Passivhaus comes to rural Warwickshire
Warwickshire Rural Housing Association (WRHA) is currently developing a ground-breaking Passivhaus scheme in Wootton Wawen, in partnership with Waterloo Housing Group and developer Bouygues UK. The development is due for completion in 2018.
Mitsubishi Electric is providing the properties with the latest renewable air source heat pumps to provide heating and hot water, in place of a gas-fired traditional boiler.
Wilby Meadows, regional sales manager for Mitsubishi Electric Renewable Heating says: “The Wootton Wawen development will use our Ecodan QUHZ models, which is already in use in Japanese homes. We started bringing this model to the UK as we knew it would provide an ideal solution for new-build properties in the UK market, but we needed suitable homes in which to install it.”
Passivhaus homes are designed to very rigorous principles of energy efficiency and a ‘fabric first’ approach. They have high levels of insulation and air tightness, and also make the most of solar gain. Passivhaus homes have heating costs about 70% less than a standard house, while also providing excellent indoor air quality and comfort levels. This makes them ideal for the application of renewable technologies such as heat pumps.
The Warwickshire development consists of 14 properties for affordable rent and two for shared ownership. The scheme has been made possible through funding from Stratford-on-Avon District Council and the Homes and Communities Agency.
Meadows adds: “Heat pumps are recognised as a renewable technology by the government which is predicting sales of one million heat pumps a year by 2030.”
