimises any uncontrolled air movement in and out of the building. This greatly reduces the energy needed to keep the house warm. Only small amounts of heat energy are required.
Energy sources in the house are as follows.
• Photovoltaic panels generate electrical energy from the sun.
• Solar hot water heaters raise the hot water tap temperature directly using the sun’s energy.
• An underground heat collector increases the temperature of air drawn into the house. This replaces traditional air vents that would allow cold air to enter the building directly.
• A sophisticated two‐way ground source heat pump collects energy from over 100 metres underground, when required. On days when it is not extracting heat it has the capacity to pump surplus heat back into the ground, maintaining and equilibrium and ensuring that efficiency does not diminish over time.
• An air‐heat recovery system draws heat energy from the air.
Over the course of a year, these systems supply energy efficiently to meet the needs of the house.
Comparative carbon emissions from different sources:
Carbon Dioxide emissions from burning coal: 215 lbs/106 BTU Carbon Dioxide emissions from burning wood and wood waste: 195 lbs/106 BTU Carbon Dioxide emissions from burning gas: 117 lbs/106 BTU Carbon Dioxide emissions using the sun’s energy to produce electricity and to heat water: 0
There is no piped gas supply to the house and no biomass fuel boiler.
South Lanarkshire College, College Way, East Kilbride, G75 0NE, Telephone: 01355 807780
Factsheet 3
There is a host of innovative approaches in the low‐energy, low‐carbon house to minimise the environmental impact, including:
• an energy‐saving timber frame design with outstanding levels of insulation
• an airtight construction with less than one quarter of the air leakage of a typical new house
• triple glazed windows and doors
• an air intake, instead of air ventilators, that collects pre‐warmed air from underground
• energy‐saving light tunnels on the upper floor
• water‐saving sinks and baths
• high‐efficiency under‐floor heating on all floors
• photovoltaic panels
• solar hot‐water panels
• an air‐heat recovery system
• a ground source heat exchanger
• low‐energy heating systems
• a rainwater harvesting system
• kinetic energy switchgear that reduces the need for wiring
• bricks manufactured at a much lower temperature than normal
• water saving bath
• external woodwork cut carefully to expose the most dense grain on the outside, harvested from fast‐growing sustainable spruce woodlands
• a bicycle shed.
South Lanarkshire College College Way East Kilbride G75 0NE Telephone: 01355 807780
College WayEast Kilbride G75 0NE
Impact on learners
South Lanarkshire College, Dawn Homes, the architects and all the sponsors have, together, created an iconic forward‐looking design of a house that is sensible, attractive in design and compelling in terms of minimising running costs and benefiting the environment. The purpose of building this is to showcase to students up‐to‐the minute construction techniques and technologies that will be integrated into future housing in order to reduce energy consumption, fuel bills and carbon emissions.
Each year South Lanarkshire College provides education and training for over 5,500 learners.
The college has an enviable reputation for high‐quality learning and innovative and forward‐looking managers.
Competition for places on courses is fierce.
The low‐energy, low‐carbon house provides the college with a catalyst for developing new courses and changing the existing curriculum.
Students and staff at South Lanarkshire College and Glasgow Caledonian University will be able to access live, up‐to‐the‐minute data and information from probes contained in the structure of the house which will monitor its performance.
The house will provide a rich source of information and data for student project work and dissertations. It will also provide a practical working and demonstration environment to enhance learning and teaching.
South Lanarkshire College is developing itself as a leading college in Scotland for the delivery of courses in sustainability and renewable energies.
“Moving to a low carbon economy presents huge opportunities for Scotland and we need to make our buildings greener to meet ambitious climate change targets. This project could improve skills and support jobs, enhance the built environment and reduce emissions, while lowering people’s bills. It is precisely the kind of project I would encourage.” John Swinney, 1 June 2009, at the launch of theconstruction phase of the project.
South Lanarkshire College East Kilbride, College Way, East Kilbride G75 0NE Telephone: 01355 807780 FAX: 01355 807781
The following companies and organisations have contributed actively and successfully to construct Scotland’s first affordable, replicable, low‐energy, low‐carbon house with Dawn Homes and South Lanarkshire College, East Kilbride.
Company/organisation Contribution
Albar Landscapes External landscaping Brickwork Scotland Building Works British Gypsum Internal partitions and walls CAS Ceramics Tiling wall & floor Citybuilding (Glasgow) Kitchen D Dodds Taping and painting works Dawn Homes Design, development,
construction DGS plumbing and heating Plumbing installation Doria Door Internal doors G E Lighting Limited Low‐energy lighting Glasgow Caledonian University Monitoring and readouts Glidevale Limited Breather membranes, sun tunnels Grant Engineering (UK) Photovoltaic and solar panels Harte Construction Groundworks Ibstock Earth bricks Ideal Standard (UK) Bathrooms, low‐water use taps, etc JDR Bike shelter materials Jewitt Arschavir & Wilkie Architects House design Marley Eternit Roof tiles Marshalls Landscape Products Block paviers McMann and Melvin Internal joinery works MEP and Hire Station Plant and machinery Merchant City Distributors A‐rated “white goods” MGM Timber Scotland Timber for the timber frame Miller Pattison Loft insulation, air leakage tests Mira Showers Low‐water‐use shower MJD Scaffolding Scaffolding
Company/organisation Contribution
M K Electrical Electrical components Nationwide Platforms Heavy plant NIBE Energy Systems Limited Air heat‐recovery system and ground‐
source heat pump Oregon Timber Frame Design and build of the timber frame Peter Grant Soil Plumbing Trade Supplies Sponsorship of solar panels Porcelonosa Grout and adhesive Polypipe Building Products Above and below ground drainage Polypipe Ventilation Ventilation and exhaust air pipe Quinn Group Insulation Rehau Limited Rainwater harvesting system, door
and window frames, underfloor heating, ground probes, associated pipework, wall heating
Rocklift Drilling for heat pump S&G External Joinery SSA Building Services Electrical works Saint‐Gobain Weber Limited External render Sentinel Performance solutions Growth and corrosion inhibitors Solaglass Triple glaze Krypton Gas South Lanarkshire Council Advice regarding planning and
building standards T. Lawrie Drawings Timber Components Stairs Turner & Townsend Health and safety advice regarding
systems and services on site Uponor Pipework to heat pump Versatile Roof work Walker Profiles Window frame manufacture Weber External render South Lanarkshire College, College Way, East Kilbride, G75 0NE, Telephone: 01355 807780