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Retrofit assessment: Getting it right from the start (2024)
Journal Article
Fitton, R., & Swan, W. (2024). Retrofit assessment: Getting it right from the start. Journal of Building Survey, Appraisal and Valuation, 12(3), 208-217

The UK has some of the oldest buildings in Europe. They are also some of the worst performing in terms of energy performance. In tandem with these issues the UK has committed to making a substantial reduction in CO2 emissions. UK homes are currently... Read More about Retrofit assessment: Getting it right from the start.

A Practitioner Study into the Variability of Domestic Energy Assessments (2023)
Journal Article
Gledhill, T., Swan, W., & Fitton, R. (2023). A Practitioner Study into the Variability of Domestic Energy Assessments. International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBPA-10-2022-0167

This paper focuses on the assessment of a domestic property’s energy performance status by a Domestic Energy Assessor (DEA), to ascertain the possible underlying reasons for variability in the results of Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs). By var... Read More about A Practitioner Study into the Variability of Domestic Energy Assessments.

Domestic smart metering infrastructure and a method for home appliances identification using low‐rate power consumption data (2021)
Journal Article
Paraskevas, I., Barbarosou, M., Fitton, R., & Swan, W. (2021). Domestic smart metering infrastructure and a method for home appliances identification using low‐rate power consumption data. IET Smart Cities, 3(2), 91-106. https://doi.org/10.1049/smc2.12009

The deployment of domestic smart metering infrastructure in Great Britain provides the opportunity for identification of home appliances utilising non-intrusive load monitoring methods. Identifying the energy consumption of certain home appliances ge... Read More about Domestic smart metering infrastructure and a method for home appliances identification using low‐rate power consumption data.

Measuring the Heat Transfer Coefficient (HTC) in buildings : a stakeholder’s survey (2021)
Journal Article
Deb, C., Gelder, L., Spiekman, M., Guillaume, P., Jack, R., & Fitton, R. (2021). Measuring the Heat Transfer Coefficient (HTC) in buildings : a stakeholder’s survey. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 144, 111008. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2021.111008

The heat transfer coefficient (HTC) is a very important factor influencing the energy performance of a building. Recent studies have shown the importance of on-site measurements of the HTC in reducing the performance gap in buildings. However, its me... Read More about Measuring the Heat Transfer Coefficient (HTC) in buildings : a stakeholder’s survey.

Energy pathology : measuring a dwellings energy performance using smart meter and IoT data (2020)
Journal Article
Fitton, R. (2020). Energy pathology : measuring a dwellings energy performance using smart meter and IoT data. Journal of Building Survey, Appraisal and Valuation, 9(2), 181-190

This paper aims to introduce and give an understanding of the process of determining a building’s energy performance using smart meters and ‘on-board’ equipment such as sensors found in smart thermostats or even low-cost sensing equipment. The ration... Read More about Energy pathology : measuring a dwellings energy performance using smart meter and IoT data.

Thermal performance of thermal paint and surface coatings in buildings in heating dominated climates (2019)
Journal Article
Simpson, A., Fitton, R., Rattigan, I., Marshall, A., Parr, G., & Swan, W. (2019). Thermal performance of thermal paint and surface coatings in buildings in heating dominated climates. Energy and Buildings, 197, 196-213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2019.04.027

A purported approach to reducing heating energy in solid wall “hard to heat” housing is the simple application of a thin layer (< 1mm) of thermal paint containing insulating additives. The objective of this study was to test the energy saving clai... Read More about Thermal performance of thermal paint and surface coatings in buildings in heating dominated climates.

Renaturing a microclimate : the impact of greening a neighbourhood on indoor thermal comfort during a heatwave in Manchester, UK (2019)
Journal Article
Taleghani, M., Marshall, A., Fitton, R., & Swan, W. (2019). Renaturing a microclimate : the impact of greening a neighbourhood on indoor thermal comfort during a heatwave in Manchester, UK. Solar Energy, 182, 245-255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.solener.2019.02.062

Higher air temperatures in large cities like Manchester, UK, reduce human thermal comfort. In this paper, the impact of land cover on microclimate, and consequently on indoor thermal comfort is studied. Through different stages, field measurements an... Read More about Renaturing a microclimate : the impact of greening a neighbourhood on indoor thermal comfort during a heatwave in Manchester, UK.

Assessing the requirements from ‘BB101’ 2006 and 2018 for a naturally ventilated preparatory school in the UK (2018)
Journal Article
Ji, Y., Swan, W., Fitton, R., & Fernando, T. (2018). Assessing the requirements from ‘BB101’ 2006 and 2018 for a naturally ventilated preparatory school in the UK. Building Services Engineering Research and Technology, 40(5), 638-659. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143624418815785

In the UK, BB101 is the guidance document for ventilation design of school buildings. There are significant changes proposed in the new version of BB101. The aim of this paper is to examine the requirements of thermal comfort and CO2-based indoor a... Read More about Assessing the requirements from ‘BB101’ 2006 and 2018 for a naturally ventilated preparatory school in the UK.

QUB : a fast dynamic method for in-situ measurement of the whole building heat loss (2018)
Journal Article
Alzetto, F., Pandraud, G., Fitton, R., Heusler, I., & Sinnesbichler, H. (2018). QUB : a fast dynamic method for in-situ measurement of the whole building heat loss. Energy and Buildings, 174, 124-133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2018.06.002

QUB is an innovative method enabling the experimental measurement of the total heat loss coefficient (HLC) of a building envelope in one night only. It is based on a simple theory, yet can be demonstrated to be accurate even in a short time and in re... Read More about QUB : a fast dynamic method for in-situ measurement of the whole building heat loss.

Variations in the U-Value measurement of a whole dwelling using infrared thermography under controlled conditions (2018)
Journal Article
controlled conditions. Buildings, 8(46), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings8030046

U-values of building elements are often determined using point measurements, where infrared imagery may be used to identify a suitable location for these measurements. Current methods identify that surface areas exhibiting a homogeneous temperature—a... Read More about Variations in the U-Value measurement of a whole dwelling using infrared thermography under controlled conditions.

Comparison of whole house heat loss test methods under controlled conditions in six distinct retrofit scenarios (2018)
Journal Article
Alezzo, F., Farmer, D., Fitton, R., Hughes, T., & Swan, W. (2018). Comparison of whole house heat loss test methods under controlled conditions in six distinct retrofit scenarios. Energy and Buildings, 168, 35-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2018.03.024

The accurate assessment of buildings to assess their performance across a range of parameters is an essential part of understanding both new and retrofit buildings. The growing understanding of the performance gap in terms of its assessment and chara... Read More about Comparison of whole house heat loss test methods under controlled conditions in six distinct retrofit scenarios.

Adoption of sustainable retrofit in UK social housing 2010 – 2015 (2017)
Journal Article
Swan, W., Fitton, R., Smith, L., Abbott, C., & Smith, L. (2017). Adoption of sustainable retrofit in UK social housing 2010 – 2015. International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, 35(5), 456-469. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijbpa-04-2017-0019

Purpose The Retrofit State of the Nation Survey has tracked the perceptions of social housing sector professionals’ views of retrofit since 2010. It has taken the form of 3 surveys conducted in 2010, 2013 and 2015. Here we bring together the three... Read More about Adoption of sustainable retrofit in UK social housing 2010 – 2015.

Measuring thermal performance in steady-state conditions at each stage of a full fabric retrofit to a solid wall dwelling (2017)
Journal Article
Farmer, D., Gorse, C., Swan, W., Fitton, R., Brooke-Peat, M., Miles-Shenton, D., & Johnston, D. (2017). Measuring thermal performance in steady-state conditions at each stage of a full fabric retrofit to a solid wall dwelling. Energy and Buildings, 156, 404-414. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2017.09.086

The methodology used for measuring the thermal performance of fabric retrofit systems which were applied to a solid wall UK Victorian house situated within an environmental chamber is explored in detail. The work describes how steady-state boundary c... Read More about Measuring thermal performance in steady-state conditions at each stage of a full fabric retrofit to a solid wall dwelling.

The staged retrofit of a solid wall property under controlled conditions (2017)
Journal Article
controlled conditions. Energy and Buildings, 156, 250-257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2017.09.033

Retrofit of hard to treat properties has been highlighted as a policy challenge to reduced energy consumption in the UK. This study undertook an experimental staged retrofit of a pre-1919 UK solid wall property under controlled conditions. The prop... Read More about The staged retrofit of a solid wall property under controlled conditions.

Domestic building fabric performance : closing the gap between the in situ measured and modelled performance (2017)
Journal Article
Marshall, A., Fitton, R., Swan, W., Farmer, D., Johnston, D., Benjaber, M., & Ji, Y. (2017). Domestic building fabric performance : closing the gap between the in situ measured and modelled performance. Energy and Buildings, 150, 307-317. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2017.06.028

There is a growing body of evidence available to indicate that there is often a discrepancy between the in situ measured thermal performance of a building fabric and the steady-state predicted performance of that fabric, even when the building fabric... Read More about Domestic building fabric performance : closing the gap between the in situ measured and modelled performance.

The thermal performance of window coverings in a whole house test facility with single-glazed sash windows (2017)
Journal Article
Fitton, R., Swan, W., Hughes, T., & Benjaber, M. (2017). The thermal performance of window coverings in a whole house test facility with single-glazed sash windows. Energy Efficiency, 10(6), 1419-1431. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12053-017-9529-0

The residential sector is responsible for 29% of the total energy consumption of the UK, with 62% of this energy being used for space heating. Heat loss through the fabric of building elements is a crucial factor in the energy efficiency of homes, an... Read More about The thermal performance of window coverings in a whole house test facility with single-glazed sash windows.

Heat-flow variability of suspended timber ground floors: Implications for in-situ heat-flux measuring (2016)
Journal Article
Pelsmakers, S., Fitton, R., Biddulph, P., Swan, W., Croxford, B., Stamp, S., …Elwell, C. (2017). Heat-flow variability of suspended timber ground floors: Implications for in-situ heat-flux measuring. Energy and Buildings, 138, 396-405. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enbuild.2016.12.051

Reducing space heating energy demand supports the UK’s legislated carbon emission reduction targets and requires the effective characterisation of the UK’s existing housing stock to facilitate retrofitting decision-making. Approximately 6.6 million U... Read More about Heat-flow variability of suspended timber ground floors: Implications for in-situ heat-flux measuring.

Quantifying the performance of a passive deaerator in a gas-fired closed loop domestic wet central heating system (2016)
Journal Article
Johnston, D., Glew, D., Miles-Shenton, D., Benjaber, M., & Fitton, R. (2016). Quantifying the performance of a passive deaerator in a gas-fired closed loop domestic wet central heating system. Building Services Engineering Research and Technology, 38(3), 269-286. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143624416675391

In the UK, approximately 16% of the energy use can be attributed to domestic wet central heating systems. Government financial support and advances in technology have led to boilers becoming more efficient and a range of technologies are now availabl... Read More about Quantifying the performance of a passive deaerator in a gas-fired closed loop domestic wet central heating system.

Assessing the performance of domestic heating controls in a whole house test facility (2016)
Journal Article
Fitton, R., Swan, W., Benjaber, M., Hughes, T., & Todd, S. (2016). Assessing the performance of domestic heating controls in a whole house test facility. Building Services Engineering Research and Technology, 37(5), 539-554. https://doi.org/10.1177/0143624416634070

The energy consumed by domestic space heating systems represents a considerable share of the energy consumed in the UK. At the same time up to a quarter of English homes have inadequate controls on the central heating systems. Current modelling tool... Read More about Assessing the performance of domestic heating controls in a whole house test facility.