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CSIR Built Environment concludes passive energy efficiency study on BASF demo house

CSIR Built Environment concludes passive energy efficiency study on BASF demo house

15th August 2013

By: Creamer Media Reporter

  

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From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, this is the Real Economy Report.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’s Built Environment Unit has concluded a two-year performance research study, providing breakthrough information on passive energy efficiency, which could be helpful to government when implementing future building standards for low-cost housing. Samantha Moolman has the story.

Samantha Moolman: 
After signing an initial memorandum of understanding with chemicals giant BASF in 2010, the CSIR’s Built Environment Unit took to studying the energy and thermal performance of a low-cost model house, erected on location at the CSIR’s Innovation Site, in Pretoria.

The aim of the study was to measure the absolute temperature performance of a standard low-cost building using alternative insulation technology based on BASF’s Neopor polystyrene. This features expandable graphite particles, designed to improve the insulation in newly built and renovated properties.

CSIR Built Environment senior researcher Llewellyn van Wyk tells us more about the BASF demonstration house and the results of the study.

CSIR Built Environment senior researcher Llewellyn van Wyk:
A big question for us was, what do we need in South Africa? If we’re going to be specifying or regulating for insulation, what should that be? So a lot of this was to try and determine the answer.

So that’s a 150 mm wall, 100 mm slab insulation and 40 mm on the roof. What we know is that the wall is fantastic and is better than what Sans 204 is offering.

So, immediately, Sans 204 could, in fact, be increased because we know we can do this tomorrow. It’s an off-the-shelf product, no work needs to be done, no R&D needs to be done. So we know that value could, in fact, be higher.

We know that the insulation value in the roof can be approved and we’ll do that this year and try and get a figure on that. We know that the insulation under the slab under SA conditions doesn’t offer you value for money for two reasons: Primarily because our soil temperatures don’t get as cold as you would find, for example, in Canada, where it freezes – so you’re not landing up with a cold soil temperature.

We are predominantly hot and climate studies indicate that we’re going to get hotter, so we need to deal more for heat than we do for cold.

Samantha Moolman:
Ultimately, this groundbreaking study concludes that the BASF demonstration house would require minimal heating in winter to maintain a comfortable indoor environment.

The study further indicates that the house would cost owners about R550 a year in heating expenses, compared with a SANS-204 compliant house, which would cost owners about R2 500 a year.

Despite its many benefits, however, the BASF demonstration house costs R90 000 to construct – significantly more than the current low-income housing subsidy amount of R68 000.

Still, the study has been acknowledged by the CSIR and BASF as a breakthrough experiment and a significant resource of information for government as it embraces alternative building technologies.

Meanwhile, the CSIR Built Environment Unit has since renewed its memorandum of understanding with BASF to continue researching passive energy efficiency in new buildings.

The chemical company’s European Construction Competence Centre head Dr Dirk Funhoff explains BASF’s role in promoting sustainable low-cost housing in South Africa.

BASF European Construction Competence Centre head Dr Dirk Funhoff:
As an enabler, BASF provides materials for better ways to construct. There are many ways to construct cost-effective houses. In this particular technology, based on the Neopor panel, we introduced this material which also leads to a very fast and effective way of constructing and demonstrates benefits during the lifecycle as you can save heating costs.

 

Shannon de Ryhove:
Other news making headlines this week: Eskom says retailers should liaise directly with Nersa on municipal tariffs; and Global anticorruption bodies increasingly share information on firms operating in multiple jurisdictions.

It is becoming increasingly important for the retail and property sectors to liaise with the National Energy Regulator of South Africa about electricity tariffs set by municipalities, rather than focus on State-owned power utility Eskom’s proposed tariff increases, says Eskom’s former spokesperson Hilary Joffe.

 

Former Eskom spokesperson Hilary Joffe

Anticorruption agencies in the US, the UK, the European Union and South Africa increasingly share information to scrutinise the business ethics and anticorruption practices of companies operating in multiple jurisdictions.

Norton Rose Fulbright Washington DC regulatory specialist Richard Smith

That’s Creamer Media’s Real Economy Report. Join us again next week for more news and insight into South Africa’s real economy.

Edited by Shannon de Ryhove
Contributing Editor

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