How do you know if a “green” home is actually working?
Data-driven construction for Scotland’s housing future
MAKAR homes are designed to be highly thermally efficient, but it is incredibly important to check the as-built results against the theory. So, to test our modelling, we have teamed up with The Data Lab and Highlands and Islands Enterprise for a 15-month project to determine the exact heating cost and requirements of our Paradigm Prototype Home.
Our Paradigm prototype was built to help solve the housing and climate emergencies currently throughout Scotland and the UK. As well as being low carbon to deliver (with previous studies on equivalent MAKAR affordable family homes showing they are carbon negative on delivery, each locking up 39 metric tonnes of sequestered carbon!), these homes are designed to tackle fuel poverty for occupants. We have modelled heating costs at £6.05 per week, compared to £45.25 per week for the average UK home.
Across two winters and one summer, Data Lab are measuring:
- the external and internal temperature of the home,
- the internal humidity,
- VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds),
- and carbon dioxide levels,
- alongside power usage for heating (and cooling) the home to a consistent, comfortable temperature.
MAKAR has a very innovative system, and we’ll use the ongoing data from The Data Lab to improve MAKAR home designs and delivery. The Paradigm Home, assembled just outside of our workshop in Inverness, demonstrates a real life model of the forefront of construction technology, which people can come and experience for free on our weekly tours: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/makars-paradigm-prototype-weekly-show-home-tours-tickets-1976874095636?aff=oddtdtcreator
This project was funded by the Scottish Government through the National AI Adoption Programme, run by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, which helps SMEs across Scotland explore and adopt AI to improve productivity.
The prototype was built to help solve the housing and climate emergencies currently throughout Scotland and the UK. As well as being low carbon to deliver (with previous studies on equivalent MAKAR affordable family homes showing they are carbon negative on delivery, each locking up 39 metric tonnes of sequestered carbon!), these homes are designed to tackle fuel poverty for occupants with modelled heating costs at £6.05 per week, compared to £45.25 per week for the average UK home.
This project is funded by the Scottish Government through the National AI Adoption Programme, which helps SMEs across Scotland explore and adopt AI to improve productivity.