LCBE-Solcer demonstration house

<p>We supplied and erected the SIPs panels for Cardiff university Welsh school of Architecture’s project “Solcer House”. This is Wales first low cost energy smart house. The Solcer House is capable of exporting more energy to the national electricity grid that it uses, in an attempt to meet tough new targets for zero carbon housing.
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Designed and constructed as part of the SOLCER project, the Solcer House’s unique design combines, for the first time, renewable energy supply, thermal and electrical energy storage and reduced energy demand; to create an energy positive house.
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The design of the SOLCER House is unique in that it uses a number of technologies and design approaches from Wales. The components of the building have been sourced, as far as reasonably practicable, from Welsh manufacturers and installers, and will be used as a demonstration of advanced Welsh construction technologies. The low carbon systems have been designed to be affordable and replicable, for small to medium size enterprises, using market available technologies. This systems approach aims to use a very low amount of energy to provide a comfortable environment for building occupants.
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In order to drastically reduce the energy demand, the house was built with high levels of thermal insulation reducing air leakage and uses an innovative energy efficient design which includes low carbon cement, structural insulated panels (SIPS), external insulated render, transpired solar collectors (TSC) and low emissivity double glazed aluminium clad timber frame windows and doors.
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The house’s energy systems combine solar generation and battery storage to power both its combined heating, ventilation, hot water system and its electrical power systems which includes appliances, LED lighting and a heat pump. The TSC solar air system preheats the ventilation air, which is topped up from a thermal water store. The south facing roof comprises of glazed solar photovoltaic panels, fully integrated into the design of the building, allowing the roof space below to be naturally lit. This has been designed to reduce the cost of bolting on solar panels to a standard roof.
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This project has won the 2015 Cardiff University “Innovation in Sustainability award” category of their Innovation and Impact Awards
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See Films and also <a href=”http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/105280-low-energy-smart-house-wins-innovation-award “>http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/news/view/105280-low-energy-smart-house-wins-innovation-award </a>