The BRE officially unveils the Smart Home

As part of the INSITE13 conference last week, the BRE has launched its exemplar retrofit project, The Smart Home, on its Watford site. The house demonstrates the significant energy savings that can be made through smart technology alongside fabric improvements and occupant empowerment.

BRE’s pioneering future-focused Integer House, built 15 years ago, has been retrofitted using cutting-edge technology, design and building techniques, developed in order to thoroughly address a range of issues that relatively recent homes might face, like energy efficiency and overheating. However, it also looks at the next generation of innovations that our existing and new homes and their occupants will benefit from.

In fact, this very innovative retrofit process has made the house 50% more energy efficient and halved its carbon emissions, upgrading it from an E to an A/B EPC rating.

The latest air source heat pump technology has been integrated to provide heating via app-enabled advanced controls, and improvements have been made to the solar thermal water heating and air tightness.

The house also comes equipped with a new-to-market solar thermal system, and an integrated PV array, as well as 3 mm thick insulating plaster that has been applied and finished in heat-reflective paint to improve thermal performance, whilst paint with light-reflective particles on the internal walls dramatically increases brightness and reduces lighting needs.

Phase Change Material (PCM) has been incorporated into the upper floor walls and ducted skirting, reclaimed timber floors and an FSC certified kitchen have been fitted, while doors and windows have been replaced with the latest uPVC double glazing incorporating recycled uPVC.

BRE’s initiative proves once more just how important energy efficiency measure are set to become in the near future for households of any type, and this is exactly where the HeatSave wireless thermostatic valves will prove their worth.

That’s because the TRVs can help customers slash their energy bills by up to an impressive 30 percent by allowing them to thoroughly control the heating patterns for every single one of their radiators.

Moreover, it’s quite likely that home owners could benefit from the financial advantages provided by the Government’s Green Deal scheme, given the fact that the HeatSave valves represent an approved measure to control radiators under the aforementioned programme.

If you want to find out more about the HeatSave wireless programmable thermostatic radiator valves, get in touch with our dedicated product team, they’ll be more than happy to answer all your questions and queries.