The global issue of climate change is now readily accepted by most. Buildings contribute 40% of EU emissions, so the need to address mitigation is clear, but changing climate also creates a need for adaptation in buildings. Modelling is an accepted way of estimating the performance of buildings, but issues exist with accuracy and assumptions. This calls for measurements to be made on new build and retrofit homes. However, field measurements can have issues; they are time consuming, expensive, and can also be intrusive. It is for these reasons that the facilities “Salford Energy House” and “Energy House 2.0” were constructed at the University of Salford in the UK. These globally unique facilities allow for full scale homes to be built inside climatic chambers where variables such as temperature, wind, rain, solar radiation, and snow can be replicated, meaning weather conditions experienced by 95% of the worlds populated land mass can be simulated. The chambers are currently home to 5 structures in total; examining future housing systems, refugee and temporary shelters, window treatments and whole house retrofit scenarios. In this paper we will discuss the design, construction, benefits, limitations, and an overview of research findings from these facilities.
Presentation Conference Type
Conference Paper (published)
Conference Name
CIBSE IBPSA-England Technical Symposium 2025
Start Date
Apr 24, 2025
End Date
Apr 25, 2025
Acceptance Date
Nov 29, 2024
Deposit Date
May 29, 2025
Publicly Available Date
May 1, 2025
Peer Reviewed
Peer Reviewed
Keywords
Energy House 2.0, Building Performance, Test Chambers, Test Facility
