No Solar, No Wind, but 90% Less Energy Use for this English House
by Staff, CLICK GREEN, May 2, 2010
A radical new type of sustainable house is set to change the course of British home-building forever after the completion of a new-build house, which uses 90 per cent less energy for heating than a standard home and promises heating costs of around £75 a year – without the need for microgeneration or renewables.
The sleepy village of Denby Dale, West Yorkshire, is probably more famous for its pies than radical new eco building. But that’s about to change, as the Green Building Store has taken the German Passivhaus model and adapted it for the UK market, making it the first Passivhaus in the UK to be built using traditional British building methods like cavity wall construction.
It is, says Bill Butcher, Director, Green Building Store, a reinvention that could help Britain needs to tackle the double problem of fuel poverty and climate change.
Most retired couples will be worrying about their fuel bills next winter, and making the choice between whether to heat or eat. Especially in the cold, bitter Yorkshire winters. But Kate and Geoff Tunstall will enjoy heating costs of around £75 a year, in this three bedroom detached house which cost just £141,000 to build.
"A Passivhaus gives 90 per cent reduction in energy for heating because it works like a giant tea cosy. The Denby Dale Passivhaus is 20 times more airtight than a normal house and is super insulated, retaining the natural heat generated in the house – from the sun through the large south facing windows; from occupants’ body heat; plus daily activities like cooking and showering. In Denby Dale we’ve proved that a comfortable, high quality Passivhaus can be built inexpensively by a small, local, skilled construction team."
"This is green without the sack cloth," he continues. "There’s no sacrifice to be made. Even without the environmental benefits, Passivhauses are simply better places to live: incredibly bright, clean and fresh. Here you can live in maximum comfort, with minimal impact on the environment, without feeling like you’re wearing a hair shirt." [Read rest of article]