Energy in buildings

Themes covered in this free course, Energy in buildings, include reducing heating demand in buildings, heating systems and fuel emissions, and reducing electricity use by appliances.The course looks at the importance of energy in buildings in the UK, investigate heat loss and how to prevent it, ways of increasing building efficiency, decreasing CO2 emissions of different fuels and the use of efficient appliances. This content forms part of the Dangoor Education collection, the educational arm of The Exilarch's Foundation.  

• Introduction
• Learning outcomes
• 1 The importance of energy use in buildings
• 1 The importance of energy use in buildings
• 2 Reducing space heating demand
• 2 Reducing space heating demand
• 2.1 Heating a house
• 2.2 Cutting building fabric heat losses
• 2.2.1 Insulated windows
• 2.2.2 U-Values
• 2.2.3 Insulation materials and their properties
• 2.2.4 Conductivity and U-values – the basics
• 2.2.5 Using insulation
• 2.2.6 Calculating U-values of multiple layers of materials
• 2.3 Cutting ventilation losses
• 2.3.1 Airtightness
• 2.3.2 Ventilation heat recovery
• 2.4 How much insulation does a building need?
• 2.4.1 Calculating the total heat loss of a house
• 2.4.2 Degree days
• 2.4.3 Balance point temperature
• 2.4.4 Improving insulation standards
• 3 Improving heating system efficiency
• 3 Improving heating system efficiency
• 3.1 Gas boilers
• 3.2 Oil-fired boilers
• 3.3 Electric heating
• 3.3.1 Heat pumps
• 3.4 Combined Heat and Power Generation
• 3.4.1 Fuel cell CHP
• 3.4.2 Using waste heat from large power stations
• 3.4.3 Which form of CHP is best?
• 3.5 Heating systems and CO2 emissions
• 4 Saving electricity
• 4 Saving electricity
• 4.1 Electrical appliances
• 4.1.1 Televisions and consumer electronics
• 4.1.2 Refrigerators
• 4.1.3 Washing machines and ‘wet appliances’
• 4.1.4 Cooking
• 4.2 Energy-efficient lighting
• 4.2.1 Lamp types
• 4.2.2 LED development
• 4.2.3 Lighting and illuminance
• 5 Home energy assessment
• 5 Home energy assessment
• Conclusion
• End-of-course quiz
• Glossary
• References
• Acknowledgements