If you want an ultra-low energy building that requires little energy for space heating or cooling, reducing its ecological footprint – then we have all the expertise to help you.
Passive House
Passive House
For all our clients we offer a tailored package of building compliance support services specifically designed to meet the project at hand.
Developed in Germany in the 1990’s, the Passivhaus Standard (Passive House) is the fastest growing energy performance standard in the world. The standard promotes a robust approach to building design – to create a dwelling that has an excellent thermal performance, coupled with exceptional air tightness and heating which can be recovered and circulated by a Mechanical Ventilation & Heat Recovery (MVHR) Unit.
Some of the key attributes of the Passive House dwelling include:
• Super insulation – ensuring excellent heat retention within the building
• Excellent draught proofing – the house has so few gaps and holes that almost no air can enter the building other than through the carefully controlled MVHR unit
• Passive solar gain – carefully placed windows mean the sun will warm the building naturally
• Low energy appliances – the most energy efficient appliances can dramatically help you reduce your energy consumption
• Renewable energy sources – using solar PV and thermal, wind or other renewable sources allows you to be even more energy independent
Our team of air test engineers are familiar with carrying out air leakage testing on Passive House buildings, including: membrane testing; 1st fix stage testing and on-completion testing to achieve the Passive House standard of ≤ 0.6 ACH.
Such is the experience of our iATS-certified engineers we were commissioned to undertake all the required Air Leakage Testing for the first Passive House care home to be built in the UK at Juniper House, Brackley. We were also delighted to be invited to check the performance of the first affordable and social housing development built to Passive House standards in Wimbish near Saffron Walden, following installation changes post completion.
One-stop-shop
for building compliance
Dedicated team
for large scale projects
Skilled & accredited
engineers
FREE
advice & guidance
Always
professional & committed
Fast turnaround
for all test reports
• Undertake desktop design review for Passive House standard
• Provide advice and guidance for design stage and beyond, including review of clients drawings to identify potential design flaws and anomalies to recommend how these could be overcome
• Prepare and issue recommendations report.
• Conduct Air Pressure Test at membrane stage to ascertain performance and to achieve ultimate goal of ≤ 0.6 ACH
• Calculate average of pressurisation and depressurisation tests
• Pre-requisite volume to be calculated via the architect to Passive House standard prior to our arrival.
Conduct pre-test site visit to assess air tightness conformity to Passive House standard. This can be carried out at various stages of the build – including policing the contractors plus production of report if requested.
• Conduct air pressure test at 1st fix stage to ascertain performance to achieve ultimate goal of ≤ 0.6 ACH
• Calculate average of pressurisation and depressurisation tests
• Volume to be calculated via the architect to Passive House standard prior to our arrival.
• Conduct air pressure test to the rigorous Passive House standard at the completion of a build, when ready to be occupied. Standard to achieve is ≤ 0.6 ACH
• Calculate average of pressurisation and depressurisation tests
• Volume to be calculated via the architect to Passive House standard prior to our arrival
• This certificate also complies with Part L of the Building Regulations to satisfy building control.
A valuable aid to assist in Passive House status buildings
• Thermal imaging to ascertain and depict the surface temperature of a building component and gain information relating to heat losses, including: qualitative examination of thermal insulation measures; thermal bridges; warm air currents etc.
Diagnostic work
• Provide testing with odourless smoke to the inside of the building with an Air Pressure Test to observe leakage from outside the building
• Produce diagnostic report if requested.
