Carbon
reduction project carbon emissions
CALA Homes (East) Ltd - Worlds first 'Dynamic Breathing' home in Edinburgh
New Clean Technology to Reduce Carbon
Emissions in The Built Environment
A ground-breaking ‘dynamic breathing’ insulation designed to
lower carbon emissions, reduce energy costs and create a healthy
living environment has been unveiled at CALA’s Arboretum
development in Balerno, Edinburgh, where it will now be
trialled.
Created by the Environmental Building Partnership Limited (EBP),
a spinout company from the University of Aberdeen, and supported
by CALA, the new construction technology Dynamic Insulation is
set to revolutionise the way buildings across the world are
insulated and ventilated.
The project has also been supported by the Carbon Trust through
its applied research grant programme.
The Hazeldean showhome at Arboretum is the first test-site for
the new dynamic insulation which replaces conventional thermal
insulation with air-permeable modules or ‘Energyflo™’ cells.
This new multi-functional approach allows the building to
‘breathe’, stripping away airborne pollutants and circulating
warm air during winter and cooled air throughout the summer.
According to the Carbon Trust, emissions from buildings generate
more than 45% of the UK’s annual carbon footprint and better
insulation is critical in the fight against climate change.
The new technology will also have an impact on well-being within
the home. Traditional insulation gives rise to increased
humidity which can impair indoor air quality and cause a feeling
of 'stuffiness' and increased incidences of asthma.
Tests at CALA’s Arboretum development will begin in earnest this
month with the first round of results due in August of this
year.
Thereafter, it is planned that the future homeowner will allow
the partnership to continue to monitor the efficacy of this new
clean technology.
The project team also plans to employ infra-red cameras to
evaluate the Hazeldean in comparison with the other homes at
Arboretum.
Gerry More, Managing Director, CALA Homes (East) Limited
explains the significance of the new product:
“Dynamic insulation will make a huge difference to the way we
build homes. The new technology will ensure they are more
environmentally-friendly, more cost effective to run and the
added health benefits are significant too.
“We are delighted to partner the University of Aberdeen and the
Carbon Trust in testing the prototype at our Arboretum
development in Balerno. It illustrates our ongoing commitment to
continually pushing the boundaries of home design and innovation
in home technology.”
Dr Mohammed Imbabi, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences
at the University of Aberdeen and Technical Director at EBP
adds:
“The Energyflo™ cell addresses the growing demand for buildings
to be sustainable, energy efficient and a healthy environment to
live and work in. These critical early tests at CALA’s Arboretum
development in Balerno will allow us to evaluate the product’s
performance in a real building and demonstrate the commercial
benefits to the whole of the building industry.
“I am confident that the results from the project will help us
re-shape the way that we build in this country and across the
world.”
Dr Garry Staunton, Head of Low Carbon Research at the Carbon
Trust says:
“Cutting carbon emissions in buildings is key to meeting the
UK’s carbon reduction targets.
“We’re delighted to be supporting the first field trial of the
Energyflo cell and congratulate CALA for backing this project.
“Grants are a key part of the Carbon Trust’s work in encouraging
low carbon innovation: through the Applied Research programme
we’re backing technology that we think has huge carbon-saving
potential but which requires a further boost before it becomes a
commercial reality. By providing funding to projects such as
this to demonstrate Energyflo, we are helping to speed
low-carbon technologies to market where their true carbon saving
potential can be realised.”
Email: joe@real-pr.co.uk