He started talking about his most current work which is called ‘Project CALEBRE’ which stands for Consumer Appealing Low Energy technologies for Building Retrofitting. Which is an E.ON/Research Councils UK funded research comprising of UKs top six universities, led by Loughborough University.
This is a project which took place over four and a half years (October 2008 – April 2013). Their main objective was investigating a variety of technologies specifically aimed at refurbishing domestics. They want to help achieve 80% reduction in carbon footprint by 2050.
The main technologies which Dennis talked about were:
- Heat pumps
- Mechanical Ventilation systems
- Vacuum glazing
- Advanced surface treatments
However Dennis made it very clear in several phases of the presentation that it’s not just about introducing these new technologies but it’s being able to change the behaviour of consumers. Yes these technologies are critical to help us reduce carbon emissions but it’s just as important that the clients change their behaviour to make sure the technologies are apprehended efficiently.
One of the other problems are that these technologies are incredibly expensive as they aren’t mass produced. This is one of the main problems because not every consumer is ready to spend so much money on these technologies although they may be eager to help reduce their bills and help reduce their own carbon emissions. However some of these technologies have been introduced in other countries but it is still quite new in the UK.
He also did talk about a term I have come across before known as ‘district heating’ however I didn’t really know what it meant. Dennis summed it very well by saying a city would have to invest in infrastructure, which removes the need for every household to purchase a single boiler and through the use of pipes a system is created ‘snaked under the city’. Which allows consumers to connect to the neighbourhood energy centre and thermal stores. District heating has been proven for efficiency gains and carbon savings however the only problem is that this involves a very complex system.
Overall Dennis delivered an incredible presentation from start to finish, this was a talk I personally couldn’t miss as I am carrying out an assignment for one of my other modules where I am studying about ‘eco-housing so this talk gave me great insight and inspired me.
So overall this year’s subject futures week has been very successful and thought-provoking, One of the reasons why it was effective was because the whole week was based around numerous topics, topics we may not have personally interested in but it definitely changed my opinion on certain matters. So now I’m all pumped up its time to get back to producing work for assignments. I hope you enjoyed reading about the different topics
Those who want to find out more about Project CALEBRE please visit: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/microsites/enterprise/calebre/
Those who want to find out more information about district heating please read this article:
http://www.theguardian.com/cities/2014/nov/18/district-heating-a-hot-idea-whose-time-has-come