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Issue 13 December 2023

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SALFORD SECURES FOUR PR AWARDS FOLLOWING EH 2.0 TRIUMPH

Salford celebrated a night of multiple victories on Thursday, November 30, clinching four accolades at the prestigious CIPR North West PRide Awards. Recognised as the leading regional PR awards in the UK, the PRide Awards honor exceptional practices and creativity within the profession over the past year.

n collaboration with partners Weber Shandwick, the Salford team had been nominated in four categories for their efforts in launching Energy House 2.0 in January 2023. During the awards ceremony at the Edwardian Hotel in central Manchester, the team clinched gold awards in Construction, Property, or Infrastructure Campaign, Best Use of Media Relations, and Environmental Campaign. Additionally, they secured a silver award for Best Long-term Campaign, overcoming stiff competition from across the North West.

The Energy House 2.0 launch campaign, which garnered global attention, featured a live broadcast by BBC Breakfast from the facility, showcasing its potential to contribute to the world’s journey to Net Zero by facilitating testing and research on energy-efficient housing solutions.

Professor William Swan highlighted the team’s achievement in securing extensive press coverage, with over 1,000 articles spanning six continents, including prominent outlets such as BBC, ITV, The Times, The Guardian, Al Jazeera, AFP, and more. Swan praised the team’s collaboration between academics and professional services as a noteworthy example of achieving remarkable results.

Special Announcement: Energy House 2.0 Unveils Public Tours for February 2024!

In a continuation of our commitment to transparency and community engagement, Energy House 2.0 is delighted to announce a forthcoming series of public tours, providing an exclusive opportunity for interested individuals to gain insights into our ongoing research and initiatives. Following the resounding success of our inaugural openings in January and September 2023, the decision to temporarily halt our research endeavours is aimed at fostering a deeper understanding and appreciation for the pivotal role played by Energy House 2.0 in the realm of sustainable technology.

Scheduled to take place on the 1st and 2nd of February 2024, these tours will accommodate participants through eight 30-minute sessions each day. Attendees will be granted access to Energy House 2.0, where they will witness first-hand the capabilities that define our institution.

Enthusiasts and stakeholders keen on being part of this event are encouraged to secure their preferred time slots promptly. As we momentarily suspend our research activities, this occasion serves as a unique juncture for the public to appreciate the intricacies of our sustainable technology initiatives.

Mark your calendars for the 1st and 2nd of February 2024, as Energy House 2.0 extends an invitation to all those passionate about a sustainable future. Reserve your slot now to be part of this experience. Book tickets here

INTRODUCING SALFORD SMART HOME

The Salford Smart Home (SSH) is a new addition to the Energy House Labs and is a fully functional four-bedroom Net Zero home that was built on campus by Barratt Developments. This new research facility will be a key asset within our Smart Meters > Smart Homes infrastructure. Previously known as the Zed House, The Salford Smart Home is equipped with a wide range of low carbon technologies, including an air source heat pump, integrated photovoltaic panels EV chargers, battery storage, and a Home Energy Management System alongside a full set of domestic appliances.

There has been a major investment in data collection with extensive networks of sensors in each room monitoring temperature, humidity, air quality, occupancy, heat and electricity, with all the data easily accessible through APIs. The initial research programmes will focus on energy flexibility and HEMS using smart energy data analytics. In the longer term, the aim is to use SSH as a ‘living laboratory’ and, amongst other research projects, explore the issues around human interaction with control systems and their impact upon building performance and energy.

We are expanding the team

We will be advertising a number of researcher and technician roles in the New Year. Drop us a line if you think you might be interested and we will let you know when they go live, otherwise keep an eye on Salford Jobs

Mishka Henner to present ongoing Energy House 2.0 work at LOOK Climate Lab 2024

Mishka Henner, Executive Decision (detail), 2023. Courtesy the Artist.

Open Eye Gallery’s LOOK Climate Lab returns for 2024, exploring how photography can be a relevant and powerful medium for talking about climate change. Starting from 18 January 2024, the gallery will be transformed into a lab: bringing together researchers and artists to test their ideas and encouraging our audiences to discuss systematic changes needed for dealing with the climate crisis.

As part of the Lab Mishka Henner, currently artist in residence at Energy House 2.0, will present Executive Decision: new work created in response to the Energy House 2.0 research facility.

About the work, Henner says: “Energy House is a remarkable scientific project that attempts to find a way to live through real and imagined weather extremes. Though the technology behind the project is incredibly sophisticated, some proposed solutions are very simple. Executive Decision is one of many works I’ve produced in response to Energy House. Working with AI, I sculpt imagined scenes from real documentary photographs. In these works, the history of art itself becomes the material with which to imagine our present and future condition.”

This will be the first display of work created during Mishka’s artist residency at Energy House 2.0, where he has now been working with the research teams for 12 months. LOOK Climate Lab 2024 will take place at Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool from 18 January 2024 to 31 March 2024.

Seeding Memories: Omid Asadi’s Artistic Resilience with Energy House Labs

At Energy House Labs, we were honoured to collaborate with the visionary artist Omid Asadi on a truly exceptional project hosted at the Castlefield art gallery in Manchester. Omid’s innovative use of hundreds of thousands of dandelion seeds to recreate his childhood home, scarred by bombs in Iran, left a lasting impression on us.

Our role at Energy House Labs involved assisting Omid in selecting the right bricks from a local reclamation yard, a crucial step in bringing his vision to life. Barry Sibson from our team even provided a bricklaying lesson, supporting Omid and his team as they embarked on this ambitious journey.

Omid Asadi with his project at Manchester Castlefield Art Gallery

We are proud to have played a part in Omid’s endeavour, a project that goes beyond art and symbolises resilience, memory, and the transformative power of creative expression. Witnessing the delicate dance of dandelion seeds in recreating a home lost to conflict has been a testament to the profound impact art can have in telling stories of personal loss and rebuilding with hope.

To learn more click here.

EHL NEW STARTERS

LUC BODIN

I’m a French student studying for an engineering degree in Paris and also working as an apprentice in a startup company called Ithaque. My job involves doing surveys on people’s houses, rating them on a scale from A to G and helping them to make their homes energy efficient. I’m very passionate about this field of work and I wanted to discover the research side more which is why I opted to do a 3 month work experience placement at the Energy House. I’m mostly interested in the retrofitting of houses but I’m also excited to work with new ways of building and optimising energy efficiency. I’m buzzing to be a part of the team and I want to make the most of my time here and gain lots of new knowledge and valuable experience!

MICHAEL LU

I’m joining Energy House Labs as the Thermal Lab technician. Before working as a lab engineer for a startup company in a University of Manchester based lab, I completed my MEng degree in chemical engineering at Imperial College London in 2021. My interests focus on environmental engineering and sustainable materials. Besides working I also attend various activities such as gaming, sports, music and photographing.