INPERSO is a holistic deep renovation programme addressing the building’s entire lifecycle and combining industrialisation and personalisation. The project will deliver inclusive, affordable, efficient, and sustainable renovation, adaptable to various climate zones and building typologies, but focused on residential and heritage buildings. Aiming to deliver a near-market solution, INPERSO is comprised of five highly exploitable, integrated results (IRs) plus an underlying, human-centric methodology for low-carbon renovation. New technological components leveraging the advantages of prefabrication, pre-integration and robotic 3D printing will drastically reduce the time (>50%) and costs (>25%) of construction, and increase resource efficiency, productivity and quality, coupled with waste reduction (>40%). The project highlights the advantages of digital solutions, by integrating scan-to-BIM, AI, AR and ML into the established RE Suite platform, creating a solid foundation for harmonising information flows and addressing the fragmentation challenges of the sector. These resources will also be used to optimise building energy performance and indoor environment quality, as well as improving the energy footprint of the renovation process, in addition to improving working conditions and safety. INPERSO will be demonstrated in Spain, Netherlands, and Greece, forming energy communities and promoting sustainable energy use. Ambitious upscaling and replication plans, supported by green financing and six business models, will be implemented to generate local and EU wide impacts. The Consortium consists of 8 research organisations, 8 SMEs, 2 large enterprises and 3 NPOs, privately investing €4.7M in the project.

no public description

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is a significant and growing problem, especially in light of recent retrofitting activity. A growing body of research suggests that there is a distinct negative impact of energy efficiency upgrades of homes on the air quality and the health of the occupants. A study conducted by Dr Nick Osborne and Richard Sharpe investigating the role of increased energy efficiency, the extent of damp problems and risks to health, using data from 4,000 homes in Cornwall. The main findings were as follows: • A unit increase in SAP was associated with a 3% increase in adult asthma; • Adults living in homes with SAP =71 had a two-fold increased risk of asthma; Another study of retrofitted properties was conducted by Affinity Sutton, when a total of 150 homes were retrofitted as part of their “Future Fit” programme. The report states that “all Future Fit works properties had air tightness measures carried out. These were paired with appropriate ventilation systems, an approach that will not necessarily be taken under the costsled Green Deal.” It makes the following observation: “Despite this, there were still issues with damp, mould and condensation in certain properties. For one particular household, this led to all the works being removed, despite several weeks of engagement around their lifestyle.” Of the 78 issues reported at 55 properties, “27% were issues related to ventilation systems with another 17% directly related to damp, mould or condensation.” Passive Ventilation with Heat Recovery (PVHR) developed by Ventive can achieve better Indoor Air Quality but without comprehensive monitoring it is impossible to ascertain the ventilation rate and the impact on Indoor Air Quality. Currently the data logger, airflow, temperature, humidity and CO2 sensors cost in excess of £2000 per system, limiting wider application. As part of this proposal we intend to ascertain the market for and the added value of Air Quality Sensors integrated into our ventilation.

Awaiting Public Project Summary

As new buildings are built to higher energy standards and become more airtight, natural means of ventilation disappear. To overcome this, Mechanical Ventilation is often used. This can lead to up to 5,000 kWh of heat loss from a typical home per year. In order to ‘reclaim’ this energy, Heat Recovery is often added, with some models achieving up to 90% efficiency. With two fans running, 24h a day, such systems typically use up to 700kWh of electricity per year (three times more than a new fridge). In cases where gas heating is used, Mechanical Heat Recovery Ventilation invariably provides either very little or no net CO2 saving. Besides the energy use, mechanical systems have high installation costs. Due to their complexity, they require a number of trades to install and maintain, and suffer from component failures. This further adds to the running costs, which can average £100 per year. Mechanical systems also depend on a number of electronic and mechanical components contributing to lack of reliability, resource depletion and future electronic waste. Starting off with our innovative and retrofit specific Passive Ventilation with Heat Recovery (utilising passive stack effect and wind assistance), we have designed, prototyped and tested a reliable ventilation system for warmer climates. This incorporates a number of inventions around passive extraction boost, extraction period extension, moisture withdrawal and simplified installation. The proposed system (SHAP VHR) overcomes the main issues associated with Passive Stack Ventilation, such us summer operation, and makes the product applicable to warmer climates, greatly increasing its export potential. The development of this technology will also allow us to provide a full house system, a proposition preferred by both BRE and LABC