National energy saving conference comes to Nottingham

Some of the UK's leading experts in the design of energy efficient buildings will gather at The University of Nottingham on Wednesday 7 November and Thursday 8 November 2012. They will be joined by two 5th year architecture students from The University of Nottingham who will be living in two specially designed and built 'student bedrooms' alongside the conference venue. The 'Pod' experiment will demonstrate the savings that can be achieved by using the Passivhaus standard of ultra-low energy building design. The UK Passivhaus Conference 2012 also features sell-out tours of Passivhaus buildings, including the Nottingham H.O.U.S.E (Home Optimising the Use of Solar Energy) which has now found a permanent home on Green Close — a 'street' of residential and experimental eco-homes on University Park. Delegates will be the first members of the public to view the Nottingham H.O.U.S.E in its new location. Designed and built to the Passivhaus standard by a team of architecture students, the Nottingham H.O.U.S.E was the UK entry in the International Solar Decathlon Europe Competition in 2010 where it picked up an award for its sustainability credentials. Passivhaus buildings provide a high level of occupant comfort while using very little energy for heating and cooling.