Clearview National October 2016 - Issue 179 | Page 24

PASSIVHAUS Leading the way in Passivhaus installations Last year, the Government scaled back on green initiatives. In July 2015 it scrapped requirements for Zero Carbon Homes, due to come into force this year. Then the Green Deal, badly flawed from the start with virtually no take up, was abandoned. »»DESPITE THE Government’s loss of interest, Britain’s homeowners have got the message and don’t want to waste money on buying energy they don’t need. Why throw money out the window when you can take measures to make your home more comfortable, healthier and more energy efficient? A ‘FABRIC FIRST’ APPROACH TO LOW ENERGY BUILDINGS It was this thinking that launched the ‘Fabric First’ movement. Using new building methods and the most energy efficient products, Fabric First designs and builds homes that are so well insulated they don’t need extra heating. Fabric First was championed in the UK by AIMC4, a consortium set up in 2009 to develop and apply innovative materials, products and processes that met the Level 4 energy requirements of the Government’s Code for Sustainable Homes. Passivhaus is arguably the most famous Fabric First approach. It aims to provide a comfortable living environment, reducing the need for space heating and cooling to the point where a traditional heating system is no longer necessary. A Passivhaus accreditation means the building has an excellent thermal performance, exceptional airtightness and mechanical ventilation. Energy use and CO2 emissions are cut by a factor of 10. Whether the climate is hot or cold the principle is to keep the internal temperature comfortable, affected as little as possible by conditions outside. STRONG GROWTH FOR PASSIVHAUS WINDOWS IN THE UK At SWISSPACER’s European Symposium in 2015, Martin Langen, MD of B+L Market Data (Window Innovations Europe 2020), forecast strong growth for windows with the Passivhaus standard in the UK. Based on extensive research with window fabricators across Europe, including the UK, it stated by 2020 windows with U-values of 0.8 W/m2K or below are 24 » OCT 2016 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M expected to expand to 10% of the market in the UK, 25% in Germany, 30% in Austria, and up to 35% in Switzerland. SWISSPACER: AT THE HEART OF PASSIVHAUS WINDOWS As you’d expect from the UK and Ireland’s No.1 warm edge spacer bar, SWISSPACER leads the way in Passivhaus installations. Its Ultimate warm edge spacer bar was the first to be Passivhaus certified,