Passivhaus (Passive House)

Earthwise offer Passivhaus design, consultancy and advice at all project stages.

We are happy to work on feasibility studies, planning applications and full design for new build homes.

What is the Passivhaus standard?

Passivhaus or Passive House is an energy standard for low energy, high comfort buildings. The standard focuses on well insulated, draft free buildings where fresh air is supplied by a ventilation system. The AECB Silver Standard is a similar, but slightly relaxed energy standard. EnerPHit is a similar standard for retrofitting existing homes.

Read about our Passivhaus case study
Read about our AECB Silver case study

What are the benefits?

There are many benefits of building to the standard:

Healthy home with no drafts or mould
Comfortable living
Warm in winter with no drafts
Cool in summer with no overheating
Good indoor air quality
A home that is cheap to run
Low CO2 emissions
Not worrying about future rises in the cost of energy
Quality assurance that the building is well made
No design gap, so what is designed is built

Feasibility studies:

Earthwise offers feasibility studies for new buildings (fixed price for residential projects upto 300 sqm) to check whether you can reach Passivhaus. Send us your drawings and we can see if you can reach the standard. We can also offer advice to help you improve the design.

Our feasibility service includes:

Energy modelling using the Passivhaus Planning Package (PHPP)
Expert review and recommendations for early stage designs to improve energy performance
Advice on form, massing, shape and orientation
Thermal element analysis, u-value & heat-loss calculations
Thermal bridge analysis & modelling
Glazing performance and overheating risk
Air tightness detailing to reduce leaks and drafts

Want to talk about your Passivhaus project?

Want to talk about your Passivhaus project? Book a free consultation.

Want to know more about Passivhaus?

Tailored CPD workshops on the standard and low energy design principles. Find out more

Want to check if your project can reach Passivhaus?

We offer feasibility studies to help people reach the standard. Book a feasibility study.

Reviews

“This was one of the most useful CPD seminars we have had in the office in recent years, and we would definitely recommend it. Mischa Hewitt is an engaging presenter who introduces the ideas behind Passivhaus in a way that all our staff found accessible, whether or not they already knew much about the concept.”

Elizabeth Davis, Noma Architects, Manager

It was a really engaging introduction to the Passivhaus Standard and a pleasure to attend.

Joana Gaspar, AEDAS

“The Passivhaus seminar was excellent, informative and well presented. Those that attended the presentation appreciated it very much and is one to add to our ‘triple A list’ of seminars.”

Robert Gurney, tp bennett, Architect

To find out more or book a feasibility study please contact us

We also offer an ‘Introduction to Passive House’ CPD (Continuing Professional Development) for architects, engineers and other people working in the construction industry. CPD describes an ongoing commitment to improving skills, knowledge and competence.

Our Introduction to Passive House CPD lecture covers:

Introduction
What is Passive House?
Comfort, energy & quality
Passive House features
Key differences to ‘passive solar design’
History & evolution in Europe
Design approach & methodologies
Continuous highly insulated envelope
High performance glazing
Thermal bridge free construction
Air tightness – strategy & detailing
Importance of ventilation & good indoor air quality
Options for heating low energy houses
Quality assurance: how the certification process work
Passivhaus Planning Package (PHPP) modelling
Comparison to UK building regulations & BREEAM
Myth busting!
UK case studies

To find out more, book a CPD seminar or feasibility study please contact us