As part of a wider project designed to accelerate progress towards low carbon and net zero housing, the pioneering eHome2 concept house built using offsite technology at Salford University will soon enter an intensive testing period.
The pioneering eHome2 is a three-bedroom family home built inside the world-leading Energy House 2.0 climatic chamber facility at the University of Salford. Over a period of nine months, the house will undergo rigorous whole-building testing – including thermal performance, energy efficiency, running costs and residential comfort, as well as its ability to cope with extreme temperatures and climatic conditions.
Energy House 2.0 is a £16million testing facility that is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund and harnesses the University of Salford's expertise in climate and the built environment. This unique facility builds upon the success of the original Energy House Laboratory, which was opened in 2012. Completed in February this year, the Energy House 2.0 facility is the largest of its kind in the world, with two chambers which can accommodate two detached homes. These chambers can replicate weather conditions including rain, wind, snow and solar radiation, with temperatures ranging from -20 degrees to +40 degrees centigrade.
The eHome2 house was built using a combination of offsite methods, with Saint-Gobain Off-site Solutions brands Scotframe and Pasquill supplying advanced timber frame products and factory-installed pre-insulated walls. eHome2 – a collaborative partnership between housebuilder Barratt Developments, Saint-Gobain Off-Site Solutions, and additional brands within the Saint-Gobain UK & Ireland group, seeks to change the way we build high-quality, sustainable and future-ready new homes in the UK. As such, the data gathered from eHome2, which is operationally net zero, will help inform how the housebuilding sector will design and build zero-carbon housing at scale using sustainable building materials and offsite solutions.
Futureproofing with Posi-Joists
Manufactured and assembled at Pasquill's flagship Chorley site, the floor cassettes supplied to eHome2 are a timber frame construction. As the project is being built to exceed Future Home Standards requirements, it has been designed to accommodate many more heating, ventilation and renewable energy services than the houses commonly built today. Pasquill's Posi-Joist™️ cassettes' metal webbed design creates a larger service void, allowing for easy and free routeing of utilities such as Mechanical Ventilation and Heat Recovery systems (MVHR) throughout the home.
These top-hung Posi-Joist floor cassettes also help speed up the process of installation and reduce the thermal bridging at wall-floor interfaces. Pasquill has also supplied the roof trusses for eHome2 to help create a thermally efficient attic space. Combining traditional trusses with attic trusses has created a space that can also house additional services and pipework required to run future smart homes. Both the Posi-Joist cassettes and the roof truss systems add to the pre-manufactured value of the eHome2 build.
Thermally efficient panellised solution
eHome2 features a new proposed MMC category 2 closed panel solution from Scotframe. The wall panel system, which is assembled with BRE A+ rated Isover mineral wool between the i-stud based timber frame, provides maintenance-free and long-lasting insulation. This cuts energy bills, while innovative connections reduce thermal bridging design and enhance airtightness.
"eHome2 will produce a new blueprint for building homes en masse that are capable of operating at net zero carbon level, consuming far less water and creating less waste. At times like this, with the cost of energy at a critical point, new modern methods of construction which see homes constructed offsite in controlled factory settings are essential to create sustainable, comfortable and efficient homes that will cost consumers far less to heat." Mike Chaldecott, CEO of Saint-Gobain UK & Ireland
With the inclusion of critical vapour control membranes, service zones and externally fitted battens, the system speeds up on-site build time and ensures a high-performing fabric – achieving 0.13 W/m2k. The result is a solution with a performance point that exceeds Future Home Standard requirements without the need for additional site-installed installation. It also means that the house can be erected from the slab to the finished roof in only two weeks, including cladding and windows. Ross Baxter, Managing Director, Saint-Gobain Off-Site Solutions, said: "eHome2 is an investment in the future of UK housing, and has the potential to completely revolutionise how we design and build homes. The fact so many organisations are working together towards a common goal shows that collaboration undoubtedly is the best way for us to tackle the challenges facing the industry.
"It's our aim to help national housebuilders and other volume housing providers find a way of delivering zero-carbon homes of the future at scale and speed. The project is a brilliant showcase of how off-site manufacturing can help achieve this, with innovative solutions driven by sustainability and performance that can help make the world a better home."
Tom Cox, Technical and Development Director, Saint-Gobain Off-Site Solutions, added: "This project is a fantastic demonstration of how offsite can deliver a high premanufactured value to housing developers. In particular, our brands Pasquill and Scotframe have made a significant contribution, with innovative timber-engineered panels and cassettes which have sped up the build and increased its sustainability credentials. "When working with the Barratt design team on the project, designers chose to use the Posi-Joist™️ cassette system to allow for easy rooting of utilities, which are required for future homes design. Meanwhile, the new panel system itself has also had a number of tests carried out on it so it's looking like it's going to be quite an exciting solution for developers moving forward."
During 2023, the house will undergo rigorous whole-building research and testing including thermal performance, energy efficiency, running costs and comfort as well as its ability to cope with extreme temperatures and climatic conditions. The chamber can replicate environmental conditions experienced by 95% of the world's population. Many of the technologies being tested are due to be in common use by 2026, so data gathered from this research period will inform how the housebuilding sector will design and build properties to meet the 2025 Future Homes and Building Standard and deliver low and zero carbon housing at scale.
For more information visit: www.saint-gobain.co.uk/eHome2 https://energyhouse2.salford.ac.uk
