A house that heats itself, almost
A passive house keeps warm through its fabric rather than its boiler. Thick insulation, an airtight shell, triple glazing and fresh filtered air make a home that stays comfortable all year on a fraction of the usual heating.
Passivhaus is a performance standard, not a style
Passivhaus started in Germany in the early 1990s. It doesn't dictate how a house looks. It sets hard limits on how much energy the house can use and how much air can leak out of it, and the house is tested to prove it.
A passive home can be a cottage, a farmhouse or a glass-fronted modern house. What they share is the detail underneath: continuous insulation, no cold bridges, and an airtight layer that's sealed by hand around every junction, pipe and cable.
That detail is where most builds fall down, and it's what we do every day.
How a passive house works
Get these five right and the house does the rest.
Super insulation
Deep, continuous insulation in walls, roof and floor. We use wood fibre and blown recycled paper wherever they fit, with walls typically around 0.15 W/m²K or better.
Airtightness
A sealed inner layer taped at every joint and service entry, then tested with a blower door. No draughts, and the heat you pay for stays inside.
No thermal bridges
Junctions at foundations, windows, floors and roof are detailed so there's no route for heat to leak out, and no cold spots for condensation or mould.
Triple glazing
High-performance windows and doors, fitted within the insulation line. South-facing glazing brings in free heat from the sun, even in a Scottish winter.
Heat-recovery ventilation
MVHR supplies fresh, filtered air to every room and recovers most of the heat from the stale air going out. Clean air, all year, without opening windows.
Low-carbon heat
With so little heat needed, a small air source heat pump, infrared panels or solar can cover it. Some of our homes need little more than a heated towel rail.
Passive, near-passive or eco?
Not every plot, design or budget suits full Passivhaus. We build to all three levels, and we'll tell you honestly which one makes sense for your project.
| Passive | Near-passive | Eco / low-energy | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airtightness | 0.6 ACH @ 50 Pa or better | Around 1–2 | Well beyond building regs |
| Heating demand | Very low, often no main heating system | Low | Reduced |
| Ventilation | MVHR | MVHR | MVHR or natural |
| Glazing | Triple, carefully oriented | Triple | Double or triple |
| Design freedom | Shape and orientation matter most | More flexible | Most flexible |
| Best for | Lowest possible running costs | Most of the benefit, more flexibility | Tight sites, conservation areas, budgets |
Certified or "built to the standard"? Formal Passivhaus certification adds design modelling and independent checks, with a fee. Many clients choose to build to the standard and test airtightness without certifying. Either way, we build the same detail.
What it's like to live in
- Even warmth in every room, with no cold corners or draughts
- Very low heating bills, year after year
- Fresh, filtered air, good for allergies and condensation-free
- Quiet: thick walls and triple glazing shut out wind and road noise
- Protected against rising energy prices
- Built from timber and natural materials, with a lower carbon footprint
- Comfortable in summer too, with shading and ventilation designed in
- A durable, well-detailed house that holds its value
Homes we've built to this level
East Netherton
Built to Passivhaus standard near Loch Leven for a retired couple who wanted a cosy home that's cheap to run. Airtightness 0.48 ACH @ 50 Pa.
View project →Fenton House
An upside-down passive house in Dundee, with living spaces upstairs to make the most of the view.
View project →Knockhill Farm
A 250 m² courtyard farmhouse in timber and oak frame, with 200 mm insulation and airtightness of 0.5 ACH @ 50 Pa.
View project →