PassivHaus with Living Space Architects – Week 1
Week One has been an introduction into the key rules of PassivHaus and a closer look at thermal efficiency, heat loss and thermal bridges. There has been lots of maths involved, but also some really helpful rules of thumb, general guidance, and dispelling some myths!
Thermal Envelope: the SHAPE of the building is important and can be described with a simple Form Heat Loss Factor graph – the more exposed sides, the worse a building performs (but don’t worry – this can be overcome with some consideration of the next rules…)
Glazing: orientation is not everything, consider position, size and shading.
Insulation: how much do you need, what type do you need, and has it been installed well?
Airtight: get rid of those pesky drafts!
Ventilation: using mechanical ventilation to provide fresh air to your home, while also removing pollutants and pollen.
Myth #1: You CAN open your windows in a PassivHaus home – but you don’t need to for fresh air, or to cool down.
Fact: A PassivHaus cannot exceed 15kWh/m2 in space heating in a year. If electricity costs 27p/kWh (2023), how much electricity costs would you save for your home?
