Max Eastwood

PhD Student

Loughborough University

Max completed degrees in Architecture and Environmental Design (MEng) and Architecture (MArch) at the University of Nottingham, followed by a period working as an architectural assistant across a range of building sectors. As a Doctoral Researcher with Loughborough University’s Building Energy Research Group (BERG), Max is investigating the measured thermal performance of dwellings under different conditions. Max has conducted experiments in a pair of test houses to support his research, which also involves the use of secondary data, to improve measurements of the thermal performance of homes.

Measuring the in-use thermal performance of homes: improving the precision by accounting for variability

The Heat Transfer Coefficient (HTC) is a metric that describes the average rate of heat loss from a home. It is used to evaluate and compare the thermal efficiency (insulation, infiltration and ventilation) of a home. The HTC is predicted as part of the model that underpins Energy Performance Certificates in the UK. The HTC can be measured, either while the home is in-use or unoccupied, by various methods. Previous research has been shown that the HTC can vary over time, but such variability is typically included within HTC measurement uncertainty.

Max’s research aims to quantify the variability in the HTC of homes and to develop a novel method to explain the variation. In turn, this can be used to separate variability from measurement uncertainty, thus, improving the precision of HTC measurement.