The Human Factor Is Vital In Achieving Net Zero Carbon Housing

Thursday, July 1, 2021

Net-zero carbon social housing will be a team effort. And residents are central players in this team. Whatever thermal insulation, energy-saving and renewable technologies we retrofit into homes, we won’t reach the zero carbon goal without considering human behaviour and the impact of retrofit programmes on individuals and families.

Residents and building designers look at energy efficiency in completely different ways. To a designer, energy efficiency is a static and often theoretical property defined by standards, u values and EPC ratings. For residents, the issue is about comfort, air quality and how they use and live in their properties.

Research shows that human behaviour is a major driver of the gap between design levels of energy efficiency and real-world performance. At the simplest level, this comes down to people reacting to reduced energy costs by heating more rooms, more often and to a higher temperature. This will throw the calculations of any energy efficiency engineer out of the window.

Who’s In Control?

There are also subtler factors at play. One of these is control. Passive technologies for heating and ventilation are highly effective – but they also take control out of the hands of occupants who like to decide when to turn the heating on, when to cool a room or when to deploy shading. Any sense that solutions have been imposed will lead to resistance.

Eco-feedback will be vital so that people can make a direct connection between behaviour and energy use. What form should this take? To encourage behavioural change we will need to think more imaginatively than smart meters (helpful as these are). Mobile phone apps may be more effective as there’s a more direct link to the user and more options for how information is presented.

Normative messaging and gamification have been shown to be highly effective in influencing behaviour. Showing residents how other similar households have reduced energy use and being able to compare their own savings has more impact than presenting data without context. Comparisons with previous energy use data are also effective.

“Why All This Disruption?”

The other critical consideration is the upheaval that will come with many retrofit programmes. In extreme cases, residents will have to be moved to temporary accommodation while the most invasive work is completed. People will need to see very good reasons why the disruption is necessary. They must have as much influence as practically possible over how programmes are planned and implemented.

Zero carbon retrofitting of social housing is a complex task with a lot of work to be completed over a relatively short period. We can’t do this without the active engagement and participation of those most affected. And without engagement, we can’t ensure that the gap between real and theoretical energy performance is narrowed to the point of insignificance.