Knowledge: Community energy
UK’s first Passivhaus social housing project
I
n a UK first, East Devon District
Council has commenced
refurbishment work with South
West housing specialists
Mi-space, using ground-breaking low energy
standards, on an exciting new type of shared
social housing in a Victorian-style terraced
house in Exmouth.
The pioneering project will incorporate
key Passivhaus design principles, which
if correctly achieved will ensure that the
building meets the required criteria for
EnerPHit Standard, a highly successful
approach to constructing and, in this case,
refurbishing, buildings so that they attain
specific energy values.
Subject to the house passing a number of
stringent tests, it will be certified as a QualityApproved Passive House on completion,
which is anticipated to be during Summer
2016. This will mean that the house will have
excellent thermal performance, requiring very
little energy to heat or cool it. This in turn will
reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and, most
importantly in this day of rising fuel costs, will
mean lower heating bills for tenants.
The Passivhaus components used in the
refurbishment will ensure that the temperature
in the house never drops to below 16°c – even
with the heating turned off. The insulation
will ensure that the house is draught free
with excellent indoor air quality, thanks to air
infiltration rates and a supply of fresh air.
The house will be shared by six single
people who will each have their own en-suite
rooms and access to a communal kitchen and
dining room. Occupants will abide by a set
of house rules and will be expected to show
courtesy and consideration to fellow sharers.
Existing tenants in other council
accommodation will be invited to help choose
items such as floor coverings, colour schemes
and the design of communal areas.
The search for suitable tenants will
commence before the project’s completion,
so that as soon as the house is ready, people
can move in immediately. The accommodation
is designed to provide single people with
the ability to stabilise their lifestyle through
either short-term accommodation or a more
permanent home.
Councillor Jill Elson, East Devon District
Council’s portfolio holder for Sustainable Homes
and Communities, said: “East Devon is totally
committed to developing energy efficient
housing and this house is an example of the
pioneering work that we are undertaking in this
area. We are using state-of-the-art technology
to build to an eco-standard that will require very
little energy to heat or cool this property, giving
it a green footprint that significantly reduces
any dependence on fossil fuels. To attain
Councillor Jill Elson and Tim Baker, Commercial Director of Mi-space Asset Management
26 | www.renewableenergyinstaller.co.uk
Passivhaus accreditation will be a considerable
achievement not only for this planet, but also to
the greater benefit of our tenants.
“We have spent a significant amount of
time designing the property in a way that
we believe will be best suited to this type of
accommodation. We have had to consider
many factors including how the property will
impact on neighbouring properties and how
to make the most of limited space available in
this Victorian-style terraced property.”
Amy Gilbert, Property and Asset Manager
for East Devon District Council, said: “This
is an extremely exciting project and we look
forward to working in partnership with
Mi-space to bring into being what we believe
is the first ultra-low energy retrofit property
(of shared social housing accommodation) in
the country. Tackling fuel poverty is one of our
top priorities and this development will help to
dramatically reduce household bills, so helping
our tenants confront the rising cost of living.”
A J Eaton, Divisional Director of Mi-space
Asset Management, part of construction
company The Midas Group, said: “Achieving
these standards is something that is usually only
done with new builds, so we are looking forward
to completing what is believed to be the first
retrofitting of a pre-existing building with the
efficient certification. This partnership with East
Devon District Council takes our work to a new
and exciting level. It will allow the Midas Group
to bring its knowledge, skills and experience
across construction, asset management and
energy efficiency to the project.”