Mark Innes, Architect at Innes Architects, has designed an innovative, energy-efficient three-bedroom house for his family, which is described as a ‘Responsive house, responding to site, user, short-term weather and long-term climate’.
Designed using Passivhaus principles, the project is constructed in locally-sourced Douglas Fir timber and is insulated using Warmcel insulation with an additional wood-fibre board wrap helping to avoid cold-bridging. The project features an airy open-plan living space, around the enclosed sleeping quarters. The south-east end opens up into a fully glazed double-height sun-space to maximise solar gain – and enjoy the views over the Camel estuary.
21°’s PERFORMANCE triple-glazed timber windows and doors (whole window U value: 0.85 W/m2K) were specified throughout the house, including the sun room. 21° also designed and supplied the MVHR system at the project.
Affordable triple glazing
The project was designed using PHPP (Passive House Planning Package) and features a fully triple-glazed sun room that captures and controls solar gain to provide space heating for the house. 21°’s triple glazed timber PERFORMANCE range of windows and doors were specified throughout the project.
We knew that 21° supplied good quality windows and when we got the prices back we found that the cost-effectiveness of the triple glazing option enabled us to go for a higher specification of glazing than we had originally budgeted for. This meant that we could have triple glazing in the sun room, which has helped retain the heat from the great solar gains and enabled us to use the sun room as the principal energy source for the home.
Mark Innes
Minimal space heating
We knew we really wanted a sun room at the house and wanted to harness the passive solar gain to act as space heating energy source for the project. Using the sunroom as an energy source to heat up the rest of the house has paid off and the sunroom works wonderfully. Our space heating need is around a fifth of that of a Passivhaus, so the total cost for space heating the house has averaged £29 per year [electric heater]. The large roof overhang and ability to purge the sun room means that there is no problem of overheating.
Mark Innes
Overall impressions
I have been really pleased with the PERFORMANCE windows and doors. They seal really well and are easy to use, and I especially like the tilt and turn opening mechanism. 21°’s customer and after sales service has been really good and I have appreciated follow-up visits to make fine adjustments to the installation, especially as it was not originally installed by yourselves.
Mark Innes
MVHR heat recovery ventilation
21° designed and supplied the PAUL Novus 300 MVHR system at the project.
The MVHR system is excellent and working well. The constant supply of fresh filtered air, combined with 94% heat recovery, maintains ideal humidity levels protecting the health of my family and the house. I am a big believer in MVHR heat recovery ventilation and, wherever possible, encourage my clients to go down this route.
Mark Innes
