Lightsource Labs’ home energy management system incorporated into Barratt Developments’ cutting edge Z House
Lightsource Labs’ intelligent home energy management platform, Tribe, has been installed in Barratt Developments’ Z House
The Z House is a unique flagship zero carbon home concept that will be occupied and monitored to assess its performance
Tribe will monitor, control and optimise devices within the home in order to reduce energy costs
Lightsource Labs’ smart home energy management platform, Tribe, is one of 40 high-tech solutions to have been incorporated into Barratt Developments’ “Z House.” As Lightsource bp’s in-house energy technology business, Lightsource Labs’ technology unlocks flexibility behind-the-meter to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon, sustainable energy economy. By incorporating Tribe into the design of the building, housing developers like Barratt Developments can help homeowners play their part in the transition to net zero; integrating low-carbon technologies such as solar and batteries with energy management solutions like Tribe will help reduce the carbon footprint of domestic properties, which currently accounts for 15% of total carbon emissions[1] .
Built at Salford University, the zero carbon home is a one-off trial for the next generation of technology and sustainable material, exploring how zero carbon homes can be built at the scale required to tackle climate change.
Tribe is designed to be the hub of the smart home and consists of a hardware hub and smartphone app. Through its market-leading compatibility with a wide range of devices in the home – including solar inverters, batteries and electric car chargers – Tribe enables homeowners to monitor and optimise energy use, and set device schedules to maximise self-consumption of on-site generation and to minimise energy costs. Tribe utilises machine-learning algorithms to automatically select the cheapest and greenest periods of the day to operate devices. Within the Z House, Tribe will be taking advantage of the low-cost periods of Octopus Energy’s Agile and Outgoing tariffs. Through this optimisation, Tribe can enhance energy savings generated by the solar and battery system by up to 20%[2].
Alongside Tribe, other cutting-edge technology installed in the Z House includes overhead infrared panels that provide instant zero carbon heat; new air-powered showers, plaster which eliminates pollutants giving cleaner, healthier air; a fridge which keeps the right humidity resulting in 60% less food wastage; and innovative heated skirting boards delivering 10% more heat than traditional radiators whilst also saving space.
Benjamin Kott, CEO at Lightsource Labs, said: “Our microgrid technology helps developers save costs on energy infrastructure by reducing overall peak demand and the size of the necessary connection to the grid network, however ultimately, the energy consumer must be at the heart of the transition to net zero. We’re excited to work with students from Salford University and have them using Tribe to optimise how they generate, store and consume electricity within the home.”
Notes
[1] UK Energy in Brief 2021, UK Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
[2] This is in addition to the savings generated by the solar and battery system. Saving estimates modelled using 12 months’ data from existing Tribe customers in the UK and based on a property with >4,000kWh annual demand, 4kWp PV and 6kWh battery, and dynamic time-of-use tariff.