It is reckoned that in the UK, heating houses accounts for nearly 50% of the total energy use. Poor heating can render parts of dwellings virtually unusable, partly through discomfort due to cold and drafts and partly through the damage caused to contents through condensation, dampness, mould growth, etc. effectively reducing the house size [...]
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‘Build tight – ventilate right’ The subject of ventilation is fully incorporated into the Building Regulations and is likely to become more strictly controlled in the near future. Good ventilation goes hand in hand with air tightness. England and Wales – Part L1A and Part L1B Scotland – Domestic handbook section 6 Northern Ireland – [...] Although not self built, the two passivhauses at Ebbw Vale may be very relevant to many self builders. Built in 2010 as show houses mainly for the attention of housing associations, they are attractive and innovative while being relatively modest. The 3 bed Larch House is clad with a locally sourced larch rain screen and [...] Bringing existing houses up to a high standard of energy efficiency is a much greater challenge than with new ones. This particular example of eco renovation is outstanding because of the way it will achieve a net zero carbon rating while at the same time reaching CSH level 6. Not only that, it has been [...] The Tree House in Clapham, London is a recently completed and very elegant example of a self built detached house. It has, on occasion, been open to the public as part of the London Open House programme. Situated on a small urban plot of land dominated by a large sycamore tree it has taken [...]
the front of the house with double storey sun space One of the first UK examples of a super low energy Passivhaus has recently been completed at Denby Dale in south Yorkshire. It is interesting in several respects The walls have a stone outer skin, (on the insistence of the planners) 300mm of wall [...] overview ‘Timber frame’ has several meanings: Platform frame where walls are assembled on site into storey height panels and errected and then floored over. This then forms the basis to build the next floor on top. Balloon frame are similar but the walls are double storey. This is now mainly historic because the long [...] A very interesting terrace of three houses, on a curved road junction, has recently been completed in this Somerset village. Some of the main features of the design are: Very high insulation levels provided by insulating concrete forms (ICF) with added exterior face insulation Structural insulated panel (SIP) roofs Eco-slab ground floors and upper [...] Self build eco houses in the Field of Dreams, Findhorn Foundation Over the last decade or so the green building movement in the UK has gone from being fringe to mainstream. Architects, builders and suppliers are falling over each other to declare their green credentials Self builders have something of a tradition of trying [...]
How you ventilate a house depends very much on the level of energy efficiency you are aiming for. At the lower end the Building Regulations provide a “better than nothing” standard The building regulations cover the ways that houses should be ventilated - England & Wales Approved document F Northern Ireland [...] There are several methods of harvesting energy for a house but non of them are as important as providing excellent levels of insulation, air tightness and energy efficient appliances in the first place. Witness to this fact is the design of the Passivhaus which is so well insulated and oriented towards the sun that [...] October 2010 Eco-house design is a fairly recent development which started getting off the ground in the UK during the mid 1990s. more +/-» Although you will probably end up using an architect or designer for your final plans there is no substitute for being clear about what you want. Especially with eco-house design, you [...] a very low energy house in Peterculter
There are now several sets of standards afoot, and it can be quite confusing because they have somewhat different approaches. more +/-» The Building Regs, part L Part L (which are the current mandatory legal standards) has been tightened as regards thermal insulation and new [...]
Not to be confused with solar panels or Passivhaus (although these may both be associated with passive solar design), passive solar basically means collecting the sun's energy with the minimum use of gadgets – simply allowing the sun to get into the house and trap it there. Almost all houses do gain heat from [...] |
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