Created: 12 September 2017

“Red Bluff” in Weyhill, Hampshire was designed from the outset to meet passivhaus standard, and has in fact exceeded this to be one of just three homes in the UK to achieve the new Passivhaus + standard!

The simple rectangular external form of the home is cleverly detailed to maximise solar gain and summer shading through Aura triple glaze windows. Its construction has been built around Touchwood Homes pre-cut I-beam timber frame structure, with 300mm super-density Warmcel cellulous fibre insulation filling the cavity to the walls, and 350mm filling to the roof. Timber glulam ridge-beams allowed for the first floor ceilings to be vaulted allowing extra light through the windows and creating a feeling of spaciousness to the upstairs.

The home is set on a 400mm EPS slab foundation to complete the insulated layer, with the air-tight layer being made up of our rigid TG fibre board external air-tight system. These factors combined resulted in an air-tightness level of 0.2 ACH!

An air sourced heat pump operates both under floor heating system to provide heating and cooling to each of the bedrooms from a fan coil unit in the loft, which also controls the water heating in an unvented cylinder unit. Roof mounted PV panels provide the bulk of the home’s everyday electrical needs, with future plans to install a Telsa powerwall unit, which would result in the house being largely off  of the national grid.

Performance
 
The home has been occupied by a young family of four for one whole year, and in that time the electricity usage has been approx. 6000kWhrs at a cost of £750.

Total generation from the PV system was 10500kWhrs over the same period, generating approximately £700.00 from FIT payments.

 So effectively the house costs just £50 per year to run!

The efficiency of the super-dense insulation and air-tightness of the build means that the heating system is only required during the winter months, and operates for just a few hours per day at 25 degrees Celsius  to maintain a pleasant house temperature of 21 degrees.

The comfort of living in this environment has to be experienced! Seven – eight tons of super density Warmcel insulation material creates a very stable internal temperature, and also eliminates any noise from outside, so creating a very calm internal environment.

Comments
 
'Our new home has exceeded our expectations. It is always warm and draft free, which is in complete contrast to some of the homes we have lived in! Its great place for us to raise our young family, and a huge bonus not have to worry about ever- increasing energy prices. All houses should be built this way!

 The Touchwood team were a valuable source of information and assistance throughout the build, we are very grateful for their help on our self build journey'
 
Ben Ribbans
Red Bluff, Weyhill
 
Technical Data
 
Certification  - Passivhaus Plus
Timber structure - Touchwood Homes
PHPP work   - Touchwood Homes / Willliams Energy Design
Architectural work - Touchwood Homes / Constructive Individuals
Air tightness - 0.2 ACH
Size              - 215m2
Glazing         - Rationel Aura plus triple glazed, Solarlux SL97 triple glazed bi fold doors 
Ventilation    - Touchwood Homes PAUL Novus 300 MVHR
PV                - LG 10.8kW PV array (3 phase), SMA sunny boy 10kW inverter (3 phase)
ASHP           - Samsung EHD TDS 6kW with 2kW Heating/cooling unit
DHW            - Telford Tempest 300L with 3kW immersion
Controls       - Loxone home automation system
Lighting        - LED throughout

Created: 25 August 2017

We've just completed our Wendover passivhaus project! The  timber frame for this home was put up very quickly to meet the tight deadlines we had been set, and the follow on-trades and window installers needed to take over the site as quickly as possible, however the precision pre-cut system that we use to manufacture our homes ensured that speed of construction was not an issue that would affect the quality of build. This home features a complex roof shape with a crown roof, hips and dormers, which was challenging to design and build, but we were able to achieve this with minimal use of steel, instead using glulam beams for the crown roof to minimise cold bridging.

The initial design of the home was created by Eco Design Consultants, and Touchwood Homes were contracted to work the concept into an air-tight timber frame structure that would meet passivhaus criteria. A dilapidated bungalow had stood on the site previously, and nearby houses were a mixture of bungalows and two storey dwellings. This setting resulted in the planning authorities requiring that the new build design incorporate a low ridge height, which Eco Design Consultants achieved by utilising the crown roof feature. Here are a couple of images of the finished frame work which is now ready for follow on trades with the window installation currently in progress.

Created: 04 August 2017

Our Weyhill project has now officially been certified as meeting the new Passivhaus Plus standard - we are one of the first 3 houses in the country to reach this new standard. The Plus standard has the Passivhaus very demanding minimal energy requirements to heat the building, aswell as the house also producing as much energy as it consumes. 

Being Passivhaus, the building fabric requires minimal heating, and the heating system is very efficient. The little energy required for the building is equal to the energy produced on site by the large 10kWp PV roof  mounted PV system.

Our clients Ben and Elle are rightly very proud of their achievement in reaching the new plus standard:

We look forward to building more Passivhaus, Passivhaus Plus, and Passivhaus Premium homes in the future - which are set to become a mandatory EU requirement after 2021.