internal walls are plastered rather than plaster- boarded and following Passivhaus practice, all the joints in the house are taped to prevent draughts. The Green Building Store, near Huddersfield


in West Yorkshire, supplied the triple-glazed timber windows and doors and the MVHR heat recovery ventilation system and was a great source of information and inspiration for Stephen and his project team. “We chose the Green Building Store because we had great confidence in their knowledge and expertise with Passivhaus projects,” says architect and Passivhaus designer Eric Parks, of Buckrose Ecological Architects in Malton, North Yorkshire. “The MVHR system is functioning really well and is virtually silent in operation.” As Stephen wanted to eradicate his use of fossil fuels and Old Forge Cottage is off mains gas in any case, a Mitsubishi air source heat pump was chosen for the minimal heating and hot water requirements. There is just one radiator in the whole house – in the lounge. Electricity is provided by a £6,000, 5 kW solar PV array in the garden, laid out on low level racking. The electricity from the panels can be diverted in four ways: to the house, to battery storage in the garage, to the heat store or to the grid. It’s very innovative; if an appliance in the house needs power, that is supplied; if there is no call on the electricity, it is diverted to the 13.5 kWh Tesla Powerwall 2 battery. When the battery is fully charged, the power is diverted to the 300


40 www.sbhonline.co.uk


litre water heat store, and when the water is heated to the maximum temperature, it is exported to the grid. This cascade system means that the maximum value from the solar power is extricated for every kWh generated. “As a specialist in renewable energy and an active consultant in the industry, I wanted to create a high quality eco house,” says Stephen, whose air of modest authority suggests that he thoroughly enjoyed the process of planning the systems for his home. “The incorporation of renewable energy takes the house to another level – I’m aiming for a ‘no bills’ house. The operation of the smart system will be monitored over the next twelve months to see how this system is developing.” Architect Eric says that achieving Passivhaus within the limiting planning restrictions on the external appearance represented an interesting balancing act: “Larger windows were out of the question, so the smaller areas of glazing and increased length of window frames and mullions


“The planners at the council basically argued for an exact replica of what was there before”


july/august 2019


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