Bowater House Background Information
Bowater House is a nine storey block of flats on the Lyng Estate West Bromwich, built by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council Housing Department in the 1960's. The whole area of the Lyng is now being refurbished to improve the levels of energy efficiency in line with the Councils sustainable development policy.Bowater House benefits from high levels of insulation achieved by external over cladding as well as internal wall insulation.
The flats are now efficiently heated by gas central heating boilers and radiators which have replaced the expensive and inefficient under floor electric heating.
Bowater House has Pilkington K double-glazing fitted to windows, which help to insulate the rooms, as well as providing added passive solar gain. This glass allows the suns rays to enter but traps the infra- red rays, which provide the heat.
Windows in the stairwell open automatically if the temperature reaches a certain unacceptable level.
The blue areas on the design are photovoltaic cells (PVs are solar panels) these are used as to help to cut down on the use of fossil fuels so that less CO2 is produced. The PVs provide just enough energy during daylight hours throughout the year for the lifts, the lights in public areas and the sensors for ventilation. Sensors have been placed in various positions throughout Bowater House, inside and out, there are light and temperature sensors plus the voltage and current supplied by the PVs is measured. Throughout this web site there are opportunities to interpret the data collected by the sensors.
