A need for affordable-to-run and sustainable housing are amongst the challenges faced by developers and councils which are leading to the growing interest in Passivhaus energy efficiency standards across the UK.
With Passivhaus still a relatively new concept (the world’s first Passive House was built in Germany in 1991) the construction industry as a whole learns more with each project about how to deliver this pioneering standard, therefore making it more accessible as we move towards the Future Homes Standard.
In Pursuit of Net Zero
In 2022, Mansfield District Council commissioned four ultra-low energy homes for social housing rental with the aim of achieving Passivhaus accreditation – the first of their kind for the local authority. As a forward-thinking assembly, Mansfield District Council is proactive in its Green agenda, with a target to halve emissions by 2030 and reach Net Zero by 2050.
By engaging a local construction firm to build the new homes on Saundby Avenue, the project would also allow the remote monitoring of energy usage of typical families occupying the 2-bedroom homes, whilst offering tenants comfortable homes that would be almost cost-neutral to heat.
Windows and doors for homes of the future
In order to reach Passivhaus status, windows must achieve very low U-Values, with the specified target being below 0.8 W/m²K. When Mansfield Council’s Quantity Surveyor (QS) searched the Passive House database, only one company appeared for PVCu windows in the UK – Liniar, whose headquarters just happened to be less than 15 miles from the planned construction site!
As the UK’s leading window systems company, Liniar was the first to launch a Passivhaus-certified PVCu casement window back in 2017. The company has now invested £1.6m in updating its ultra-low-energy range to a full window and door system called Zero|90, opening up the possibilities of vast energy savings to developers, builders and homeowners.
It’s long been recognised that PVCu is a cost-effective, thermally efficient construction material. Zero|90 windows and doors can deliver U-Values as low as 0.5 when fitted with quadruple glazing, making it the ideal choice for Mansfield Council’s test project.
High expectations
With expectations high, it was crucial for the four homes to achieve Passivhaus accreditation, as well as delivering the project on time and on budget, meaning the construction company had its work cut out!
Engaging Liniar
Once the Mansfield QS had discovered Liniar’s product range, he worked closely with Liniar’s design team to establish the exact specification for the windows he needed on the project.
Chris Armes, Liniar’s Design & Development Director comments, “My team and I were very confident the Zero|90 windows specified would ensure the overall performance of the homes reached the Passivhaus standard. Everyone involved in the project was careful to ensure not only that the houses would be the most energy efficient for the tenants, but that the team would also be able to take learnings and apply them to future social housing builds.”
Delivering comfortable, energy efficient homes
One tenant told us, “My family and I are so happy to be living in our beautiful new home. We’re already seeing such a difference in our energy bills and although the winter hasn’t properly kicked in yet, the few cold evenings we have experienced outside haven’t impacted us at all. Our home is warm and cosy, and we also noticed a big difference during the summer in keeping the house cool. With the additional insulation and the triple glazing, we were able to keep the heat out. Being a family of four with a young child, a good night’s sleep is really important; we’ve all noticed such a difference in the reduced noise levels inside, compared to our previous house, which has been an additional bonus.”
Receiving Passivhaus accreditation
The Saundby Avenue build team was extremely proud to receive confirmation the four homes have been certified as Passive Houses, meaning they need very little energy for both heating and cooling – which significantly reduces their carbon footprint and running costs. Even better, the project used mainly local suppliers, delivering high social value.
Chris concludes, “I couldn’t be prouder that Liniar’s Zero|90 casement windows, along with our French doors, helped the Saundby Avenue homes receive Passivhaus accreditation. Knowing four local families will be living in super low energy homes, especially in the current energy and cost-of-living crisis, is a great feeling. High environmental standards MUST be the future of housing construction, and as such Liniar is well positioned, with a fully recyclable, Passivhaus-capable, superior energy efficient window and door system that also contains recycled material – all manufactured in the UK and helping to reduce the embodied carbon as a result.”
The future is now for Zero|90
The newly branded Zero|90 window system now includes a number of additions, including French doors and a residential door, tilt & turn, French and bay and bow windows. In addition, the system includes an innovative UK-first rebated 90mm casement window, Zero|90R. This has been specially designed for the retrofit/renovation market and will help local authorities and homeowners significantly reduce both carbon footprint and energy bills without the need to replaster when replacing a standard 70mm window in existing social housing properties.
For more information about Zero|90 windows and doors visit www.liniar.co.uk/zero90.
To watch a video describing the Saundby Avenue project visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJWqcwFuZ9A
