We were recently featured on the renowned Grand Designs! The episode showcases an inspiring Passive House Premium project – set to become the first of its kind in the UK. Our team was honoured to contribute our Passivhaus airtightness testing expertise to this ambitious build.
This project, nestled in the North Cotswolds, is set to become the UK’s first Passivhaus Premium home, and we’re proud to have helped Duncan and Liz bring their vision to life. Image courtesy of Atelier73 Architects Ltd
The Passivhaus Promise: What is a Passive House Premium?
Passive House (or Passivhaus) is an internationally recognised standard for energy efficiency in buildings, developed by the Passive House Institute (PHI) in Germany. The standard focuses on achieving exceptional airtightness and insulation to minimise energy consumption and maximise comfort. PHI defines three certification tiers:
- Passivhaus Classic: the foundational level, emphasising airtight construction and insulation and minimal reliance on heating/cooling systems.
- Passivhaus Plus: goes beyond Classic by adding renewable energy generation, allowing the home to produce as much energy as it consumes.
- Passivhaus Premium: the most demanding level, exceeding Plus by requiring the home to generate significantly more energy than it uses, with the potential to feed excess energy back into the grid.
In the UK, the Passivhaus Trust (PHT) is PHI’s official affiliate body, and our airtightness testing on this project aligns with the standards PHT promotes nationally.
Why Airtightness Testing is Essential for a Passive House Premium
For any Passive House build, airtightness is key to meeting the stringent energy efficiency standards. During certification the building undergoes rigorous air leakage testing to ensure compliance. Air tightness testing ensures the building envelope – walls, roof, floor – is as close to leak-proof as possible. Careful sealing minimises draughts and heat loss, both critical for the Passive House Premium standard.
Grand Designs Passive House Premium
We were recently featured on the renowned Grand Designs!
The episode showcases an inspiring Passive House Premium project – set to become the first of its kind in the UK – highlighting innovation in sustainable housing and the future of sustainable living. Our team was honoured to contribute our Passivhaus airtightness testing expertise to this ambitious build.
This project, nestled in the North Cotswolds, represents a significant step forward for eco-friendly homebuilding in the UK, and we’re proud to have helped Duncan and Liz bring their vision to life. Their challenge aligns perfectly with our commitment to pushing the boundaries of energy efficiency in construction.
Passivhaus Air Tightness Testing the Grand Designs Project
In this ambitious project, our team was entrusted with a key role: ensuring the airtight integrity required to achieve this ambitious certification. Led by our Managing Director, Jack Allen, our team carried out a pre-completion diagnostic air test, followed by the final ATTMA-certified test on the completed building – testing in both pressurisation and depressurisation to confirm the result.
The completed home achieved an overall air permeability of 0.60 m³/(h·m²)@50Pa, right at the Passivhaus 0.60 target, with the depressurisation direction passing at 0.60 and pressurisation at 0.61. The earlier diagnostic test had shown even stronger performance, at 0.53 m³/(h·m²)@50Pa (0.37 air changes per hour) – giving the project team confidence well ahead of the final, all-important certified result.
What’s Next?
Ready to build a super-efficient Passivhaus home? Our air tightness testing services are designed to identify even the smallest leaks.
Not building from scratch? Our air tightness testing and home energy assessments can still identify easy-to-implement improvements in an existing home.
Get in touch to discuss your project or your existing home’s energy efficiency.
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