The world’s first energy house is to be launched by the University of Salford as part of a retrofit conference taking place in January 2011.

The energy house has been built by the university to study domestic energy consumption. The university says that retrofitting needs sufficient research behind it to make properties as carbon efficient as possible.

Academics are conducting tests inside the typically working house, which is built in the same style as the existing 4.5m pre-1920 UK homes, with fully functioning water, gas and electricity supplies. Tests will gauge how its energy consumption varies depending on variable factors and conditions.

Statistics from the Communities and Local Government English House Condition Survey 2007 Annual Report show that 70% of the UK’s residential dwellings will be inhabited by 2050, and 91% of all UK homes will benefit substantially from energy efficiency measures. It says improved insulation and boiler upgrades alone could see heating emissions reduced by 22%.

The country’s least efficient properties were predominantly constructed prior to 1920, and currently make up 15% of UK homes. They account for 23% of total national CO₂ emissions.

It has been revealed by research commissioned by Salford that half of Registered Housing Providers have no retrofit plan in place, despite the Government’s plans for the Warm Homes, Greener Homes strategy.

"This project is exciting because retrofitting old properties to make them as carbon efficient as possible will require detailed and robust research," said University of Salford vice-chancellor Martin Hall.

"If there is to be a step change in the UK to achieve our carbon emission reduction targets, it is essential decision makers have sound evidence to ensure products are tested before being tried out in real homes," he added.