Leeds Beckett University

Building Performance Research

The Leeds Sustainability Institute (LSI) at Leeds Beckett University is regarded as a research leader in the field of building performance and energy efficiency.

Through our forensic investigations of buildings, the Institute has identified major heat loss mechanisms in buildings, which in cases such as the thermal bypass in party walls between adjoining properties, led to changes to the Building Regulations.  As a result, every new home in the UK is now built to improved standards, significantly reducing the energy required to heat a building.

Working with the Leeds developer CITU on their new buildings, using thermal modelling and simulation and experience from field tests, Leeds Beckett are working to advance digital engineering, client interfaces and CITU’s factory engineered buildings.  CITU’s plans for development in the centre of Leeds are at the forefront of smart building technology and design.

Leeds Beckett University is also working with ARC Building Solutions and have helped design and test components for buildings that are now commercially available, opening up new opportunities for the Leeds based company.  The LSI’s work on Innovate UK project with ASDA Leeds and Cybula York analysed retail store energy data to optimise store performance in the region and a number of major energy saving opportunities were identified.

The City of Leeds was designated a core city for trialling research connected to the Government’s domestic energy efficiency policy with regard to retrofitting of existing dwellings. Leeds Beckett University, working with the City of Leeds, undertook a monitoring and testing program on 63 properties to investigate the effectiveness of the insulation measures installed and to understand underperformance. The findings from a series of investigations including surveys, air tightness tests, heat loss tests, hygrothermal and thermal bridging modelling, in use monitoring and occupant interviews data were collected to inform future policy. 

The Leeds Sustainability Institute operates globally, but has a major impact on built environment research across Yorkshire.