Anyone built a passive house?

SanPedro

I'm the position of building a house in Spain where I live now. Just been reading up on the principles of a passive house and it sounds very interesting and do-able, and not overly expensive.

Anyone here incorporated the principles into a build?

In a nutshell... Loads of insulation, airtight construction and careful use of design to maximise passive heating in winter without creating greenhouse effect in summer.

Basically heating and cooling requirements are negligible as the house neither gains or loses much heat, except where needed. Being in Spain, solar PV and solar hot water would take care of the main energy needs.

Am currently trying to make sense of the reams of information available. So if anyone has any experience in this...

Ruperts slippers

I worked on 4 passive houses in Ripponden for an architect, the heating and hot water were powered by Heatking air source heat pumps, with a thermal store for hot water, with connections for solar at a later date.. The also had a mechanical heat recovery ventilation system..

The architect is a Calderdale resident..

SanPedro

Thanks Neil. Been reading up on air source pumps and some reports say they are the same cost to run as a standard gas combi boiler and yet the cost of installations seems to be a fair bit higher... around 15-18000 Euros for underfloor heating and hot water system.

Since we get 300 days or so of sunshine here the solar hot water and solar PV seem an obvious choice. Solar hot water systems can be had for around 2000 Euros and PV panels about the same price as the UK.

Was the build in Ripponden using traditional materials? The plot we have has to be in character with the town, so a rendered facade with a tiled rood is a given. And we'll be relying on adapting local building skills to creating a passive house. Should be an interesting project.

brunation

Reading up on it for retrofitting - mainly for air tightness and EWI.

Tried the greenbuiling forum?

Ruperts slippers

From memory it was SIPS system with a stone cladding around the outside.. Obviously for yourselves the solar and PV are a no brainer.
I installed a specially designed thermal store which supplies HTG and HW for a farmhouse in Hubberton last yr all powered by a small turbine and an array of solar PV panels.. The client used a EMMA unit..

spinaltap

This weekend, I viewed a 120 square metre detached house built/designed by Beattie Passive-house in Oxfordshire.

They claim 90% heating efficiency via a ‘Brink’ MVHR system: maintaining a temperature no lower than 18c in the Winter (without fossil heating) and no more than 21c in Summer.

An Ideal boiler was installed alongside just 2 small radiators: one on the upstairs landing and another in the lounge - such is the claimed heat efficiency of the overall house. Large triple-glazed ‘Rationale’ windows were fitted front and rear for contributing towards the house’s solar gain.

The Beattie Passive-house system can be utilised to encase an existing older house to significantly increase its heating efficiency.

DOBLY

I would contact an architect who is familiar with your local climate and topography.  Although the principles are the same wherever you live, someone with knowledge of your site would be much more useful.

Good luck!