The science of appliances
Kevin McCloud talks to SAM WYLIE-HARRIS about low-carbon builds and how home tech is advancing
EVERYONE is aiming to live more planet-friendly lifestyles and this year’s Grand Designs Live (granddesignslive.com Excel London, April 30) features a Green Living Live area, highlighting innovations in insulation, sustainable materials and energy-saving technology.
It will also showcase a low-carbon, energy-saving home to inspire and inform consumers about the future of eco-friendly home design.
“It has good insulation in its bones,” says event host, TV’s Kevin McCloud. “So it doesn’t leak heat and therefore consumes less.
“You can buy all the tech and gadgets, but you’ve got to start with the bones of what you have already.”
INSULATE AND VENTILATE
For Kevin, good insulation and ventilation go hand-in-hand.
“This means double secondary glazing, extra insulation in the loft, more insulation in the walls, if you can get it,” he says. “Insulation under a suspended timber floor, over a cellar, draft proofing, and all the time making sure air changes are good, the air quality isn’t compromised, and you’re avoiding condensation.
of this is actually very easy to do in a new home, it’s slightly harder in an older home,” he adds.
RECYCLING HEAT
Recycling and reusing heat is increasingly being looked at on a big scale and via smaller home technologies, such as heat exchanger/recovery fans for kitchens and bathrooms.
“At the exhibition, we have a number of technologies designed to extract waste heat from the home, which is mechanical ventilation, and a heat recovery system – a fairly common piece of tech now which reacts like a heat exchanger – a device to efficiently transfer heat from one place to another,” says Kevin. “You’re saving energy, reducing dependency and reusing the heat in that air.
“This technology of mechanical ventilation and heat recovery is becoming smaller, cheaper, and more flexible,” he adds.
NEXT LEVEL TECH
When it comes to home tech, Kevin says one of the newer options is a monitor that tells you about your home’s air quality – such as the Amazon Smart Air Quality Monitor (£52.99, Amazon), which is easy to install through the Alexa app and cited as one of the cheapest available.
“It tells you what the nitrous oxide level is, or the carbon monoxide level, it tells you to open a window and explains why you might have a headache,” says Kevin. “These bits of technology 20 years ago would require complex wiring and be hugely expen“All sive. Now you buy them in a box online. They all have an app and are connected by Bluetooth.”
In fact, consumers have more options than ever to engage with home tech via apps – lighting is another example. As Kevin notes: “Now you can buy Philips light bulbs with Bluetooth, so the light bulb itself is the way you control the lighting.”
ENERGY EFFICIENT HOUSEHOLD APPLIANCES
The Energy Saving Trust suggests looking out for the energy label when buying new household appliances.
Appliances are tested for how much energy they use (during typical use) and given a rating on a scale of A to G – with A being the most efficient product in its class.
Designs are evolving to create appliances that are more energy-efficient than their predecessors. “It’s across the whole scale, from white goods and fridges that monitor their own performance, through to things like hot water taps, which are far more efficient than kettles,” says Kevin.
“It’s taken a long while for this stuff to make it to market... The intelligent fridge that monitors its own energy performance has been a long time coming.”
Grand Designs Live returns to Excel London from April 30-May 8