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Tag: What is Passive House?

  • HPH004 : The Passivhaus Standard #2 with Dr Wolfgang Feist (Passive House)

    HPH004 : The Passivhaus Standard #2 with Dr Wolfgang Feist (Passive House)

    Dr Wolfgang Feist describes how better energy efficiency opens a path to making us less dependent on fossil fuels and we have that knowledge now.

    wolfgang feist

     

    Interview with Dr Wolfgang Feist

    Dr Feist explains that his early research in the 1970s was addressing how to deliver the growing demand for energy in the world. When examining what the energy was used for, the surprising result was that most of it was wasted. So improving energy efficiency was the clear route forward. If you consider the services you need then you can design a building in a way that it uses far less energy. Scientifically speaking this is quite easy to do; the bigger challenge is getting that through to the market.

     

    The Passivhaus Standard is Very High Energy Efficiency

    By improving the building’s envelope you reduce the energy losses you normally have, so that you only need a very low amount of heat to keep it warm or cooling to keep it cool. This is in the range of a tenth of what we used to need in the past. It not only reduces the amount of energy you need but it also improves the comfort in the building, too. With a far higher quality of building envelope, another benefit is that it lasts longer. And, as it’s simpler, it becomes easier to maintain.

     

    Passivhaus Principles Can Be Widely Used

    Dr Feist explains that a building that meets the Passivhaus standard can be of any style and for an purpose (offices, swimming halls, schools and dwellings etc.). It also lends itself to any kind of material: masonry, timber construction, load bearing structures with concrete, whatever you want.

     

    Old Habits Die Hard in The Construction Industry

    As a very conservative industry, the construction industry tends to do what they have always done and that means it’s not easy. However, change is becoming more rapid. The key is that they must decide they want to learn this new way of doing things.

     

    Energy Will Only Get More Expensive

    Our energy problems are not in the future, they are happening right now. Over the last ten years the cost of energy has risen significantly and that is set to continue – fuel poverty already exists. Also, the consequences of using fossil fuels on such a large scale mean that we have a growing amount of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in the earth’s atmosphere. We need to change the way we use energy. Using less energy will in turn burn less fossil fuel and thus reduce CO2 emissions. Currently, around the world, over 80% of our energy still comes from fossil fuels.

     

    The Passivhaus Standard is a World Standard

    Dr Feist says that the Passivhaus standard is a world standard, but it is a method of doing things. Therefore what works in one country cannot necessarily be transposed to another. It’s a method of how to design a building compatible to the climate in which you reside.

     

    Passive House Principles

    In the UK’s situation, insulation is the most important factor. It must be in such a way that it avoids thermal bridging. Then the building must be airtight, which is something they have not been in the past. Improved windows have a very high influence on the energy balance of building, too. Due to the airtightness, a ventilation system is also necessary.  So the four factors are insulation, airtightness, good windows and ventilation.

     

    Passivhaus Standard Certification

    It is well documented what a building is that meets the Passivhaus standard. That’s why certification allows you to know that the building meets the criteria. In the UK the Passivhaus Trust has a list of certifiers. If you come to sell a house, this certification becomes a quality and performance guarantee.

     

    A Future Worth Living

    Through his research at the Passivhaus Institute Dr Feist is creating better components, such as more efficient windows. He’s motivated by seeing new projects realised. Recently he has been working with the city of Frankfurt to build the world’s first Passivhaus hospital. The government and European Commission are seeing the huge benefits and encouraging this advance. Dr Feist also helps organisations around the world to gain members and knowledge.

     

    How World Governments Can Play Their Part in Driving Forward Energy Efficiency

    The most important stride could be made by governments creating an environment where innovation is accepted. Incentives can also play a part and they don’t have to involve money. Dr Feist details an example in Italy where truly energy efficient house builders are allowed to build on a bigger proportion of the land they own. That way it doesn’t cost the taxpayer any money, but it does provide investors with an incentive to build energy efficient homes. Governments can also circulate literature about how to improve efficiency in new construction and in refurbishment of existing buildings.

     

    Timing is Everything When Retrofitting Existing Housing

    The best time to improve the energy efficiency of a house is when something needs to be done anyway. As our existing housing is not static, but in a cycle, there will come a time when repairs etc. are necessary. This is the time to improve energy efficiency… when the scaffolding would be going up anyway. Dr Feist stresses the importance of going for the best products, too. This is because the job may not be done again for many years.

     

    A Path Away From Fossil Fuels

    Based on the physics there is no need to use energy to create comfortable temperatures in buildings. Energy savings could be reduced further, not to zero but to almost zero. However, there is a certain amount of renewable energy available and with the advances of Passivhaus they reduce energy consumption to 1/10 of what it has been in the past. Therefore the required energy is low enough that it will be available from regional sources anywhere in the world without a big problem. So in the end there is no need to go much further than that but of course it could happen.

     

    Transcript

    Download a transcript of the interview with Dr Wolfgang Feist.

     

    We Need Your Input

    It may be early days but we want your feedback on the House Planning Help Podcast. What are you enjoying? How could we improve? What would you like to know more about? Your answers will help shape future episodes. We would also like to create video tutorials during a house build, if that is content that will be useful to you. Have your say now!

     

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  • HPH003 : The Passivhaus Standard #1 A Passivhaus Builder’s Story (Passive House) – with Pat Wilkinson from Touchwood Homes

    HPH003 : The Passivhaus Standard #1 A Passivhaus Builder’s Story (Passive House) – with Pat Wilkinson from Touchwood Homes

    Pat Wilkinson from Touchwood Homes reveals why he decided to build to the Passivhaus standard and there’s a resource for young industry professionals who might just be completing their architecture degrees or building training etc.

     

    Interview with Pat Wilkinson

    Pat explains that his family has been in construction for three generations. With his interest in climate change, in the mid 1990s he set about changing his practices to become more energy efficient.

     

    I-beams

    In 1994 he built his first house with I-beams (imported from Sweden), allowing him to build thicker walls without using lots of timber. Pat says this first house has performed very well over the last 15 years, with virtually no heating requirement.

     

    People Don’t Seem to Realise How Energy Efficient New Homes Can Be

    Pat talks about writing to (UK) MP Mark Prisk, who is chair of the Green Construction Board, and then speaking to one of his colleagues, who didn’t seem to realise that we have the capability to build low energy houses right now. Pat also suggests that large construction companies have little interest in building energy efficient homes because it might reduce their profit margins.

     

    What Makes These Houses So Energy Efficient?

    Insulation and airtightness are the two most important factors of any energy efficient building – this way it holds in the heat. Pat describes how a ventilation system will also be necessary due to the airtightness. The Passive House Planning Package is a vital tool in designing and specifying your house correctly.

     

    Houses That Meet The Passivhaus Standard Can Be in Any Style

    Pat says that you can build an energy efficient house to look like whatever you want it to look like. It could be a barn, a stone cottage or a Tudor hovel! However, Pat believes that modern architecture is very good and it’s what we should be building now, rather than repeating styles from the past. Ben explained that he was still drawn to historical buildings and that he doesn’t rate a lot of the new builds that he sees, stating “they don’t feel right.”

     

    You Can’t Tell That a House is Energy Efficient Just By Looking at It

    One issue you must overcome when buying a house is knowing what you are buying. Pat talks about new-builds he has witnessed with about 50mm of insulation. He wonders how that can comply with building regulations. Pat’s buildings generally have 300mm of insulation in the walls. The trouble is the consumer rarely gets the insulation checked before purchasing a house.

     

    The Extra Cost of Meeting The Passivhaus Standard is Really Not That Much

    Pat gives examples of buildings that he has constructed where the maximum extra cost is 10%. On a recent project he says the extra cost was nearer 4%. Over time as components, such as triple glazed windows, become more common that difference could even be eliminated.

     

    Knowledge Is The Key To Any Build

    For anyone planning to self build, Pat suggests reading as much as possible. German and Scandinavian books often have excellent advice about energy efficiency.

     

    Select Tradespeople With Care

    Pat says that very few people have the skills necessary to build to the Passivhaus standard. He advises choosing your contractors carefully, telling the story of a plumber who was installing solar panels and didn’t really have enough knowledge to make them work!

     

    Great Minds Plan For The Future

    Ben Adam-Smith thanks Pat for his recommendation to use the AECB website and forum to get trusted information on sustainable building. If you have recently qualified as an architect, a builder or a designer etc. in the UK, then the AECB is looking for forward-thinking individuals to join them.

     

    Transcript

    Download a transcript of the interview with Pat Wilkinson.

     

    The Passivhaus Standard

    If this is the first time you have heard of the Passivhaus standard, Ben Adam-Smith recommends going to read more about it from the Passivhaus Trust. This will give you far more detail than we could ever cover in the podcast. The House Planning Help Podcast aims to give you a general feel for it.

     

    Will Homes Built to a Low Energy Standard, Such as Passivhaus, Be Worth More in The Future?

    Ben Adam-Smith phones 10 estate agents (real estate brokers) in the UK, only to discover that 8 out of the 10 had not heard of a low energy standard, such as Passivhaus. Ben also wondered why energy isn’t a key consideration when buying a house, when we seem to do it naturally with cars (selecting a model which achieves the highest miles per gallon).

     

    Architect’s Journal

    They recently featured an article on Howe Park, which achieved record levels of air tightness. The article suggests it could be the world’s most airtight house! Pat Wilkinson was the timber frame specialist on this project. Unfortunately these tests were not completed until after Ben interviewed Pat.

     

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