Our Lowest Carbon Emission Building - James Barber House

The recently refurbished James Barber House, part of Hatfield College, is now the University’s lowest emissions building. Over the last 18 months, the building has been refurbished by upgrading building fabric with improved insulation and new windows and doors, alongside installing air source heat pumps to provide all heating and hot water to the building. The measures reduce emissions compared to the original building by 75% and provide the building with a path to net zero as the national grid decarbonises. In the coming months, the team are working to install solar panels to reduce emissions even further and supplement costs at the site. 

The project demonstrates the work that needs to be done to decarbonise our existing estate by removing gas boilers, improving energy efficiency and ensuring buildings are heated and powered from renewable sources. In 2024, we will continue to refurbish the University estate, installing over 500 kW of solar PV, developing refurbishments around the University, improving the efficiency of our building systems and developing strategy to decarbonise heating systems.