Help residents make the most of their new energy-efficient homes

When delivering highly energy-efficient housing, providers need to work with residents to ensure they're able to get the most out of their new home’s green features, writes Midland Heart’s Joe Reeves.

When the government announced the Future Homes Standard (FHS) in 2019, at Midland Heart, we decided to get ahead of the curve and build homes to meet the standard now, rather than wait until 2025. That’s how Project 80 was born.

Project 80 is currently made up of two sites in Handsworth and Edgbaston, Birmingham. Our Handsworth site, Eco Drive, has 12 family homes; whilst Elvetham Road in Edgbaston boasts 12 maisonettes, all meeting the new standard.

In designing and building these new energy-efficient homes, we were able to work with local partners and contractors to bring forward groundbreaking design and innovative building materials. For example, the three blocks of homes at Eco Drive have different specifications, so we can learn what works most effectively. Some are very airtight and require mechanical ventilation, whilst others are more naturally ventilated.

We’ve also used bricks and masonry made from reclaimed materials. All the homes use traditional building methods, rather than modern methods of construction (MMC).

As well as building these homes, a key part of the project is to learn what works and what doesn’t and make our learning open to all. That’s why we’ve worked with Birmingham City University (BCU) on a research project to provide data and information on how the homes perform and, more importantly, what they’re like to live in.

Alongside BCU, we’ve just published the first report on Project 80, as we now have 12 months of data to draw on.

The good news is that the homes themselves performed even better than we expected, easily meeting the 80 per cent reduction in carbon usage. With no gas connections, the electronic heating systems worked well, as did the solar panels (PV cells), even though they aren’t part of the FHS.

In short, the homes work. Project 80 proves that, despite some challenges, homes that meet the FHS can be built, using traditional materials and methods, and match the look and feel of the surrounding area.

Getting tenants on board 

Our research also showed the greater challenge is giving residents the information and assistance they need to make the most of their energy-efficient homes. 

The first thing to say is that the tenants we spoke to as part of the research liked their new homes. Energy bills were generally lower, and one tenant even reported that a family member had had no recurrence of their asthma since moving in. 

However, the homes rely heavily on new technology. The heating systems are electronically controlled and monitored; radiators run at lower temperatures so need more surface area to be effective; and some of the homes require mechanical ventilation.

It’s true to say that some of the changes are counterintuitive. For example, it's more efficient to set the heating at a lower temperature and leave it on all the time, rather than boost the heat as and when needed by switching it on and off. Indeed, our data shows that some of the tenants continued using the heating in this way, thus reducing the efficiency of the system. 

We put considerable resource into providing information to tenants, but we’ve learned more needs to be done from an early stage to really drive behavioural change

Likewise, the thermal efficiency of the homes is in part derived from airtightness. But this means that they work best when the windows and doors are kept closed. In designing Project 80 homes, we made a clear decision not to install sealed window units and include patio doors, for example. Who doesn’t want their windows open on a sunny day, or the patio doors open when they are in the garden, getting fresh air into the house? 

This has two main implications for future developments. 

Firstly, more and better information for tenants on how to live in these homes so as to maximise energy efficiency. We did put considerable time and resource into providing information to tenants and developing an ‘app’ to provide advice and further information, but we’ve learned more needs to be done from an early stage to really drive behavioural change. 

Which brings us to the second point. We are not in the business of telling our tenants how they should live. It therefore seems sensible that we should design and build these new homes with this in mind. Building airtight homes with sealed windows and fixed heating systems may be highly energy efficient, but will anyone want to live in them?

It seems more sensible to compromise with homes that fit people’s lifestyles whilst still meeting the required standard. This is where we’ve found solar panels helpful. Whilst not required by the standard, their inclusion means we can compromise in other areas to meet lifestyle requirements, whilst meeting the standard. Ultimately, it is this that will help us to succeed. 

• Image courtesy of Midland Heart