Britain should adopt the Passivhaus standard to cut energy costs in new homes
Regarding your article (Poor building standards add £1,000 to energy bills of new homes, analysis finds, 16 May), the solution is very simple: the government should adopt the Passivhaus standard that has been established in Germany for over 25 years.
Its use there results in buildings with little or no heating requirements as the buildings are super-insulated and extremely airtight, and have mechanical ventilation and heat reclaim systems to distribute filtered air throughout the property.
This can obviate the need for solar panels and heat pumps, which have a lifespan of around 25 years. However, housebuilders in the UK do not yet have the desire to build houses this way as it requires site staff be motivated to build in a way that prevents air leakage and to care about build quality, something that is sorely lacking here.
The higher build cost for the fabric would be offset by the absence or reduction in the cost of heating installation. We have yet to see how the future homes standard will compare, but I for one am not holding my breath.Adrian BirchBrockweir, Gloucestershire
Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
12 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Country diary: A stonefly in the sun – this is a sign of clean water
A brilliant, golden-green day by the River Horner, sunlight flaring between alder leaves, fast-flowing water sliding through a series of clear, shallow pools. Minnows (Phoxinus phoxinus) are leaping for mayflies, their sides mirror-flashing as they fall back into the river with a soft, confidential plop. There are five or six of them working a sunny patch near the bank where tree roots clutch the riverbed. White bellies below a dark-olive stripe show them to be females; the males' undersides turn rosy in summer. Some have plain, stone-coloured backs, but others are flecked and mottled, imitating the gravel below. Their restless grace is interrupted by a blundering insect, crash-landing on a twig in the middle of the stream. It's a stonefly the size of a pencil stub, long wings folded cloak-wise against its elongated body. It makes agitated attempts to reach the bank. Having spent its larval stage underwater crawling among rocks and crannies, it doesn't seem to understand why it can no longer move through water with ease. After much fussing, it launches into a desperate, flailing swim to a bankside tree stump, where it grips moss and runs upwards to bask in the sun, before flying off in a clumsy blur of bark-coloured wings, only to plummet and disappear into the cracked earth. There are 34 species of stonefly in the UK, found in and around upland streams. They can be difficult to distinguish, but this one had dingy orange patches at the back of the head and top of the wings, indicating that it was probably a common medium stonefly (Diura bicaudata). Widespread in rivers, stonefly nymphs are particularly sensitive to pollution, especially organic pollution from agricultural runoff. They are one of the first species to disappear if oxygen levels drop, and their presence is a gauge of water quality. It's heartening to see the species here, just above where the river meets the sea, but the Horner is a short river, as is the Aller, which joins it at Bossington. It's no coincidence that the Aller is part of an ambitious habitat restoration project that includes reintroducing beavers and water voles. Under the Changing Skies: The Best of the Guardian's Country Diary, 2018-2024 is published by Guardian Faber; order at and get a 15% discount
BBC News
15 minutes ago
- BBC News
Dogs threatening Landguard Nature Reserve birds, says ranger
Dogs roaming off their leads have been threatening ground-nesting birds at a nature reserve, a ranger has Washington, is a ranger at Landguard Nature Reserve in Felixstowe, Suffolk, where birds such as ringed plover nest. The nature reserve is calling for dog owners to read warning signs and learn which areas they can walk safely after some birds were driven off the Washington urged people to give the birds space and said it was "heartbreaking" to see them being disturbed. "We've seen a huge increase in the number of dog walkers on site, probably as a result of the lockdowns and Covid, but also I'm sure as a result of the increased development all over Suffolk," Ms Washington explained."Unfortunately there are those that choose not to read the signs, or not to take our advice, and allow their dogs to just run free." 'Exhausted' Ms Washington said there was clear signage for where dogs could and could not be disturbances had meant the birds were moving away from their nests, meaning they had less chances to feed or mate and their eggs were also threatened."It's quite heartbreaking to watch the birds struggle," Ms Washington continued."Each time that a nest fails due to disturbance or predation, because of course predation occurs, they do try again."But before they try again they have to rebuild their breeding condition and then they have to find a nest site again, lay their eggs, incubate the eggs, so they're using more and more energy as the season progresses."They might try two or three times, occasionally four times, by the end of the breeding season they are exhausted." Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Sun
5 hours ago
- The Sun
Homeowner with mountain of festering rubbish piling up in her garden is threatened with ‘direct action'
A COUNCIL has threatened to take 'direct action' to clear up a rat-infested front garden piled high with junk. Sharon Cochrane's property in Hunstanton, Norfolk, is nearly buried with broken furniture, bags of rubbish, and household appliances. 4 4 Now, West Norfolk councillors have agreed "direct action" can be taken if necessary over Ms Cochrane's untidy plot at her £250,000 property. However, the authority has said no deadline has been set and it is trying instead to work with her because she has begun to clear the rubbish. A spokesman for the council said: "The council is working with the owner to manage her property. "Officers recognise that she has made an effort to clear the exterior and they will continue to support her to do this. "However, they also have the council's authority to take direct action, which means that if it becomes necessary a clear-up can be undertaken, for which she will be liable." Ms Cochrane, 66, enraged neighbours on the resort's Chatsworth Road after junk piled high in her front garden. A supermarket trolley full of groceries had also been left, while a car with a damaged wing and flat front tyre is parked on the street outside with a sideboard next to it. But Ms Cochrane previously insisted it was no-one else's business. She said: "The world is going to hell in a handbasket and people care so much about my furniture on my own drive. "I don't understand why people are so concerned." Locals said the pile was attracting vermin and was lowering the tone of the whole street. One neighbour said: "I'd like to throw a molotov cocktail on it. "People have tried to get lots of different agencies involved but nothing seems to happen. "We only occasionally see her walk past to Tesco with a shopping trolley. "This is a quiet, peaceful road and it's a shame." Tammy Edmunds, spokesperson of Chatsworth Road, said: "How can the law of the land let someone live in such squalor and filth? "I appreciate there are laws and regulations but some people seem to live above them. "The street has been suffering with this on and off for ten years and in the last five weeks its gotten worse. "It's a fire hazard and risk of health and safety. "We've heard of rats from there spreading across to other properties which has meant pest control have had to come out." West Norfolk Council served an enforcement notice under the Town and Country Planning Act ordering Ms Cochrane to clear up the mess. If it takes "direct action", she would be liable for the cost of removing it and could have a charge put on her property to recover the money if she is unable to pay. The Sun has contacted West Norfolk council for additional comment and updates. 4 4
