Submitted by Peter Lumb on Wed, 2016-04-27 09:28
The big news from the Living Lab this month is that we’re preparing for an end of year event on 9 June to celebrate the projects that have happened this year. If you’ve been involved with the Living Lab then hopefully you will have received an invitation – please get in touch if not!
Project Updates
A small-scale study investigating temperature of and thermal comfort in student rooms has been finished. The small sample means findings cannot be extrapolated but it provides a useful snapshot of information, contributing to the exploration of possibilities for further work on thermal comfort and heating policies.
Initial findings have been produced for a project looking at the Combined Heat and Power System on the North West Cambridge development. Based upon a scenario whereby the UK grid is increasingly decarbonised over the next 13 years, the study suggests that the CHP system will result in cumulative carbon emissions larger than if standard gas boilers were installed in each building. This data clearly depends on whether or not the National Grid will decarbonise in line with targets over those timescales.
A thermal imaging survey and report has now been completed for Plant Sciences, with recommendations passed on to relevant people, for improving the energy efficiency of the main department building. More information about what was identified can be found on the Living Lab web pages.
The Living Lab Coordinator is currently exploring the possibility of a project investigating the University’s supply chains for our biggest current area of expenditure (construction). It’s a great potential new area of research!