We are very excited to announce that Stephen is now a Certified PassivHaus Designer. This certification will give HBK Architects another level of expertise and knowledge when it comes to designing low energy houses for our clients. Congratulations to Stephen!

We all know that the price of heating our home is not reducing, in addition the ongoing use of fossil fuels is not good for our environment.  But what can we do about this if we are thinking of building a new home?

WHAT IS A PASSIVE HOUSE?

A Passive House is a house which is truly energy efficient, comfortable, affordable and much better for our environment at the same time.  The aim is to build a house which has exceptional thermal performance and airtightness along with heat recovery ventilation systems.

Using this design approach means that your Architect can achieve a house design which results in heating requirements hugely reduced to the point where a traditional heating system is no longer considered essential. So, that means no more constant filling of your oil tank, your home could be heated during the cold winter months using a small wood burning stove and renewable sources such as solar water heating systems.

Passive Houses allow for heating and cooling related energy savings of up to 90% compared with existing houses and over 75% compared with average newly constructed houses.

Cooling of the home is achieved the same way; excellent thermal properties mean that heat gain during warmer months is minimized.  The orientation of the house and location of appropriate shading also greatly reduce heat gain through glass and, by using cross ventilation, your home can be cool and comfortable.

In addition to a Passive House providing excellent energy performance it can also provide an excellent standard of indoor air quality –  the ventilation system supplies filtered air throughout the home without the issue of unwanted draughts.

Sounds good?

So, watch out for loads more Passive House related blogs over the coming weeks and months.

Ryan