NATIONAL ENERGY FOUNDATION
News Release

Work Starts on Phase II of National Energy Centre

Dr Mary Archer, President of the National Energy Foundation, visited Milton Keynes today to cut the first turf on Phase II of the National Energy Centre. This building, which will serve as the headquarters of the National Energy Foundation, is designed to be an exemplary low energy office and to incorporate features complementary to the existing National Energy Centre building, opened in summer 1999.

Dr Archer said "I am delighted to be here at the start of this second building, which is needed to house the expanding activities of the National Energy Foundation, its trading subsidiary National Energy Services Ltd and Milton Keynes Energy Agency. Together the three organisations are at the forefront of energy efficiency and locally distributed energy supplies in the UK and are working to combat Climate Change and create a more sustainable energy economy. This building will underline the continuing importance of sustainable energy initiatives carried out in Milton Keynes."

The new building will be highly insulated and incorporate an innovative heating system based on matching a small heat pump to a highly efficient condensing boiler. On bright days, the heat pump will be powered by a photovoltaic (PV) array and hot water for the kitchen and toilets will be pre-heated by a Thermomax evacuated tube solar collector. The National Energy Foundation has worked closely with Avebury International in creating this design for a low energy building. Avebury will be providing all design and management services for the new building.

The new building has a gross floor area of 430m² to accommodate up to 36 people, including storage and limited meeting space. This will increase the total occupancy capacity of the National Energy Centre to almost 100 people.

The west elevation of the building has a mixture of horizontal and vertical glazed areas including high level natural ventilation and vertical/horizontal shade panels. This will be constructed using low maintenance 'Thermowood' cladding produced from sustainable (Scandinavian) timber, and a high performance timber window system. The east elevation is partly buried to achieve thermal stability and reduce the visual impact from the office area of the Phase I building. A mono-pitch North light style roof sloping at 7.5° towards the East and 15° to the south has been used. This will incorporate photovoltaic panels providing a high proportion of the building's energy needs.

Energy & Environmental Strategy

Foundation/Substructure: The floor level of the building has been set at a similar level to Phase I to minimise the disposal of subsoil from the site. The East elevation of Phase II has been partially buried to help shield the Phase II building from solar gain and use the stabilising effect of the temperature within the mass of the adjacent sub-soil.

Roof Construction: The mono-pitch roof assists with the generation of natural cross-flow ventilation of the building through the eaves level windows in the East and West elevations. All construction elements (roof, floor, walls and glazing) will be built to higher standards than currently mandated under Part L2 of the UK Building Regulations.

Wall Construction: The internal skin of the building will be load bearing timber frame construction, with Warmcell insulation manufactured from recycled newspaper - which is fully fireproof, rodent resistant and provides a high thermal performance. A primary design requirement was to allow natural light into the internal space while preventing excessive solar thermal gain. The South elevation brickwork is extended beyond the East elevation to provide shielding from the high summer sun. At intervals along the elevation, deep vertical panels are provided to fulfil a similar purpose. The ground will be sloped towards the building to provide shielding up to a height of approximately 1 metre. The roof will project over the continuous band of high level opening windows to shade them.

Mechanical/Electrical Services: The heating system, subject to the availability of a Clear-Skies grant, will consist of a small (8kW) electrically driven heat pump, supported by a high efficiency domestic-scale gas condensing boiler. This will be used to supply heat to a low temperature underfloor distribution system, avoiding the need for radiators on the limited wall space. On bright winter days the heat pump should be able to be driven by photovoltaic (PV) panels mounted on the South facing roof elements, creating a zero-carbon heating system. Hot water will partly be met by 2m² of evacuated tube Solar Water Heating panels from Thermomax.

An additional feature will be introduced in the form of destratification fans to create air movement throughout the office space. This has immediate benefits in reducing perceived temperatures by between 2-3°C in summer months. This can only be achieved by complementary design of the office layout and careful consideration will be given to providing low level horizontal air movement and by the transfer of air through the under floor zone via perimeter louvres. This will have the additional benefit of achieving some cooling from the mass of the ground floor slab.

Rain Water Recovery: The building will also incorporate a rainwater recovery and storage system for use in toilet flushing. This photo shows the 3,300 litre underground storage tank waiting to be installed.

For more information, please contact Ian Byrne at the National Energy Foundation on 01908-665555.

14 March 2003 (updated 4 June 2003)

The National Energy Foundation: Registered in England - Charity No. 298951