For a quick guide to what PassivHaus is, click here to go straight my my own little resource about the building technique.
There are a few reasons why I think PassivHaus isn’t suited to the UK market just yet…
Current Building Standards
At the moment, the current building standards in this country are nowhere near comprehensive or strict enough to be able to incorporate something like PassivHaus standard mass building into the UK’s housing stock. I think if building companies were given a new set of guidelines based around PassivHaus I think they would go into shock!
There are no planned major upgrades to the current building regulations until 2015 and 2016, they do go some way to make sure that all new buildings are zero carbon. Though in practical terms that probably won’t happen.
If PassivHaus is to ever take off here, then the Government needs to radically change the current set of building laws to accommodate for PassivHaus building techniques and couple it with a way to make it affordable. Which leads me nicely on to my text point…
Price
It is widely known that a PassivHaus built property is significantly more expensive than a traditionally built property. The reason being that the best of all materials have to be used to create a PassivHaus building. Triple glazing, the best insulation, solar panels, thermal heat source pumps, heat recovery systems and so on. These are all expensive items which make a PassivHaus building in some cases twice as much, maybe even more, to build.
Until a cheaper, more economical way can be found to incorporate all the characteristics of a PassivHaus construction, for a similar cost to traditional building, then it just simply won’t be adopted on mass.
Economic Conditions
The conditions of the economy right now just isn’t hospitable for high quality German engineered housing. The UK economy is still struggling to get any sort of decent growth. The prospect of adapting high quality building standards before 2016, before any sort of sustained economic recovery just isn’t going to happen.
At the moment, those building PassivHaus buildings in the UK are probably based in the south of the country, most likely London or the home counties, and have very deep pockets to build a zero carbon business premises or home.
It is a shame. I did a bit of research into PassivHaus building a few months ago and got really interested in it. But once I found out what was involved it became clear to me that this sort of building technique is going to be so off limits to so many people, which is a shame. It could really transform the way we go about building and the number of associated industries would receive such a massive boost from all the extra work.
If you have any ideas to boost building, cheaply, to a PassivHaus standard, please leave your ideas in the comments section below!
I believe your headline is misleading; it is not the UK that is not ready for PassivHaus Standard.
It is rather the construction industry, the politicians, the planners, many tradesmen, most architects, many surveyors, most banks, engineers and other parts of the trade.
The customer is ready for PassivHaus – he is who has to pay the bill anyway; either the one for energy consumption or for a proper house. The customer will walk the path and the rest will have to follow no matter how intelligent the excuses will be.
caw
The following views may be considered controversial to those who do not understand Passivhaus or have pre-conceived ideas about the subject. I will confess that I am a strong believer of the whole Passivhaus concept and its methodology. To date the Passivhaus Institute has adopted a non-aggressive and perhaps diplomatic approach to making their case as they see no useful purpose in making enemies. However I am disturbed about the lack of understanding and level of misinformation out there in the UK. Having read a number of articles in construction and trade journals by authors whom it would appear have… Read more »
@David
You left out hardly anything, very well spoken.
I would like to add the fact that a passive house following a PHPP calculation HAS TO BE built to a defined standard which is relatively easy to supervise and keep control of; in addition to all its energy efficiency it offers to be a very healthy environment, a very comfortable one which should include the noise/sound aspects as well and is and keeps a stable asset value.
And yes, renewables forced into gas guzzlers is not intelligent, not sustainable, waste and squander, a poor red herring!
having researched this for 12 months including discussions with all of the major passivehaus builders in the UK, and others who build traditional buildings, a new passivehaus ts not ‘double the cost’. The difference from builders is around 10-15% over a traditional build in some cases. in others, its the same cost. i am not sure where your figures come from. mine come from speaking to a large number of actual players and getting quotes, in addition to the direct responses from builders
We haven’t had to do a fully approved Passivhaus installation yet, but the general building costs I was hearing were in the region of 20% – 30% I think some of the bad press and prices are coming from outside the circles, paying a general window installer to fit to Passivhaus standards would indeed cost 50% extra to cover himself, as it is an experienced passivhaus installer would simply charge the difference. For my company, a passivhaus install in a new build would cost less than some of our bespoke replacement installs….. The UK in general has got such a… Read more »