T2.23 - fact sheet http://tyndall.e-collaboration.co.uk/publications/fact_sheets/untitled/t2_...

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The 40% House

The Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution reported that the United Kingdom needs to achieve a 60 per cent
reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 if we are to contribute to the avoidance of significant climate change.
Homes use nearly a third of the UK's energy so individuals can play a huge role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions to
contribute to meeting the 60 per cent target. A new Tyndall project aims to show how this can be achieved.

Dr Brenda Boardman, from the University of Oxford's Environmental Change Institute, and colleagues are identifying
immediate behavioural changes that reduce energy demand in homes and technological changes that increase the
efficiency of home appliances. The researchers will interview households to determine the choices people are willing to
make to save energy, what they are willing to give up, and if they are willing to pay for energy efficiency. They will use
computer models of different house types to investigate ways for homes to reduce carbon emissions by using new
technologies such as heat pumps or obtaining energy from new and renewable sources such as solar thermal,
photovoltaics, and combined heat and power. They will also conduct laboratory tests on individual appliances and
investigate how they can be modified to avoid peaks in national electricity demand, and how heating and cooling demand
will be influenced by climate change. The team will also consider the need to increase the rate of house demolition to
rebuild more energy-efficient homes.

The research will identify ways for faster, more effective action to encourage households to use 40 per cent of their current
energy needs. The team will hold a series of meetings with other Tyndall researchers to guide further analysis and ensure
the findings are robust. The results will include guidance for immediate action by Government, industry and consumer
groups.

An example of energy efficient and renewable energy design integration: the Jubilee Campus, University of Nottingham.
To meet the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution's target of a 60 per cent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions,
households need to use 40 per cent of their current electricity.

More information

Contact the lead investigator of Project T2.23 (The 40% house):

Dr Brenda Boardman
Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford, 5 South parks Road, Oxford OX1 3UB
Phone: +44 (0) 1865 28 1211; Fax: +44 (0) 1865 28 1202
Email: brenda.boardman@eci.ox.ac.uk

Other researchers involved in this project are:

Professor Marcus Newborough, School of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Heriot Watt University
Professor Nick Jenkins, Dr Andy Wright and Professor Geoff Levermore, UMIST

Project duration:
October 2002 to March 2005

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T2.23 - fact sheet http://tyndall.e-collaboration.co.uk/publications/fact_sheets/untitled/t2_...

Useful web sites:

The Tyndall Centre: www.tyndall.ac.uk
Environmental Change Institute: www.eci.ox.ac.uk
Changing Climate Website: www.changingclimate.org
UK Government Energy Efficiency Campaign: www.saveenergy.co.uk

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