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 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 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.
Dr Mohammed Imbabi, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Aberdeen and Technical Director at EBP added: "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."
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 Garry Staunton, Head of Low Carbon Research at the Carbon Trust said: "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."