Hobart, C; Thomson, D; Dainty, A; Fernie, S and Drewniak, D (2015) Closing the energy performance gap in zero carbon homes – pro-active identification, prioritisation and mitigation of causes using fmea. In: Raiden, A and Aboagye-Nimo, E (eds.) Proceedings of 31st Annual ARCOM Conference, 7-9 September 2015, Lincoln, UK.
Abstract
Research suggests that in-use energy consumption of new homes in the UK may routinely exceed design intent. Work to date suggests multiple causes for this so-called 'performance gap', ranging from technical/design issues through to procurement and behavioural influences. These varied causes are often difficult to detect and may be viewed as trivial or inevitable by the parties responsible for them. Addressing these issues not only requires concurrent technical and organisational solutions, but also a means of predicting which issues are likely to be significant for a given project. In the manufacturing industry this scenario is often addressed using a methodology called Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA). Although some building component manufacturers make use of FMEA, there is little documented evidence of this technique being applied at the whole building level. In this paper we argue that FMEA is potentially well suited to addressing the energy performance gap for dwellings, but that the approach must be carefully tailored to achieve this task. The technique is to be tested, by means of an iterative, action research application on a UK development of 400 new-build true zero carbon homes. A critical review of the first iteration describes both the methodological development, and the performance effect produced at project level. This learning in turn informs a discussion of the wider potential for the use of FMEA to close the energy performance gap. It is argued that the method and approach might be applicable to other building types where similar performance concerns exist.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | energy performance; failure mode effect analysis; fmea; energy performance; performance gap; zero carbon homes |
| Index terms: | failure mode and effects analysis, manufacturing industry, failure mode, manufacturer, action research, energy performance, building component, performance gap, methodology, energy performance gap, energy consumption, mitigation, evidence |
| Subjects: | industry analysis, financial risk, research methods, performance management, architectural elements, energy systems, sustainability and energy, reliability engineering, practitioner, evaluation and assessment methods, data collection methods |
| Topics: | Cost Management, Research Practice, Engineering Principles, Roles and Professions, Sustainability, Design Practice, Quality Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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