The Passive House

21st Feb 2009

The latest building project on Channel 4's Grand Designs was something called a Passive House. This type of architecture focusses on energy efficiency by making the building air-tight. If implemented correctly you should never need to heat your house again as air is recycled. In fact with the combination of super-eco-friendly insulation (using recycled paper and lambs wool), solar panels and triple glazing (imported due to no manufacturers in the UK) it's actually possible to earn money by contributing energy to the national grid!

The house, entitled the Eco Arch due in part to it's extraordinary, clay tile, curving roof, is the first in Britain of it's type, costing around ¾ million pounds to build (including land purchase). If costs decrease in the future as this type of technology becomes better understood (and more popular) I'd be keen to build one myself.