The Garfield Weston Foundation have generously agreed to fund Energy House Labs with a £600k donation, to enable the team to build one of the two homes, planned as a basis for a major retrofit centre, in their unique Energy House 2.0 climatic chamber. It is the largest gift Salford has received from Garfield Weston to date and will help to support the founding of a brand-new Centre for Retrofit based at Energy House Labs.
Energy House 2.0 was opened in 2023 with two huge chambers capable of recreating 95% of the world’s weather, with temperatures ranging from -23C to 51C along with solar gain, wind, rain, snow and ice. In Chamber 1 there are two new build homes constructed using modern building materials and methods, with partners Bellway, Barratt Redrow and Saint-Gobain. Testing during the last two years has revealed insights into how to make new build homes even more energy efficient as we head to Net Zero.
However, the UK has some of the oldest housing stock in Europe, with 65% of homes built before 1990. To have maximum impact the team want to create more traditional housing types in the second chamber, to research ways that these older homes could be made more energy efficient.
80% of the UK homes we will inhabit in 2050 are already standing, and the houses in our current facility represent only 21% of UK housing stock. By building two more houses, the team will be able to more than double the scope of our research through innovation and testing on houses that will represent nearly half of our housing stock.
The aim of the project is to provide solutions to homeowners and communities, including no cost or low-cost options, to enable people to continue to live comfortable lives as we head to Net Zero.
Professor Will Swan, Director of Energy House labs at the University of Salford, said: “The UK Government will be investing more than £13b in retrofit over the coming years. It is essential we get this right if we are to address issues such as net zero and fuel poverty. We feel the development of a Centre for Retrofit at Salford builds on our track record of giving real data to householders, industry, policymakers as to what works.”
Garfield Weston Foundation will be a founding partner for the Centre for Retrofit with more details to be announced in the coming weeks.
Garfield Weston Foundation is a family founded grant-maker that gives money to support a wide range of charities across the UK. In total they donated just under £130 million in their last financial year.
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “Greater Manchester is leading the way when it comes to tackling the climate crisis and we’re proud to have set one of the most ambitious Net Zero targets in the country, aiming for 2038.
“Energy House Labs has been a key partner in this work, and their commitment to research and innovation continues to support our wider goals. The new Centre for Retrofit strengthens Greater Manchester’s position at the forefront of the green economy, and it will support the kind of innovation and skills development we need across our city-region.
“We’ve worked closely with EHL for many years and look forward to strengthening our partnership as we deliver a fairer, greener future for everyone across Greater Manchester.”
