When we decided that we would try to go the Passivhaus route, the next thing to think about was how we were actually going to build our house. The obvious route – especially given our location – seemed initially to be using panels pre-fabricated off-site. But it became clear that this wasn’t going to be possible precisely because of our location: even if they could get the panels up the steep track to our relatively tight plot – which wasn’t certain – there wouldn’t be space once they got there for a crane to be situated, which would be necessary to put the panels into place.
It was at this time that Es, the Passivhaus consultant we’d been talking to, shared with us an article that Jae Cotterell had posted on LinkedIn. The article itself was interesting enough – and indeed started us off on the whole net zero carbon discussion – but more significantly we clicked through from the article to Passivhaus Homes (PHH), Jae’s company, and learnt about the existence of the PH15 construction system.
PH15 is a complete construction system and will provide the thermal airtight shell of our house, using a timber frame, non fossil fuel based insulation (recycled newspapers and sheeps wool), triple-glazed windows and a heat recovery ventilation system. The timber frame is all cut off-site, but helpfully for us comes sufficiently ‘flat-packed’ that transport and lifting onto site is manageable. Using the Passivhaus energy standard, the system includes net zero carbon for operational energy, and easily achieves the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge targets in terms of embodied carbon, due to its use of timber based materials that sequester carbon.
There are some companies that you just like and trust from the start, and PHH is one of those. There is a straightforwardness about their communication on Passivhaus which is really refreshing, and their social and environmental values – as they describe in their Philosophy on their website – match with our own.
PASSIVHAUS HOMES PHILOSOPHY (taken from their website here)
We are passionate about delivering sustainable, quality housing at a fair cost. We all (animals, fish, plants & humans) can continue to co-habit on this planet only if we decide to apply our intelligence to solve the challenges of our time. The building industry (as many other industries) desperately needs broader drivers than simply serving the interests of shareholders. The Passivhaus standard, with its fabric first approach, offers a methodology to build new houses which require very low energy usage, we believe this is an essential step change. We must learn to live well without pouring out increasing amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.
We have developed PH15 to meet the Passivhaus methodology, and also to reflect a firm belief in using natural, renewable materials where possible, materials that can then be recycled at end of life.
Everyone deserves a good home, especially at the affordable end of the housing spectrum. Homes should not be a luxury item, that’s why we are also interested in group housing, which helps to reduce costs, and supporting those who might need to invest using their own sweat equity.
Our aspiration is to be disruptive innovators in business, to contribute to creating a new market and value network. Please join in.