ZERO CARBON HOMES
THE FUTURE OF SUSTAINABLE LIVING Debansu Das, Business Development Director for ZEDPODS, explains how energy efficiency and volumetric modular technology is delivering zero carbon housebuilding.
1 Living in an ever-uncertain world has become the new normal. Currently we are facing up to the word ‘crisis’ on a far too regular basis. The ‘cost of living’ crisis, due to sharp rise of energy prices, has been added onto the health and well-being crisis, just at the point we are getting out of the pandemic and looking to find our BREXIT feet. Energy efficiency therefore has become far more relevant in today’s world. The built sector needs to play its part – all newbuilds should focus on increased building energy efficiency, with on-site renewable energy and less embodied carbon emissions. Net zero not only benefits the planet and helps abate climate change but they reduce ongoing costs for the occupants. It is therefore no surprise that more and
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more social landlords are embracing offsite-led developments to build affordable, good quality, energyefficient modular homes for their tenants. Sustainability is at the heart of our design and construction works. We have designed and developed a factory built modular construction system that can be used to assemble buildings and is designed with an approach to holistically reduce carbon emissions and energy use. Our Approach to Zero Carbon We are a modular housebuilder as well as a leading modular architect practice with decades of experience of zero carbon homes within the team. We follow a strategy of enhancing the building fabric, maximising the
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number energy efficiency measures used and applying low carbon and renewable technologies. Using BIM software, we design out carbon from building fabric, material choice, passive solar design and M&E. The steel framed volumetric modular construction system has been designed with a ‘fabric first’ approach to reduce operational carbon emissions by minimising thermal losses by conduction and infiltration. Firstly, we reduce how much heat is transferred from inside to outside (the largest loss of energy in buildings) by specifying thick insulation build-ups, insulated floor slabs and thermally efficient triple glazed windows and doors. We also use mechanical ventilation that recovers more than 80% of the heat from expelled air
