PassivHaus shows its capabilities at Sunderland
This development of 28 low-energy bungalows in Houghton-le-Spring near Sunderland is built to the PassivHaus standard and is believed to the first such scheme of this scale in the UK to achieve formal PassivHaus accreditation from the Building Research Establishment.
Developed by Gentoo, the homes rely on solar gain, airtightness and very high standards of insulation. The building fabric reduces energy consumption by about 75% compared to Building Regulations. Passive heat is mainly gained from sunshine through windows but also from people and appliances in the home. Heat is recovered and recirculated by a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery.
Air leakage is less than 0.6 ach and the external envelope has a U-value of not more than 0.15 W/m2K. The annual energy bill for heating and hot water is expected to be only £68.
Homes in the scheme achieve Level 4 of the Code for Sustainable Homes without the use of renewable energy. Ratings well in excess of Level 4 have been achieved on 18 of the homes with the use of solar-thermal panels. Five of the homes achieve Level 5 using solar PV and solar thermal.
