Passivhaus Goes Personal

Passivhaus goes Personal Category: Getting Started
Publication date: October 2016
Reading time: 1-3 hours
Levels: Introductory / Intermediate
Target audience: Clients, Policy makers, Contractors, Students, Architects, PH Designer/Consultant, Services engineers Download

Thinking of building a forever house? Make it a Passivhaus. The Passivhaus Goes Personal campaign is aimed at anyone contemplating building their own home. Discover why building to Passivhaus is good for you! We’ll let you into a secret… It’s not just about energy efficiency.

Self-build Case Studies

The beauty of a Passivhaus project is that they can come in all shapes and sizes, be set in both urban and rural locations and built using different construction methods. Get inspired by certified Passivhaus self-build schemes throughout the UK, and discover how to kick-start your own Passivhaus project.

Devon Passivhaus, Image credit: McLean Quilan
Larch Corner, Image credit: Mark Siddall
New Forest EnerPHit, Image credit: Ruth Butler Architects
Tigh na Croit, Image credit: Keith Hunter
Old Holloway
Chiswick Eco Lodge, Image credit: RDA
Dundon Passivhaus, Image credit: Prewitt Bizley
Bristol Passivhaus Plus, Image credit: Piers Sadler
Denby Dale, Image credit: 21 Degrees
Ostro Passivhaus, Image Credit: David Barbour
Bowman's Lea ©-Agnese-Sanvito
Lansdowne Drive, Image credit: Tectonics Architects
Harpenden EnerPHit Plus
Norfolk Strawbale Passivhaus, Image credit: Anne Thorne Architects
Treetops, aiming for Passivhaus certification. Image credit: Mark Ashbee

Project Sectors     I    Project Gallery    I    Project Map     I    Tell us about your Passivhaus

Who can help?

Building a Passivhaus is a team sport. Ensure you have the right skills on the project. It can be as varied as getting a team who have successfully delivered Passivhaus, or learning yourself. Take a look at our directory of UK Passivhaus professionals to find who may be able to help.

Learn more about the Passivhaus certification process available for people, projects, and products. Check a list of international certified designers, consultants, & tradepeople here.

If you are interested in learning skills yourself – there are a number of Certified Passivhaus courses available.

Thinking of a Passivhaus Retrofit?

If you want to improve an existing home or building, Passivhaus also has a lot to offer; The physics behind Passivhaus apply to any building and provide a valuable framework and methodology for retrofit.

Applying the Passivhaus methodology to an existing building is challenging because  the building’s orientation, structure, and form are constrained.The Passivhaus retrofit standard, EnerPHit, takes these limitations into account. EnerPHit will typically result in a building that outperforms a new-build building regulations property both in terms of energy and comfort. 

The rigour and quality assurance of the EnerPHit standard may not always be feasible or appropriate for every retrofit project. Even if a project cannot attain the EnerPHit standard, modelling a retrofit using PHPP (Passivhaus Planning Package) to help set and assess targets is useful.  Learn more about Passivhaus Retrofit and if Passivhaus retrofit right for you.  Browse inspiring case studies of certified EnerPHit projects.

Guide to EnerPHit

Discover Passivhaus

There are many ways to find out more about existing Passivhaus projects:

  • Passivhaus Open Days: Visit a Passivhaus during the annual Passivhaus Open Days to experience a Passivhaus for yourself and ask any questions you may have.
  • Passivhaus Projects Gallery: Visit our online gallery to discover Passivhaus projects throughout the UK.
  • UK Passivhaus Awards: View the best of the best, by browsing previous UK Passivhaus Awards.
  • Passivhaus Trust Events: Check our events page regularly for upcoming events including case study webinars, Site visits and many more.

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