Energy conservation in the United Kingdom housing sector: An exploration of technical and social issues

The regulations covering the conservation of fuel and power were examined and found to have limited impact on energy efficiency in housing. Reasons for this situation were explored in order to identify ways in which new or modified measures could be used as an alternative to, or in conjunction with, present forms of regulation.

A survey of attitudes of practitioners in the various fields of energy efficiency and housing was carried out over the period 1992 to 1994.

The initial research hypothesis was that there are institutional and technical barriers to the success of regulatory mechanisms in improving energy efficiency. These were principally due to (1) lack of adequate standards within the UK construction industry, (2) lack of skill in building to higher standards of insulation and airtightness, and (3) consumer disinclination to save energy, which tends to be associated with a lowering of standards and deprivation.

The thesis establishes the idea of "Thermally Efficient Comfort in Housing" (TECH). The term refers to the additional amenity values accruing from the application of a package of energy efficient technologies (EET) to housing.

Thesis conclusions include the following: (1) the success of EET depends on high performance levels: therefore standards of building technology need to be raised; (2) a re-learning process, helped by the use of energy feedback devices, is required to change end-user behaviour and raise expectations of achieving an efficient and comfortable indoor climate; (3) consumers can be attracted to EET if other benefits accrue besides possible savings on energy and money; (4) TECH provides the link between consumer incentive and high performance EET; (5) the incorporation of TECH into housing standards could resolve some of the main barriers to the application of EET in housing.