Next move for LSI’s building performance testing programme
Following on from the Leeds Sustainability Institute’s work at the Net-Zero Research Village near Gateshead, two test cells have now been installed at the developer’s factory in Leeds’ Climate Innovation District to gather data on the thermal performance of UK homes.
With the Future Homes Standard coming into effect in 2025, developers will be required to test and verify the thermal performance of new homes after construction, ensuring they perform as designed.
The launch of the test cells is part of a wider project by the Leeds Sustainability Institute, part of Leeds Beckett University, that will enable the evaluation of how effective new-build homes and retrofit solutions are in real terms.
Alongside the launch of these new facilities, the LSI has been conducting a building performance testing programme at the Net-Zero Research Village near Gateshead.
Powered by Northern Gas Networks, NeRV serves as a testing ground for emerging retrofit net-zero technologies.
At NeRV, the LSI team is assessing nine different home types, each representing a typical British housing era—from 1910s terraces and 1930s semi-detached houses to 1950s bungalows, 1970s flats, and 1990s detached homes.
Their research will establish baseline thermal performance metrics for each housing type, allowing the evaluation of the effectiveness of innovative retrofit solutions.
The LSI’s research will provide data to improve tools that will help the industry meet its ambitious new build and retrofit targets, and help the industry move away from relying exclusively on models to predict hypothetical improvements.
These test cells will function as laboratories, enabling the development of more reliable methods for measuring building performance and ensuring properties meet energy efficiency standards. Credit: PN
David Lynch, energy transition strategy manager at NeRV said: “The testing LSI has carried out at NeRV will give us granular insights into the baseline energy performance for each property type, ultimately helping us understand what impact low carbon retrofit technologies have had upon each dwelling.
“All of this takes us closer to delivering the data on domestic decarbonisation, and providing the evidence customers need to make informed decisions depending on the type of home they live in
“With the UK needing to decarbonise 20,000 properties a week for the next 25 years, it’s absolutely essential to have those answers.”
Professor David Glew, director of the LSI at Leeds Beckett University, said: “It is essential for all parts of the construction industry, from housebuilders, landlords and energy companies to green tech and finance innovators, to know the real performance of their energy efficient products and homes.
“Without reliable tools and methods to test and baseline performance, we won’t have the certainty we need to support the net zero transition of our housing stock.
“The benefits of our research will be transformative, from ensuring that the sector meets its legal responsibilities to hitting energy saving targets and even helping new tech on its journey to adoption.”
The Leeds Sustainability Institute’s development of the Coheating Test is recognised as the gold standard for assessing how residential constructions retain heat. and has recently been codified into a European standard.
Now LSI is hoping to engage with housebuilders, energy companies, landlords and green tech innovators to demonstrate how the work will help them achieve their key targets in 2025 and beyond.
