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The machine behind me is an indoor solar simulator. It simulates sunlight using a series of lamps.
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The sunlight is radiated onto the test surface on the opposite side of the cage and in that
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cage we can place components of buildings as if they were integral parts of a building
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structure. That allows us to measure the thermal performance of those devices when bathed in
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sunlight and the entire process is about improving the performance of devices and improving their
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efficiency to lead us towards a low carbon future.
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Buildings are about 40 per cent of the UK's
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carbon dioxide emissions and so they're one of the prime targets for trying to meet
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government CO2 reduction ambitions. A lot of our work is based on developing computer
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models of buildings, models which help us to understand how energy is used, the contribution
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which renewable energy technologies might make and also which can be used by central
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government and local authorities to develop their carbon reduction policies.
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A lot of the uncertainty in making predictions of building energy demand relates to the people
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in the building and how they behave. Energy consumption is hugely influenced by equipment,
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lights, appliances, computers, televisions and the way that equipment is used by people.
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A lot of the work to understand energy demand is multi-disciplinary, bringing together social
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scientists who understand behaviour with traditional engineers and building physicists who understand
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about the fabric and the energy systems.
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To give you a practical example we can measure the energy demand of buildings and the internal
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temperatures using traditional scientific monitoring techniques, but on the other hand
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we can use social science survey methods to understand the socio economic status of households
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and get an inventory of the lights and appliances in households. By comparing the two we can
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start to better understand the relationship between people and energy demand.
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A lot of our work is of direct interest to energy companies as well as local authorities
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and central government. And in a way having worked in this field for 25 years it feels
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like finally our moment has come and it's almost impossible to satisfy all the different
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demands that different stakeholders have for the work that we do. If we have buildings
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which consume less energy, then the demand on the system is reduced and renewable energy
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technologies, be it wind, wave and some would say nuclear, has a much greater chance of
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meeting a higher proportion of our energy needs.
