A living environment for testing and development

Several of the ideas and innovations that have been tested in the Research House are already on the market. This includes a technology for avoiding moisture in wooden houses, which Derome has developed and is now using, as well as energy storage systems.

“This is a unique resource for companies that want to test their ideas and products. One of the projects we’re working on at the moment relates to DC systems. The aim is to test whether we can achieve lower energy consumption by operating ventilation and a heat pump directly via a battery connected to solar cells on the roof,” explains Lisa Ossman, Head of the Energy and Resources department at RISE.

Built for lower energy use

When the Research House was built seven years ago, it was part of a larger EU project. The aim was to create a method for building energy-efficient single-family dwellings, with a target of 60 per cent lower energy consumption than the building standard.

RISE’s part of the project consisted of two houses – one in Varberg, which is home to an actual family, and the Research House in Borås with a fictional family. At the moment, the house is managed so that it behaves as if four people are living there, although this can easily be changed if you want to test different scenarios.

“We had the idea of using the house as a lab right from the start. At first, we ran a parallel project to develop new heat pump solutions for low-energy houses. Regular heat pumps are often a little too large, so we ran a research project to develop a smaller heat pump,” says Lisa Ossman.

Evaluation of heat pumps and ventilation

The system in the house is based on geothermal heat, where the borehole has been supplemented with ground loops in order to evaluate different types of heat pumps. It is also possible to create an outdoor air section here, and the house is also prepared for a pellet stove. An HRV solution that recycles the heat in the air is used as a ventilation system.

“One of the projects has related to demand-controlled ventilation. If a house is to be sufficiently energy efficient, you can’t ventilate too much. At the same time, it is important to have a good indoor environment. We wanted to test a system where the ventilation is based on the demand in the house – which is measured using sensors that detect the carbon dioxide content in the air.

This is only at the research stage so far, as regulatory changes are required in order for it to be implemented. At present, a certain amount of ventilation is a requirement, regardless of whether anyone is at home or not. However, we want to show that it is better to ventilate when this is necessary,” says Lisa Ossman.

Want to get control systems to work together

Most of the projects being conducted in the house are related to energy efficiency, although it is also possible to test other solutions here. One project has focused on testing home sprinklers, for example, while others have related to moisture resistance. The latest addition is a charging system for electric cars, with scope for various types of tests.

“Going forward, it would also be exciting to take a closer look at different types of control systems and to get them to interact. At present, many manufacturers are sticking to their own solutions, which do not work together. Questions of this type are interesting when it comes to getting the whole to work optimally,” says Lisa Ossman.