Passivhaus are ultra-low energy buildings that require little energy for space heating or cooling. These homes have excellent comfort conditions in both winter and summer.
Designed by Prof. Gokay Deveci of Robert Gordon University, Tigh-Na-Cladach is the first in Scotland to be officially accredited by the Passivhaus Institut in Germany. This affordable housing scheme is designed for Fyne Initiatives, the commercial subsidiary of Argyll-based housing association Fyne Homes.
A closed-panel timber system from UK-based timber supplier RTC Timber Systems have been utilized for constructing the shell. This closed-panel timber system was specifically developed to Passivhaus levels. Combined with triple-glazed windows from Internorm and a highly efficient Paul Thermos 200DC mechanical ventilation heat recovery system (MVHR), Passivhaus criteria were met.
The MVHR system supplies fresh air constantly to the two bedrooms and the lounge while the kitchen and bathroom are extracted constantly. Before the extracted air leaves the house, it passes through a heat exchanger which extracts the heat and transfers it into the fresh air supply.
The heating requirement for the whole house is 1,600kWh/year, which is about one-tenth of what an average house uses. A solar thermal system further reduces the energy bill for hot water by more than 50%. The house features extreme air-tightness to minimize heat loss, which is considered difficult to achieve in a timber-frame house.
