The Good Homes Alliance and collaborators are seeking funding for a tool to assess and verify new homes’ energy, carbon and environmental performance.
IP will be developed and added to an existing analogue building performance evaluation system known as the Assured Performance Process (APP), originally developed by the National Energy Foundation and piloted successfully on Radian Housing Association’s (GHA Pathfinder Network member, now named Abri) 400-unit Quebec Park development in Whitehill & Bordon, Hampshire’s green town.
They now want to digitise it and make it available, ideally as an open-source tool to the industry.
The other developers include the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE Services); Loughborough University; GHA member and award-winning architectural practice Pollard Thomas Edwards; software developer Underscore; the National Energy Foundation, and the Active Building Centre.
“We want to help our members and the industry to deliver real, verified net-zero housing – and you can only do so by using building performance evaluation processes and methodologies. And that means a rigorous, robust process from concept design, through to procurement, construction, compliance, testing, commissioning, and post-occupancy evaluation. We believe the APP tool, once digitised, can help to do that.”
The APP tool would be complementary to existing processes and compliance systems, thus avoiding any duplicated effort. It could also be adapted for retrofit projects.
The tool enables any change in specification to be challenged to ensure the desired and/or required energy performance targets are met. Alongside the tool will be an on-demand digital guide and training programme for users.
For more information about the tool and funding, please contact julian@goodhomes.org.uk.
