What do we mean by low energy design?
Whether you are looking at building your own home or planning a community retrofit, the principles of low energy design remain the same. We use an efficient and integrated Passivhaus methodology to ensure a scientifically robust approach, without adding massive cost to your project.
Low Energy Principles
To achieve a low energy build or retrofit for any building there are consistent principles which must be considered in the design.
The principles are as follows and are achieved through high quality installation and attention to detail:
1. Efficient Heat Loss Form Factor (ratio of floor area to thermal envelope) - to reduce the area through which you lose heat
2. Good orientation - ideally north/south facing
3. High levels of insulation for walls, roof and floor - to keep heat in
4. Triple glazing, with a balanced glazing design - not too much and not too little!
5. Excellent airtightness - to stop draughts and heat loss
6. Ventilation system with heat recovery - delivering warm, fresh, filtered air
7. Shading - we must also make sure your building has suitable shading to avoid overheating in the hotter months
In addition to this, all measures must be properly thought through as part of a holistic Passivhaus or deep retrofit strategy, to include thermal bridge free detailing and robust air-tightness and weather-tightness strategies.
When this strategy is fully implemented the end result will be a highly energy-efficient, comfortable and healthy internal environment. Fuel bills will be minimised and the use of the space may be maximised.
To ensure our designs are doing what we say they are, we model them in PHPP (the Passivhaus Planning Package) and this tells us exactly what specification of materials and products will achieve the required space heating demand.
The targets we tend to aim for are:
Passivhaus (Classic or Plus)
Passivhaus EnerPHit
AECB Building
AECB Retrofit Level 2
