Article 010 - The problem of refurbishing existing homes to new energy standards in Britain

The problem of refurbishing existing homes to new energy standards in Britain.

Background

Britain has a large stock of housing that is below current Building Regulation particularly in relation to environmental control.

If it is proposed to bring the redundant stock of buildings into use then the needs and resources required to carry out the upgrading work must first be established.

Needs-Existing Population

In 2011 in Britain the population                  = 63,200,000 people

Source: ONS

In 2013 in Britain the population                  = 63,395,574 people

Source: CIA World factbook 2013

Resources-Existing Dwellings

In 2008 in Britain there were                        = 26.2 million dwellings

Source: ONS

This allows for 2 to 3 people per dwelling to house the wole population in 2013.

Needs-Future Population

In 2050-2060 in Britain the population        = 77,000,000 people

Source: BBC

Initial basis of a solution to house the population

If the existing housing stock is retained and converted then this allows for 3 people per dwelling to house the whole population in 2050-2060.

Given the projected depletion in energy, resources and environment this is an appropriate solution to ensure Britain meets its International agreements on limiting the use of fossil fuels.

Therefore new dwellings are not actually needed immediately in Britain.

Natural resources and energy production

Britain is an island with an increasing population which will reach more than 77,000,000 by the mid century. This increased population will require more natural resources and additional energy production. However natural resources and energy generating capacity are already depleting and natural resources cannot be manufactured into products without energy.

The key resource to allow upgrading of the housing stock in Britain is therefore energy.

Britain has reducing coal reserves that will peak around 2037            

Source: http://www.ukcoal.com/why-coal/need-for-coal/world-coal-statistics

Britain has reducing gas reserves that will peak between

2013 and 2015

Source: Data supplied by Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE)

Britain will be decommissioning its advanced gas cooled nuclear reactors between 2014-2023

Source: London: Daily Telegraph, retrieved 30 August 2008

Britain will enter energy depletion and power extraction levels will drop from 14% to 4% from 2014

Source: Ofgem  05/10/2012 Telegraph Newspaper

Britain will be affected by world oil depletion.

‘after 2015 depletion will be eroding capacity steadily with only limited new capacity coming on stream. The expectation will be that companies will make heroic efforts to bring on new capacity although it is unlikely that this will be sufficient to fully offset depletion. A possible outcome is an undulating production plateau at around 90Mb/d.

Source: The Oil Crunch A wake-up call for the UK economy Industry Taskforce on Peak Oil & Energy Security Second report of the UK Industry Taskforce on Peak Oil & Energy Security  (ITPOES). February 2010

Britain will be closing 15% (12 GW) of its present coal and oil power generating station capacity by the end of 2015.

Source: BERR

Conclusion

The key resource to allow upgrading of the housing stock in Britain is energy.

Without energy Britain’s manufacturing capability will diminish.

Britain’s energy resources are depleting.

This will change the form of our society.

Therefore upgrading our existing building stock may not be possible.

The economic problem of existing building stock improvement.

Current Status

Assume a standard semi-detached 76m2 property

Assume a budget for a family of 3 income to

upgrade the property                                               = £29,000 / year

Proposed Changes to House and budgets

New loft and cavity wall Insulation                            = £3,000

New boiler                                                                 = £3,000         

New central heating system / solar panel                 = £5,000

Double glazed windows                                            = £5,000

Transport and plant                                                   = £1,000

Approvals                                                                  = £1,000

Total                                                                          = £18,000      

 The total cost to upgrade all UK homes in this manner would be 26,300,000 homes x £18,000                             

                                                                        = £473,400,000,000

This is approx. one half of the 2012 calculated national

debt of the UK

Source : Guardian 2012                                              = £1006,000,000,000

If the income of the family is taken into account then they would have approx £11,000 left to live on for a year. This may not allow for repayments on mortgages and also would severely reduce the weekly budget for each member of the family.

If manufacturing costs of the materials, running costs of the vehicles and energy use for the refurbishment work are taken into account then the carbon footprint of all the works far outweighs any benefits to the individual household.

Conclusion

Increasing the national debt is not a sustainable policy.

Upgrading all of the existing housing stock is not an economic possibility for Britain.

Energy wastage in Britain

The existing houses are designed with ring mains circuits that are energized 24 hours a day, 365 days a year from a power grid that covers Britain and is itself energized by power stations burning fossil fuels. The fossil fuels are a limited resource and are depleting. The power stations do not store the energy they deliver to the grid. The distribution grid does not store energy it delivers to the homes, businesses and infrastructure. The homes and businesses and infrastructure do not store the energy, they only consume it. The whole system needs to be active for one single light bulb in Britain to operate.

This equated to 3,527,000,000,000,000 watts of energy each day, in 2010, being generated, and not stored, to switch on a single 100 watt light bulb.

Source: 2013 CIA world Factbook. UK. Energy. Electricity Production.

Conclusion

The existing use of a national grid is to produce and distribute energy is not a cost effective solution for Britain.

Energy production and distribution needs to localize, adapt to local circumstances and be designed to evolve with local needs.

Energy wastage in Home Appliance.

The appliances in the homes are connected to the energized ring mains and so use energy individually and as groups.

Here is a list of typical appliances that can be on at the same time in a single dwelling.

1 x  computer desktop      270

1 x  flat screen TV            170

1 x  printer                        100

1 x  laptop                         50

1 x  Satellite System

        with 12” dish             30

1 x  fridge                         800

1 x  freezer                       800

1 x  clothes dryer             5000

1 x  dishwasher               2400

1 x  microwave                1100  

1 x  water heater              5500

5 x  lights - 100 watt         500

total wattage                     16720

The total wattage of these appliances, all possibly on at any one time, is very high.

The energy use of a pre 2007, 2storey 3Bedroom 4 Person House ( 2st3B4P ) achieves approx. 87m2 = 87 x 51 kWh /m²/yr = 4500 kWh /yr

Source: BERR Energy Trends

The energy use of a post 2020, peak oil, 2storey 3 Bedroom 4 Person House ( 2st3B4P) must achieve approx. 87m2 = 87 x 30 kWh/m²/yr = 2610 kWh /yr

Source:  EU low energy house standards.

Conclusion

There are to many appliances in use currently in Britain.

The numbers must reduce to even approach those required to meet Building Regulations.

Therefore any upgrading of existing homes must consider reducing appliances..

Alternative Energy sources

The current types of alternative energy sources are

Wind

In 2012 this was estimated to cost £8000 per property (Source: www.government-grants.co.uk)  for a 4800kWh to 6000kWh installation.

It can only be installed at certain locations in Britain. When connected to the national grid the power loss of the wind energy outweighs its manufacture, installation and running cost savings.

Wave / hydro

This can only be installed at certain locations in Britain. When connected to the national grid the power loss of the wind energy outweighs its manufacture, installation and running cost savings.

Domestic Hydro generation in 2012 costs about £25,000 (Source: Energy Saving Trust) per dwelling and also needs permissions and specific locations to be installed.

Bio-Mass

This in 2012 this cost  about £12,000 (Source: greensystemsuk.com) to install and about £100 - £200 per year to run. This system consumes about 1 tonne of fuel a year and so needs special storage provisions. The system can only be used in certain locations due to CO2 and CH4 emissions.

Methylated spirit. Kerosene

This in 2012 this cost about £50 (Source: Internet sales information) to install and about £100 per year to run. The issue is that whilst the energy output is high the use of the system is limited to temporary heat output and cooking.

Solar photovoltaic panels

In 2012 this cost £7700 (3kW) (Source: Energy Saving Trust) to install only for water heating purposes in a domestic situation.

The issues involved with solar photovoltaic panels are typical of the problems involved.

The installation area available for the number of solar arrays needed to cover this amount of total wattage is not available in the current site area for each house in Britain.

The number of batteries needed to store this amount of wattage requires a new room area for each house in Britain.

The inverters and circuitry required to generate AC and DC voltages for this amount of wattage requires a new room area for each house in Britain.

The existing ring main circuits and sockets would need to be separated into 240v and 12v systems, AC and DC and internal and external for each house in Britain.

Houses in Britain are not all orientated so as to make best use of solar photovoltaic systems.

Not all houses can be converted and so the value of properties varies destabilizing each housing areas market value.

Transferring the whole of Britain to solar power would require approx. 7 photovoltaic panels per house. These each cost 4kWh of energy to produce and create only 1.4 kWh of energy each.

7 photovoltaic panels per house multiplied by the 26,300,000 homes in Britain equates to 184,100,000 photovoltaic panels and 736,400,000kWh of energy to produce them.

Britain in 2012 only installed 1,000,000 kilowatts of solar panels.

If the process of installing photovoltaic panels was extended to the whole of Britain the process would take 736 years at these figures without imported products to complete.

If imported products are used then the carbon footprint of each property would increase.

Passive

This needs only the dwelling to be designed for the site at which it is placed.

It has no additional installation or running cost.

The dwelling collects environmental energy without mechanical aid.

Conclusion

Currently therefore changing over to an alternative energy sources in Britain with the exception of a passive design is not viable.

Proposed alternative approach.

The key to energy saving is not to ask the questions.

How can the buildings be more effectively heated and cooled more efficiently ?

How can the human beings be heated and cooled more efficiently where ever they are ?

From this question any energy input into the buildings beyond passive levels can be seen as a failure of design.

From this approach the human beings get a portable energy solution for any environments they occupy. This suits our current nomadic lifestyle better. This suit’s the depletion of energy, natural resources and environment that is occurring and will deteriorate.

Adopt the following principles in relation to the existing housing stock of Britain.

1.         Retain the property as it is and do nothing to it.

If the property is beyond walking distance of a resource, urban area then demolish it to free up land.

2.         Retain the property as it is and carry out small changes to

            the lifestyle of the occupants.

Leave in the distribution network and the redundant services. It will cost more and cause more CO2 loss to remove them and recycle them.

2.1       Identify and switch off the expensive and redundant electric heating energy sources.

2.2       Identify and switch off the expensive and redundant electric lighting energy sources.

2.3       Identify and switch off the expensive and redundant electric cooking energy sources.

Switch to a battery powered microwave or slow thermal cooking system.

This reduces cooking time and also saves energy and CO2 production

2.4       Identify and switch off the electric power sockets that you

            do not use.

2.5       Identify and switch off the expensive and redundant Gas space heating energy sources.

2.6       Add curtains to windows to increase thermal insulation and control of air leakage.

2.7       Add blankets to beds to increase thermal insulation and comfort conditions during winter.

2.8       Wear warmer clothes to increase thermal insulation and comfort conditions during winter.

2.9       Don't insulate a property unless you have.

Insulation is energy intensive and releases a large amount of CO2 when being manufactured, transported and installed.

2.10    Don't change the windows and doors for double glazed unless you have to.

New windows and doors are energy intensive and release a large amount of CO2 when being manufactured, transported and installed.

2.11    Reduce the dense tree planting around your home to

            increase  natural, passive solar heating, lighting and           

            cooling potential.

2.12    Add a water collection tank to the rainwater spout, grey drainage outlets.

Use this grey water on the garden rather than paying for extra water supply.

2.13    Don't use, reduce the use of, or sell your car and use public transport or use the car as a generator for the house electrical supply.

2.14    Add a roof light to the roof area to increase passive heating, lighting and cooling potential.

2.15    Reduce all of your possessions to de-clutter your home, ease cleaning and maintenance and increase your monetary level.

Ian K Whittaker

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