Passivhaus: How to Save Money on these Unique Builds

As more builds meet the Passivhaus standard across the country, the extra costs associated with such a build have started to fall. Here is how you can minimise your costs on a Passivhaus project.

If you're considering embarking on a Passivhaus project, getting expert advice is crucial in order to ensure things run as smoothly as possible and helping the build stay on budget.

“Passivhaus buildings provide a high level of occupant comfort while using very little energy for heating and cooling. They are built with meticulous attention to detail and rigorous design and construction according to principles developed by the Passivhaus Institute in Germany, and can be certified through an exacting quality assurance process.”

Passivhaus Trust

With over 1,000 buildings in the UK now completed to the Passivhaus standard, recent analysis has found that the extra costs associated with these energy-saving builds has fallen – with future projections even more positive. 

In 2015, the Passivhaus Trust estimated that on average, meeting the standards set by Passivhaus could on average add between 15% and 20% to the cost of a build. However, as these builds have started to become more common, new data has found that the extra costs associated have fallen to 8%. In the near future, as skills and supply chains improve, this figure could fall to as low as 4% of build cost according to the Passivhaus Trust. 

If you’re considering embarking on a Passivhaus project, getting expert advice is crucial in order to ensure things run as smoothly as possible and helping the build stay on budget. These 10 tips from the Passivhaus Trust are your best starting point for minimising the extra costs related to this kind of build: 

  1. Passivhaus needs to be a part of any initial briefs.
  2. Keep it simple.
  3. Airtightness is key.
  4. Employ experienced designers.
  5. Ventilation design is important.
  6. Work with a team that understands the concept.
  7. Collaboration is important between all those involved.
  8. Consider summer comfort.
  9. There are more aspects to Passivhaus standards than just design.
  10. Appoint a certifier early.

True to our commitment to sustainability, we have been involved in designing and building sustainable housing for more than 15 years – long before it became fashionable or topical! We can design and specify passive houses, Scandinavian log houses, kit houses and low-impact eco homes. We also offer a comprehensive range of ecology and landscape services to both public and private sector clients that enable clients to design developments and other schemes that are sensitive to the needs of wildlife, landscape and habitats. For more information you can contact us, as well as checking our LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter pages.

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