On 4th and 5th October, British Gas's Showcase Home – a newly refurbished unit on the ground floor of the BRE's Victorian Terrace demonstration project in Watford – will open its doors to the public during the INSITE11 refurbishment conference.

British Gas, in partnership with the BRE, Mears Group and others, has transformed one unit of this former stable block into an exemplar for low-energy retrofitting.

UK homes are some of the oldest and least efficient in Europe with high levels of heat loss through roof, walls, floors, windows and doors and through infiltration of cold air via holes and gaps. Moreover a third of dwellings in England provide insufficient thermal comfort to occupants(1). The environmental impact of inefficient building stock is also significant, with carbon dioxide emissions from the housing sector accounting for 27 per cent of the UK's carbon footprint(2).

An overhaul of the UK housing stock could save approximately 48 million tonnes of CO2 and reduce householders' fuel bills by as much as £8.7billion(3).

This Showcase Home is important because it demonstrates how British Gas can enable smarter living today and help consumers reduce carbon and costs. It also highlights British Gas's pivotal role in making this transformation a reality through the implementation and use of sustainable refurbishment solutions and smart technologies.

The Showcase Homes, refurbished in just five weeks, achieved a remarkable 60% improvement in energy efficiency from an F to a B rating by implementing a range of conventional and innovative products, systems and services from British Gas and its partners including:

• A demonstration smart meter
• A demonstration Baxi Ecogen boiler – a CHP (combined heat and power) boiler which can generate both heat and electricity for your home
• LED lights
• Alert Me Energy Monitoring
• Solar PV
• Floor, ceiling and wall insulation
• Air source heat pump – uses air from outside to heat your home
• Low flow taps
• Electric Vehicle charging point
• Safe and Secure
• Flooring and kitchen units from sustainable materials
• Low VOC paint

Guided tours of this Showcase Home and workshop sessions with British Gas and its project partners will run throughout INSITE11. You can get more information on INSITE11 here. Why not check out the photos which document the transformation of the BRE's Victorian Terrace:

Roger Hunt, one of our regular guest bloggers, will be heading down to INSITE11 and will be reporting back on the Showcase Homes, so stay tuned for the full scoop from Roger next week.

The Victorian Terrace Showcase Home sponsored by British Gas has been made possible through the support of the following partners:

Cool Planet, part of British Gas
ECL Contracts limited, part of British Gas
Mears Group
BRE
Travis Perkins
Benchmarx Kitchens and Joinery
Worcester Bosch
Philips
Baxi
Dulux
AM Profiles
Brightcast Limited
M2 Building Services Limited
Network Waste

Notes:

(1) Figures from 40% House, Environmental Change Institute, 2005
(2) Figures taken from a Telegraph report
(3) Information provided by BRE

All photos taken by Peter White.