Octavia Housing’s Victorian Passivhaus opened for tours on Friday 11 November as part of the International Passive House Open Days which took place in more than ten countries worldwide.

Organised by the International Passive House Association and its partners worldwide, the 8th International Passive House Days, took place from 11 -13 November 2011, and marks the 20th anniversary of the Passive House concept.

Passive House has become one of the world’s leading low energy standards and involves making a building very well insulated and virtually airtight, with heating and hot water produced through solar energy and the warmth produced by people within the building. The concept also includes using a mechanical heat ventilation recovery unit to produce excellent indoor air-quality, through filtering, heating and cooling air before it enters the building.

The Passive House Days provide a chance for enthusiasts and newcomers alike to experience Passive Houses in all their variety, along with the comfort they offer, first hand. This year’s Passive House Days were larger than ever, with participating projects and side events marking the occasion in a wide array of countries including Japan, Chile, Ukraine, Lithuania, Hungary, Denmark, Sweden, Ireland, the UK and the US.

One of ten UK projects opened to the public over the three days, 100 Princedale Road comes equipped with over a dozen low energy innovations including the UK’s first imitation sash triple glazed windows (required to meet the planning constraints of the conservation area), super wall insulation, ESE solar thermal panels and a heat exchanger system (MVHR) that recycles energy from waste air and water. The home has no gas boiler, radiators or conventional heating system and uses these innovations to keep the house at a comfortable temperature with a healthy air-flow all year round.

The project was awarded Passivhaus accreditation by Peter Warm of WARM: Low energy building practice, one of just four Passivhaus certifiers in the country. Warm said:

‘The renovation at 100 Princedale Road is a milestone in the history of thermal renovation - it has achieved the demanding “Passivhaus” standard, the leading standard for low energy building. What makes this a milestone is that this is a building in a conservation area,  where external wall insulation is not generally acceptable, and that it has dealt with the difficult issues of internal wall insulation and building airtightness by an overall concept of lining the shell with a continuous box. The airtightness of the building is ten to twenty times better than most current building projects. This surely will be one of the buildings that shape how we learn to deal with our existing housing stock.’

Visitors to the home commented:

‘What a great place to live! It feels really warm and cosy and you don’t see any difference externally compared to the other houses in the street.’

‘Impressive, well done. The overall workmanship is high in quality. Most important, the residents are benefitting from the improvements and are proud of it.’

Octavia Housing have recently started work on a large mixed-tenure Passivhaus development in the capital, providing 30 affordable low energy homes for Londoners, completing in 2012.

For more information on the project browse this site or contact green@octaviahousing.org.uk.