From Soap Opera To University

The famous terraced two-up, two-down dwelling shown in the opening credits to "Coronation Street

," the world"s longest-running soap opera, will be duplicated in a lab at Salford University for the purpose of studying how energy consumption can be decreased in everyday life. The study of this home is expected to last about three years, and then other types of housing will follow in this 20-year experiment.

Scientists will recreate the famous pre-World War I Manchester house inside a sealed testing chamber. They will be able to mimic real weather conditions, including the infamous Manchester rains. The original building was scheduled for demolition, but the University intervened and dismantled it for these experiments in June of 2010. Utilities will be delivered and furniture installed. People from 13 different departments of the school will take turns actually residing in the lab inside these restored premises.

In setting up this experiment, scientists are hoping to find ways to reduce the UK"s greenhouse gas emissions, 30 percent of which have been attributed to home energy usage. New housing is already undergoing these types of energy efficiencies. However, there are so many of these older homes still surviving and thriving, that it is obvious house buyers will keep seeking them out. This is also evidenced by the anger stirred up by several large-scale demolitions of terraces by the government.

"They are in many ways an extremely successful design, with a particularly good sense of community and neighbourly links," said Dave Ritter, sustainability director at BDP architects. But older homes generally use more heating energy.

The goal, therefore, is to discover how to make this type of home as energy-efficient as possible. The old heating and electric systems will be replaced by carbon-reduction equipment. Psychologists will join the team to see if certain factors like paint and flooring colours will result in less energy demands. Smart-meter tests will be run.

Terraces have been successfully remodeled in other areas. In Leeds over 40 thousand previously-condemned terrace homes now boast heat savings and efficient space usage. Some northern towns have adopted a policy of "alternate demolition," where every other row is demolished instead of the entire development. The existing homes are remodeled and now have more garden and open space making them more enjoyable places to live.

With energy emissions becoming a huge concern and energy costs becoming a huge portion of a family"s budget, it"s hoped that this old "Coronation Street" home, along with the new "Pay as You Save schemes" enacted by the Energy Bill, will help ease these concerns.

by: Marcus Gallon

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