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Building on Passivhaus: an ambitious target for growth of the standard
A tenth of new UK housing can and should be constructed to Passivhaus standard by 2035, writes Jon Bootland, chief executive of the Passivhaus Trust
Jon Bootland is chief executive of Passivhaus Trust
A tenth of new UK housing can and should be constructed to Passivhaus standard by 2035, writes Jon Bootland, chief executive of the Passivhaus Trust #UKHousingThe Passivhaus low energy and comfort building standard is becoming a mainstream option in the UK. Figures to be released by the Passivhaus Trust this week suggest that projects being built to the Passivhaus standard now account for approximately 1% of all new homes under construction.
Passing this 1% mark is a significant moment for Passivhaus in the UK. We are now aiming to move Passivhaus from 1% to 10% of all new housing projects by 2035. We also want at least 50% of the industry to understand the principles behind Passivhaus.
Each UK Passivhaus project will have its own powerful ‘multiplier effect’, but we will also need significant policy and funding shifts to help us achieve this goal. And with the government’s 1.5 million new homes programme in the offing, the stakes could not be higher.
Positive developments
The Passivhaus Trust is part of a coalition challenging the government to go further with its proposals for a Future Homes Standard. As an absolute minimum, we are calling for Passivhaus-certified homes to be “deemed to satisfy” the Future Homes Standard, something the Scottish government is already considering for its own building standards.
Scotland has seen some very positive recent Passivhaus developments, one of a number of encouraging signs we are seeing across the UK that give us hope we can attain the 10% target, perhaps even before 2035.
An incredible 60% of new Scottish schools are currently targeting the Passivhaus standard thanks to an innovative funding mechanism developed by the Scottish Futures Trust.
Projects receiving funding need to meet a clear energy target and funding may be reduced based on any performance gap post-completion. Local authorities have been opting for the Passivhaus route to guarantee good building performance and therefore de-risking their funding.
Setting the standard
In Wales, the recently launched Tai ar y Cyd pattern book, backed by 23 Welsh social landlords, and supported by the Welsh government, includes Passivhaus as its suggested “enhanced” standard.
In the rest of the UK, local plans for Cornwall, Bath & North East Somerset and Central Lincolnshire have been in progress that call on developers to go beyond building regulations, often drawing on the Passivhaus methodology, and there are more such ambitious local plans in the pipeline.
London councils in particular are forging ahead with thousands of Passivhaus social homes, thanks to the higher specifications of the London Plan.
The title of the UK’s largest Passivhaus development is under regular review. Over the last couple of years we have seen the Dunfermline Learning Campus in Fife, the Purdown View student accommodation development in Bristol and now the Palmerston Court student high-rise in Battersea, London, surpass each other. In addition to schools and student accommodation, the Passivhaus standard is even being applied to energy-guzzling swimming pools.
Up for the challenge
To help support the ambitious target of getting to 10% of all new UK homes by 2035, the Passivhaus Trust is offering training and resources to upskill the workforce, and help create an experienced supply chain of certified designers, consultants and contractors. We also continue to encourage the multiplier effect by showcasing Passivhaus exemplar projects through awards, case studies, a projects map and open days.
Passivhaus brings so many benefits in terms of radical operational carbon reduction, ongoing energy savings, good indoor air quality and greater comfort. To hit our target by 2035 we need to accelerate delivery. It is a huge challenge but the Passivhaus Trust aims to provide the leadership the industry needs to achieve it.
Jon Bootland, chief executive, Passivhaus Trust
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