Andrew Wright

Dr Andrew Wright

Job: Associate Professor in Building Engineering Physics

Faculty: Computing, Engineering and Media

School/department: School of Engineering and Sustainable Development

Research group(s): Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development (IESD)

Address: 黑料网, The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH, United Kingdom

T: +44 (0)116 257 7960

E: awright@dmu.ac.uk

W: www.dmu.ac.uk/research/centres-institutes/iesd/index.aspx

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Personal profile

Andrew Wright is an Associate Profess and joined 黑料网 in September 2004. He is Subject Group Leader for teaching of Energy and Sustainable Develoment. Research interests include low energy buildings, energy in industry, and renewable energy in the developing world.

Following a degree in Applied Maths at Sheffield, he took an MSc in Atmospheric Physics at Imperial College, London, and for his PhD investigated computer modelling of the thermal performance of industrial buildings. Before coming to De Montfort, Andrew was the Programme Manager of a distance learning MSc course in Sustainable Electrical Building Services at UMIST (now University of Manchester), where he was also a researcher in the Tyndall (North) Centre for Climate Change Research. He has previously worked for the UK Electricity Industry at EA Technology Ltd near Chester; Newcastle University; and the Building Design Partnership in Manchester.

He has written many journal papers relating to energy use in buildings, and numerous reports for EA Technology ranging from the energy impacts of teleworking, to the effect of distributed generation on the electricity network. Andrew is a Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), and a member of the Energy Institute. He has contributed to the design guides on Environmental Design (Volume A) and Weather (Volume J), and is sercretary of the CIBSE Schools Design Group. He has also contributed to reports for Ofgem, DECC and the Department of Health.

Research group affiliations

Institute of Energy and Sustainable Development

Publications and outputs

dc.title: Case study investigation of overheating in low-energy homes: insights from a post-occupancy evaluation in England dc.contributor.author: Toledo, Linda; Wright, A. J.; Cropper, Paul dc.description.abstract: This paper presents evidence of overheating in present-day low-energy homes and explores the causes of this phenomenon. The study involved in-depth research on four low-energy homes in England. Three of these were newly built, while the other was retrofitted. Over a period of 11 months, the homes underwent environmental monitoring, and user perspectives were gathered. Additionally, a retrospective analysis was conducted based on the Building Regulations 2010 Overheating: Approved Document O. Overheating was primarily attributed to design factors related to ventilation (linked to both mechanical ventilation and natural ventilation), solar control (inadequate G-values), and the unique architectural elements (roof pod and sunspace). While most occupants employed adaptive behaviours whenever possible to cope with the high indoor temperatures, these strategies proved insufficient in preventing overheating in three out of four cases. The study also compared different methods for assessing overheating in low-energy homes. CIBSE-TM59 was found to be effective in identifying overheating issues and aligning with occupant perceptions. England Building Regulations Part O simplified method failed to account for potential overheating from deep energy retrofits, as well as possible exacerbations from roof pods and from transition spaces. Moreover, all assessments failed to encompass the elevated risk for (permanent or transitory) vulnerable occupants. dc.description: open access article This is a journal paper based on the PhD of Linda Toledo, also on DORA
dc.title: Design of a thermal store and heat pump system with hybrid photovoltaic-thermal solar charging for a low energy house in England dc.contributor.author: Wright, A. J.; Khattak, Sanober dc.description.abstract: Low carbon domestic heating is a major challenge for cold climates such as the UK, where most homes still use fossil gas boilers. Heat pumps have lower carbon emissions. Use of ground or water instead of air as a heat source allows the option of thermal storage from solar or other sources and can improve the efficiency of the system. This paper considers the options for a large, detached house to be built in south-west England, including comparison of a ground and water storage, use of photovoltaic-thermal panels for heat and electricity, design of the house to minimise heat loss, and timescales of thermal storage.
dc.title: Factors influencing BIM use in green building construction project management in the UK and China dc.contributor.author: Wright, A. J.; Painter, Birgit; Pazhoohesh, Mehdi; Tian, Ling dc.description.abstract: Decentralization and a lack of integration in the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC)industry are some of the main challenges for project management in green building construction.To address this problem, many construction companies have attempted to use buildinginformation modelling (BIM) to coordinate and optimize the management of green buildingprojects. However, the research on successfully adopting and using BIM in interdisciplinaryteams working on green building projects is limited; moreover, comprehensive comparisonsacross different countries and regions are lacking. Therefore, this study conducts a novelinvestigation of the key factors affecting the use of BIM in project management for greenbuilding construction through case studies in the UK and China. This study uses semi-structuredinterviews, Python-based term frequency analysis and thematic analysis to identifyfive keythemes, namely, communication, data environment, motivation, project members and policy,which influence the adoption and implementation of BIM. In addition, based on gained insights,the impacts of different green building certification levels on BIM project management duringthe construction phase must be fully considered. Thesefindings provide practicalrecommendations for BIM management in green building construction projects and contributeto thefield of construction management. dc.description: open access article This work is based on the PhD project of Ling Tian.
dc.title: Flexible future comfort dc.contributor.author: Khattak, Sanober; Wright, A. J.; Natarajan, Sukumar dc.description.abstract: Cooling is the fastest growing user of energy in buildings, and predicted to triple globally by 2050, driven not least by demand from hot countries such as India. This single trend has already had, and increasingly will have significant consequences around the world, driving up carbon emissions, energy insecurity and triggering blackouts. Mechanically cooled buildings are typically designed using international comfort standards, like ASHRAE 55, that mandate a static indoor environment (typically 23 卤 2掳C) leading to unnecessarily high energy use. The impacts of a more flexible approach to comfort are considered here, involving a more active role for occupants. This flexible approach is described, and tested, using a simulation-based case study of a typical residential apartment in India. Compared to a fixed setpoint of 24掳C, the flexible comfort approach results in reduced peak load and total cooling demand by 20% and 41%, respectively, at the cost of slightly elevated discomfort (average 12% PPD). The study demonstrates how this flexible comfort approach can be both thermally comfortable and more energy-efficient in mechanically cooled buildings, under extreme summer conditions. Finally, ways in which comfort in buildings might evolve are discussed, regarding changes in climate, work practices, cities, energy and transport.
dc.title: Effects of Future Climate Change and Adaptation Measures on Summer Comfort of Modern Homes across the Regions of the UK dc.contributor.author: Wright, A. J.; Venskunas, Eduardas dc.description.abstract: The global climate is warming rapidly, with increasing frequency of severe events including heatwaves. Building insulation standards are improving to reduce emissions, but this can also lead to more overheating. Historically, UK house designers have not included adaptation measures to limit this. Most studies of the problem have had limited geographical or future cli-mate scope. This study considers the comfort performance of a small modern house, in detached, semi-detached, and terrace (row) forms, but otherwise identical. Overheating is evaluated ac-cording to established criteria, including night-time bedroom hours over 26掳C. Simulations are carried out using median future weather years for current, 2030s, 2050s, and 2080s climates un-der medium- and high-emission scenarios for 14 regions of the UK. The results show a very large increase in overheating by the 2080s in all regions. With solar shading and natural ventilation, overheating is reduced considerably, maintaining comfort in most northern regions in the 2050s and a few northern regions in the 2080s. Differences between medium and high emissions are generally less than between different decades. Terraced (row) houses consistently overheat slightly more than semi-detached, with detached showing the least overheating. dc.description: open access article
dc.title: Assessing the efficacy of passive measures for the tropical context of Mauritius through parametric simulations and in-situ measurement dc.contributor.author: GOOROOCHURN, MAHENDRA; Coret, Jonathan Yannick; Brown, Neil; Santaram, Venkannah; Wright, A. J. dc.description.abstract: The transition from the traditional creole typology to the modern concrete vernacular structures has taken place progressively over the past few decades in Mauritius, motivated by the need for cyclone resistant buildings. However, the lack of consideration for thermal properties of the wall, glazing and roof construction has resulted in interior space conditions generally uncomfortable during summer conditions, evidenced by the increasing installation and use of air conditioning systems. With summers projected to become warmer due to climate change, passive design measures should be re-incorporated into existing and new constructions to decouple active cooling and urbanisation. This paper describes the parametric analyses carried out to generate cooling load (peak and coincident) for wall, glazing and roof components and temperature (operative, radiative and air) variations for a test building model made up of nine rooms, of which eight were peripheral and one central (with no external walls). The simulations were undertaken in Designbuilder庐 for a base case with no passive measures and for various low cost passive measures 鈥� overhang of various depths, external vertical shading and curtains, roof shading and planting tall trees around the building, incrementally rotated. The results allowed to assess the efficacy of each passive measure, validated against experimental data collected in actual buildings. The study also provided much needed quantitative data on surface and air temperatures prevailing inside buildings, which are key to bringing about the needed shift in mindset and the construction market. dc.description: This paper was written by staff at the University of Mauritius and 黑料网.
dc.title: Energy, economic and emission assessment of a solar assisted shallow earth borehole field heat pump system for domestic space heating in a north European climate dc.contributor.author: Wright, A. J.; Sakellariou, Evangelos; Axaopoulos, Petros dc.description.abstract: The performance of a solar assisted ground source heat pump (SAGSHP) system was evaluated and compared with a conventional gas boiler system using simulation, for a central England location. The earth energy bank was the long-term heat store element of the system and consisted of a very shallow field (1.5 m deep) of borehole heat exchangers (BHE). The mathematical model of the system was formulated, and parametric analyses were carried out by varying the number of BHEs and their spacing. The energy performance was expressed using four energy metrics, while its economy and CO2e emissions were compared with a natural gas boiler (NGB) system via the life cycle cost method and the fractional CO2e savings, respectively. The system can be energy self-sufficient by installing 40 BHEs at 1.25 m spacing or with 32 BHEs at 1.5 m spacing. The NGB system appears more economic than the SAGSHP system, due to low natural gas prices, the high price of the imported electricity, the low price of the exported electricity and the higher capital cost of the SAGSHP system. However, the SAGSHP system was found to have net negative carbon emissions, in contrast to the high positive emissions of the NGB system. dc.description: This work was based on the PhD of Sakellariou (also on DORA) The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.
dc.title: The potential for the passive house standard in Longyearbyen 鈥� The high arctic dc.contributor.author: Buijze, Josien; Wright, A. J. dc.description.abstract: Passive building design reduces a building鈥檚 energy consumption through mainly non-mechanical design strategies. The Passive House (or Passivhaus) Standard certifies such buildings that comply with its strict energy performance criteria. Achieving the Standard is very challenging for dwellings in extreme climates. There is limited knowledge of the Standard鈥檚 potential in Arctic regions, particularly the High Arctic. Through a review of the literature and energy modelling of a hypothetical dwelling, the challenges in achieving the Standard in Longyearbyen (78藲N), Norway are investigated. Very low temperatures and 112 days without daylight create a high heating demand. Whereas previous studies measured actual building performances or used simple calculations, the findings in this investigation show the limitations of individual design parameters and technical limits of the building envelope. In theory the Standard can be achieved in Long-yearbyen; however, the potential in practice is low due to the very tight margins in the heating criteria. The results show the significant impact of applying contextual (climatic) adjustments to the boundary conditions of the Standard. The investigation could contribute to a discussion on modifying the Passive House Standard for dwellings in the High Arctic and improving building design for the region. dc.description: The file attached to this record is the author's final peer reviewed version. The Publisher's final version can be found by following the DOI link.
dc.title: Keeping Cool in the Desert: Using Wind Catchers for Improved Thermal Comfort and Indoor Air Quality at Half the Energy dc.contributor.author: Saif, Jamal; Wright, A. J.; Khattak, Sanober; Elfadli, Kasem dc.description.abstract: In hot arid climates, air conditioning in the summer dominates energy use in buildings. In Kuwait, energy demand in buildings is dominated by cooling, which also determines the national peak electricity demand. Schools contribute significantly to cooling demand