Passivhaus / Passive House Buildings
Passivhaus is a voluntary building standard that exceeds the present required building regulations by far and aims to provide a maximum level of heat efficiency in the building. A building insulated to Passivhaus standards will achieve a reduction of 90% in the heating required to live within the building compared to a conventional building. Putting this into perspective the average heating demand on a property is 150kWh/m2a, a Passivhaus building will use just 15kwh/m2a with the remaining heating and hot water demands being met by renewable energies to create a zero carbon home. This considerable difference results in lower fuel costs to heat the property which is especially desirable as gas and electricity prices continue to rise. To reach these high standards of performance a new range of Passivhaus windows, doors, sliding Patio doors and sliding Bifold doors are now available. These are not only for the new build projects but also can be used to replace existing windows.
We feel as a company, with the ever increasing cost of fuel, that triple glazing and Passivhaus windows and doors will become the norm within 15 to 20 years. To achieve the high thermal values required all our Passivhaus windows, doors, bi fold doors and slide patio doors are triple glazed with three panes of Low Emissivity Glass as standard complete with Warmedge spacer bar and argon gas filled cavities as standard. Together with our partner Internorm we offer a choice of windows and doors which carry the Passivhausinstitut certification. In fact, throughout Europe, Internorm remains the only manufacturer of windows to have nine Passive House accreditations and a selection of their certified products which are suitable for both retrofit and new build projects are on display here in our showroom.
Passive House Windows and Doors
Each of our Passivhaus windows and doors can be manufactured in a choice of materials to complement your home or building project:
Timber
If you are looking for a traditional look our timber doors and windows are an excellent option.
The frames are delivered pre-painted with special water based micro-porous paints which provide up to ten years coverage before repainting is required, dramatically reducing the maintenance associated with timber products.
Alu-Clad
Offering both contemporary and traditional features, our alu-clad doors and windows are an extremely versatile option.
Internally they feature the tactile warmth and beauty of wood, while externally they provide a rugged and robust aluminium finish to defend against the external elements.
UpvC
Perhaps unexpectedly, we can offer a UpvC window which achieves a U value below 0.8 and is possibly the most cost effective way to achieve a Passivhaus rating.
UpvC can be fabricated in almost any colour you would like and we also can provide the option to have the UpvC windows or doors delivered with a foiled veneer to provide a timber effect.
If you are interested in Passivhaus standard and how it might be applied to your home or building project please visit our Heswall Showroom which is probably the only showcase in the North West with a fully functional display of Passivhaus accredited UPVC, timber and aluclad windows and doors.
Passivhaus (Passive House) Expert
Introducing Tim Hulse – Our Passive House / Passiv Haus Expert
Our expert consultant in Eco Building Design and construction is Tim Hulse (pictured on the right). Tim is a highly knowledgeable and experienced specialist in the construction and design of new build Energy Efficient buildings, as well as offering a full consultancy service for updating and upgrading the energy efficiency of existing buildings, including grade two and three listed buildings.
Tim is available for all John Knight Glass customers to speak to about building or retro-fitting an existing building with a focus on energy efficiency and energy saving. Please visit our Passive House / Passiv Haus full pages for more information about Tim and contacting him.
