Stewart Milne Group, who built the UK’s first five star near zero carbon home one year ago, have announced a partnership with Oxford Brookes University to carry out a groundbreaking ‘real life’ evaluation of the Sigma Home.

The fifteen-month research project, which commenced in December 2007, includes ’real-life’ evaluation of the prototype home. The experience of living in the home will provide Stewart Milne Group with vital feedback to improve the sustainable design of their homes and to consider the usability of the new technologies.

With zero carbon homes requiring more technology than current UK homes, the Group are keen to understand how technologies need to be simplified to meet the expectations of consumers and ensure that the operation of the home is simple, straightforward and practical.

John Slater, MD of Stewart Milne Homes, said: “The prototype Sigma Home is to be operated as a fully functioning family home and researchers at Oxford Brookes University will analyse the results as part of our ongoing drive to bring these environmentally friendly homes to market. We are working to understand how consumers use technology and how we can simplify the new technologies so every member of the family can use them with confidence.”

Oxford Brookes is home to the Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development (OISD), one of the most respected research institutes in this field. Researchers will carry out a number of evaluations on the Sigma Home including:

Building Performance Monitoring: To evaluate air temperature, air quality, air movement, relative humidity and water consumption.

Co-Heating Test: To assess the actual fabric performance of the home compared to the design performance.

Post Occupancy Evaluation: To evaluate the occupancy behaviour within the house and correlate these with the building performance characteristics.

Dr Fionn Stevenson, co-director of the Architecture Unit in OISD, and an expert in post-occupancy evaluation, is leading the research. Dr Stevenson said:

"One of the most important influences on the performance of housing is the actual interaction between the residents and the building itself. The simple act of opening a window can have dramatic effects on energy consumption, by letting in cold air. Until now, there has been very little analysis of this influence within housing developments. We are combining wireless physical monitoring of the building with a variety of behaviour evaluation techniques for assessing how the residents influence the predicted building performance as well as how the building affects the residents."

The Stewart Milne Group and the Energy Saving Trust are co-sponsoring the research as part of the “new build outreach” programme. The Sigma^® Home is part of a two-year research and development initiative which draws on the company experience and sets out a vision for the supply of homes to meet the zero carbon challenge and the needs of tomorrow’s consumers.

John Slater said: “We are edging closer to demonstrating the commercial viability of these house designs and will await the results of the research from Oxford Brookes. Last year we unveiled the UK’s first 5-star house, next year we could be close to commencing commercial construction.”

The Sigma^® Home, which was designed and built to meet the Government’s “Code for Sustainable Homes” requirements, is the UK’s first five star near zero carbon home.

The Sigma Home utilises renewable energy by heating hot water from solar panels and generates electricity from roof-mounted turbines and photovoltaics. It achieves 100 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions from space and water heating and lighting needs, through excellent thermal performance, air tightness, good solar design and the integration of solar thermal, photovoltaic - 'PV' - and micro-wind generation, renewable technologies. A passive cooling stack and 'whole house' mechanical ventilation and heat recovery system controls temperature by sucking in warm air as its rises. A heat sensor opens and closes a window at the top of the stack to manage the optimum temperature, of the home. Superior high performance timber windows and high levels of insulation through the wall, floor and roof elements provide a thermal performance, ten times better than current Building Regulation requirements.

Water consumption is also low- just 80 litres per person per day. This is achieved through an in-built internal grey water recycling system and water conserving features. All the timber and timber products are from managed sustainable sources and all lighting is low energy.

21 May 2008