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Sustainable home essentials pt 2

When you think about what you need out of a home, it’s easy to forget some of the fundamentals that ensure you and your family are comfortable, safe and healthy. When we say we design sustainable buildings, your costs, comfort and health are exactly what we’re talking about. We’ve found the only way we can ensure our designs improve your home’s performance is by adopting a fabric first approach to the building’s construction and by using the Passivhaus methodology.

This is the second of 3 short pieces examining what following the fabric first approach means for your costs, comfort and health:

Comfort:

High thermal comfort:

A well-insulated home doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a comfortable home.

The Passivhaus methodology demands, and we always specify, excellent air-tightness to minimise heat loss through air-leakage. This has the benefit of stopping draughts which can cause discomfort.

We design every external component of the house; wall, roof, floor, window so its internal surface doesn’t get below 17degC, even when it’s below zero outside. This eliminates cold surfaces radiating cold at you. It also rids your home of the conditions that give rise to unhealthy condensation, damp and mold.

You also don’t need wood burning stoves or under-floor heating when the air is a cosy 21degC and the floor under your feet is barely colder.

No radiant cold:

In a normal home, even when the thermostat is saying it’s warm it doesn’t always feel it. This could be because of draughts from a leaky building. It could also be because the external building elements, especially the walls, are cold. They are then radiating this cold to your body making uyou much less comfortable. With well specified walls, roofs and windows you’re much more likely to be comfortable.

Reduced summer overheating:

The Passivhaus methodology requires us to limit summer overheating and predicts how much overheating the building will experience. Again, you don’t need to be aiming for the standard for our experience to be useful. We always aim for less than 5% overheating (when the house is predicted to be above 25degC) over the course of a year.

If any of the above appeals, please get in touch to book your project preparation meeting.