Properties designed during the 1970s and built in the 1980s are proving to be better at cutting energy wastage than those being developed today. At the time the homes were built for council tenants on low incomes but they may now provide a blueprint for meeting the tough Coalition targets to cut carbon emissions.
The University of Salford created the ‘tea cosy’ design and research shows that if built today they would cost just 7% more to build than a similar conventional home but they will save around 50% on energy costs every year. The homes were designed to rely on an internal concrete structure which would hold in the heat and would also be protected by an insulated surround which produces the ‘tea cosy’ effect. The terraced homes also relied on more windows on the south facing side and doors protected by porches facing north.
The design is one of the few that will meet 2016 target for zero-carbon homes and they will still be 25% more efficient than properties meeting the stringent regulations for 2013. To be comfortable, they will only have to use their heating systems for three or four months each year. This far exceeds the seven months average, conventional United Kingdom homes will need to use heating. The homes can even be lived in with no heating at all. This will mean the money saved can be used on other important bills such as household insurance.
Philip Brown, from the University of Salford, said “There is little difference in cost between traditionally thermally inefficient build and the relatively simple Salford House low-energy design. With many house builders currently worried that new homes are going to be much more expensive to build in order to meet the Government’s ambitious targets, the Salford model shows that this need not be the case.”