Key speakers at Salford University’s Retrofit 2012 conference

Several key speakers will present important eco-papers at Retrofit 2012, the second major conference to be held by Salford University. It takes place next week from 24-26 January at Salford’s Lowry theatre.

Speakers include: Professor Kevin Anderson, deputy director, Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, Dr Jason Palmer, director, Cambridge Architectural Research Ltd, Professor Ian Cooper, partner, Eclipse Research Consultant, John Ashcroft, chief executive, pro Manchester, James Walker, innovation manager, Kingfisher PLC, Oliver Novakovic, director of futures housing, BRE, and Dr Brenda Boardman, Environmental Change Institute, Oxford University ‘Achieving Zero’ (for Greenpeace).

With its award winning ‘house-in-a-lab’ (see image) and the re-opening of the historic home of physicist James Joules as a research centre, the Salford University is fast becoming a significant leader on the energy scene!

Retrofit 2012 will take a multi-disciplinary approach, hosting business leaders, academics and politicians for discussions and debates on three main issues for UK energy policy – carbon emissions, fuel poverty and energy security. And with the government’s Green Deal now taking centre stage, it is considered the conference couldn’t have been timed better!

The Energy House itself is a standard two-up two-down style pre-1915 Victoria home. It has been constructed using reclaimed materials from local sources to represent 21% of the UK’s current housing stock and rebuilt using the traditional methods of the time, including lime mortar and lath-and-plaster ceilings.

It provides a unique testing and development facility in which leading researchers can work collaboratively with industry to develop and test new technology and solutions to improve the energy efficiency of existing projects and processes.

More information: energy@salford.ac.uk