Residents have now moved into the new low carbon energy efficient homes and are delighted with the results. One tenant that spoke out about the project said: ” I love my passive house it’s definitely the way of the future and I feel that anyone would be blessed to have a home like this.”
Passivhaus Certified Apartments in North Wales.
JPH Architects Ltd were commissioned by Denbighshire County Council to develop the scheme from concept design to project completion. The architectural services work in line with the RIBA plan of works covering stages 0 - 6 and our in house Certified Passive House Designer was instrumental in implementing the PHPP (Passive House Planning Package) through all stages, to ensure that the calculation results for the predicted performance of the building could be achieved, through the concept design and detailed design stages of the project and implemented during construction.
The Passivehaus standard is set to adopt a whole building approach to performance through quality construction techniques, hight levels of insulation (thermal performance), low air permeability and constant fresh air (achieved via mechanical means utilizing highly efficient heat recovery). Reducing overheating and heat loss is also a key principal to provide a high level of user comfort, which is achieved without reliance on fossil fuels and with a low output of carbon emissions.
Cllr Rhys Thomas, Lead Member for Housing and Communities at Denbighshire County Council said: “We are delighted to be in a position to welcome residents to these new council homes in Prestatyn and grateful for all the support of our partners who worked on this project.”
“Ensuring there are homes available to meet the needs of county residents is a priority for us. These apartments will help meet the housing needs of residents by providing quality accommodation that is affordable as well as offering the highest levels of build quality to help reduce energy consumption and minimise carbon emissions and lower household bills.”
There is now a significant need to cut carbon emissions and The Climate Crisis has been identified as the defining crisis of our time. Buildings are heavily reliant fossil fuels and are a big culprit for producing high levels of carbon emissions. The Building Regulations are constantly improving standards for new homes across the UK however, the Passivhaus standard Trust report that:
"A new Passivhaus home built in 2022 will result in 86% fewer lifetime emissions than an equivalent Building Regulations15new-build fitted with a gas boiler and 37% fewer lifetime emissions than an equivalent Building Regulations new-build fitted with an Air Source Heat Pump.1"
PASSIVHAUS BENEFITS Research Summary Guide December 2021
Another significant benefit to consider when deciding if you should build a Passivhaus is that energy bills and running costs are much lower than a new build dwelling build to current Building Regulations standards. User comfort levels are vastly improved due to good ventilation and controlled humidity (eliminating condensation & mould), a highly insulated building fabric and high performance windows reduce the impact of ranging external temperatures and help to reduce noise pollution from cars and inclement weather amongst other factors.
Whilst it is difficult to achieve such a high level of performance via refurbishment of existing buildings, The Passiv House Institute have introduced a certified retrofit standard called EnerPHit. It is reported that the very demanding standard typically results in a building with very high levels of comfort and enhanced energy performance. The Passivhaus Trust still suggest that a refurbishment to the EnerPHit standard will still outperform a new build property to Building Regulations standards (2022) in England.
The successful route to achieve either standard would rely on the design and works being properly planned out before any designs have been produced. It is essential that the building physics and principals of the standards are applied to each project on a case by case basis, this is where JPH Architects Ltd can help. With an experienced in house team, you can be guided through the whole process and we will provide you with all the relevant information and services in order to achieve you Passivhaus goals.
Find out more about Passivhaus below and please contact us should you require any further information: