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Issued:22/01/13
Residents in some of the country's most innovative low-energy eco-homes have revealed that although they love their new properties, they can struggle with the technology installed in them.
For a new set of films produced by Sheffield Hallam University, tenants at three housing schemes across the UK said that while residents find low-energy homes comfortable and pleasing to live in, some are abandoning complex manuals in favour of a trial and error approach to technology.
Others are turning to neighbours for advice on how to use the eco-features.
And researchers say these people could be missing out on the economic benefits of having features such as solar thermal hot water or photo voltaic panels and have called on developers and housing associations to provide more education for tenants.
Craig Jackson, general manager at sustainable housing consultancy LiveGreen, one of the projects involved, said: “This project highlights the importance of making sure that all residents understand the energy efficient aspects of their homes.
"LiveGreen has been set up by South Yorkshire Housing Association to work with their residents to support them in this way. LiveGreen also supports housing providers to deliver targeted energy advice and raise levels of energy literacy across the country.”
Sheffield Hallam research fellow Aimee Walshaw, who led the project, is now calling on tenants and property owners from other housing schemes to comment on the films, which feature schemes in South Yorkshire, Greater Manchester and Nottingham.
They are hosted here and people are welcome to comment on these or on a shorter YouTube video.
Aimee said: "Many respondents felt that the design of the home and its low energy features made it easier for them to save energy and live more sustainably.
"But reported energy bills varied significantly between participants. Those who understood the technology within their homes tended to benefit from greater savings compared to their previous bills.
"Most felt they had received limited inductions to their properties and the technology within it and some have struggled to get to grips with complex manuals, preferring to adopt a trial and error approach to operating the systems within the home. #
"And many participants were anxious about operating the technology within the home properly but often sought the help of neighbours."
The research team also quizzed landlords and housing associations to provide a full picture of how the UK's housing market is facing up to the challenge of zero carbon homes by 2016.
The year-long film project, backed by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Building and Social Housing Foundation (BSHF), follows an earlier study by Sheffield Hallam which found that renewable energy technologies are increasingly used by social housing providers to help alleviate fuel poverty and reduce carbon emissions.
Jim Vine, head of UK housing policy and practice for the BSHF, said: "These films show how much residents value the eco features of their homes when they are able to use them to reduce their energy bills and carbon footprint.
"This research should help housing providers to ensure that all their residents are able to make best use of any eco features they install, so that residents benefit from lower bills and the environment benefits from lower carbon emissions.”
The three film case studies were
- Green Street in Nottingham (2011) where properties features solar thermal hot water (STHW) panels; photo voltaic (PV) panels; mechanical heat ventilation system and high standards of insulation
- Henley Way in Rotherham (2007): a social housing and shared equity development built five years ago by SYHA. Eco-features include: STHW panels; PV panels; high standards of insulation; built using sustainable materials
- Weybridge Road Ancoats/Lilac Court Salford (2011-2012): two schemes developed by a Manchester-based housing association within the last two years. The Ancoats scheme uses Air Source Heat Pumps as its source of heating and hot water in addition to having high standards of insulation. Lilac Court has PV panels and high standards of insulation.
The research team was made up of Sheffield Hallam's Department of Architecture and Planning, the Centre for Regional Economic and Social Research (CRESR) and Centre for Infrastructure Management
The main image shows Belina, an SYHA resident from Rotherham, getting free energy efficiency advice from LiveGreen’s Green Doctors.
For press information contact:Laurie Harvey in the Sheffield Hallam press office on 0114 225 2621 or email pressoffice@shu.ac.uk
