Considering a Passive house?
When planning to build a house, we obviously pay close attention to factors such as costs, architectural design, as well as how comfortable and how functional it will be. But more and more often we find ourselves thinking about energy efficiency. If we want to have a house that looks good, is comfortable and highly energy efficient, we might want to consider building or transforming our current house into a passive house. But what exactly is a passive house? A passive house is a building standard that is affordable, comfortable, and at the same time, energy efficient and environmentally friendly.
What Is a Passive House?
A passive house is a concept that originated from Germany, where its know as Passivhaus. It is important to note that a passive house is not a brand name, but a construction concept that can be applied by anyone – commercial buildings as well as residential houses. A passive house is build so that it is very energy efficient and comfortable at the same time without using a traditional heating system or active cooling. The passive house uses passive heat sources – the energy of the sun, the heat from running household appliances and the extracted air – in order to cover most of the heating demand. The remaining energy needs in a passive house should be supplied by renewable energy sources, such as solar panels or heat pumps. The active utilisation of this existing energy is one of the main characteristics associated with a passive house. Passive houses optimise thermal gain, at the same time minimise thermal losses. By using existing temperature, the required heating energy of a passive house is 90% lower than the energy needed for a conventional home.
Why Build a Passive House?
By investing in a passive house, you can benefit from reduced heating bills, and at the same time, have a positive impact on the environment. A passive house is a sustainable construction that provides you with a 75% reduction in space heating requirements, when compared to traditional households. Along with savings on your heating bills, by building a passive house you will not be using fossil fuels and therefore reduce carbon dioxide emissions. A passive house provides you with an evenly warm and constant climate.
Who cant help me build a Passive house?
We can! Here at Quality Timber Frames we are the second company to have been certified by the The Passive house consultants institute. Passive Houses do not look any different from other buildings. However, on account of their clearly defined energy standard, they exhibit a high level of thermal comfort and extremely low energy consumption. Good planning as well as careful execution of the details is essential in the construction of Passive House buildings. This ensures that the high requirements for the building envelope and technology can be met. As a result, designers and specialist planners need additional expertise. QTF now have their very own in-house certified Passive House Designer/Consultant who can help you with your dream home, and extremely low heating costs.
There are lots of details about Passive homes available and we would be very happy to hear from you to discuss the advantages and costs so please contact us at [email protected] or
Tel: +44 28 4063 2494.
Further details can be found here: QTF Services Passive Homes