The UK’s progress towards a Passivhaus standard in new homes

Passivhaus in the UK 10 years on 

In 2019, the UK made a significant commitment to the fight against climate change by officially adopting a target to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. One of the biggest contributors to the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions is the built environment, accounting for up to 30% of all emissions according to RICS’ report on decarbonising UK real estate​. New homes will need to be delivered with low energy demand, zero-carbon ready and to high-quality standards to give homeowners confidence in the construction sector. Consideration will have to be given to the embodied carbon of new buildings and how this can be reduced. And the in-use performance of new homes continues to be a concern with recent energy price increases making consumers more aware of running costs. Multiple suggestions have been put forward to address these challenges, could Passivhaus be a solution?   

A decade after our initial report on Passivhaus in the UK​, there has been a notable increase in the adoption of Passivhaus principles in the country's construction industry. However, this progress has been slower than anticipated, primarily due to challenges related to education and perceived costs. This new report explores the concerns raised by house builders about the feasibility of developing homes at volume to Passivhaus standards. It also looks at the barriers to adoption and highlights the opportunities being brought forward through government policies across the UK, including consideration of what a ‘Passivhaus equivalent’ may mean for Scottish house builders once legislation is published in December of this year.