Uk's Social Housing Retrofit Complication Tackled by Innovation: Senze
The Forest of Dean District Council is planning to utilise artificial intelligence (AI) for new homes construction, as part of a broader national effort to improve energy efficiency and reduce carbon emissions. This initiative comes amidst the UK government's commitment of an initial £3.4bn in last year's Autumn Budget towards a three-year Warm Homes Plan.
According to industry experts, if the UK government is serious about achieving its net zero target, it needs to approach the improvement of Britain's housing stock at scale in an efficient and cost-effective manner. David Patridge, Chairman of Related Argent, hails Senze, a new AI tool developed by three property experts, as game-changing technology that will enable this transformation.
Senze is designed to measure the energy efficiency of homes before and after retrofitting, providing invaluable data for optimising investment decisions and meeting government targets. The tool directly pinpoints areas of a property prone to heat loss, enabling targeted improvements and potentially significant energy savings.
While the specific effectiveness of Senze in reducing retrofitting costs for the UK's net zero target is yet to be evaluated, the broader move towards smart technology in energy management is gaining momentum. The UK government's rollout of smart meters, which provide near real-time consumption data and enable consumers to monitor energy use, is a key step towards more accurate, cost-effective energy management.
The importance of accurate energy monitoring devices in supporting retrofit outcomes and government targets is further highlighted by programmes such as the Energy Company Obligation 4 (ECO4) and the Great British Insulation Scheme (GBIS). These initiatives require advice on the benefits of smart meters before completing energy efficiency measures.
However, it's worth noting that precision and calibration issues are common in measurement devices. For instance, the SenseWear Armband Mini, a device used in a health context, has shown variability and error margins in energy expenditure estimates. Therefore, the effectiveness of any device, including Senze, will depend on its measurement accuracy, user accessibility, and integration with government schemes.
The UK faces a colossal retrofit challenge, with estimates suggesting that all of Britain's 29 million homes will need retrofitting before 2050 to reach the net zero target by 2050. With 38% of properties built before 1946 and 78% built before 1980, the UK has the highest proportion of old housing stock in Europe.
The retrofit process is likened to climbing a mountain, with Joseph Michael Daniels, one of the developers of Senze, emphasising the need for a strategic approach. Concerns have been raised about the impact of the retrofit process on tenants, with the Renters' Rights Bill entering Committee Stage.
As the UK embarks on this ambitious journey towards net zero, innovative tools like Senze are set to play a crucial role in streamlining the retrofit process, ensuring cost-effectiveness, and helping the nation to reach its carbon reduction goals.
The integration of Senze, an AI tool designed for measuring energy efficiency in homes, aligns with the Forest of Dean District Council's AI-assisted new homes construction as part of a national effort to improve housing efficiency and reduce carbon emissions in environmental-science. The potential of Senze lies in its ability to optimize investment decisions, meet government targets, and contribute to the broader UK strategy on reducing retrofitting costs, as Britain faces a colossal retrofit challenge to reach net zero by 2050, given its old housing stock.
