MBC blitzes airtight test on latest passive house project

This article was originally published in issue 26 of Passive House Plus magazine. Want immediate access to all back issues and exclusive extra content? Click here to subscribe for as little as €10, or click here to receive the next issue free of charge

Situated in rural Norfolk, this new house features MBC’s cellulose insulated passive wall and passive roof systems, which deliver U-values of 0.12 and 0.10 respectively. The dwelling - which was made airtight using Partel's Izoperm plus airtight membrane in the roof and Exoperm 150 Connect externally, in conjunction with Medite Smartply's ProPassiv board and Partel's Conexo tape to membranes and board - has achieved an airtightness test result of 0.43 air changes per hour, and is set to be complete in September of this year.

“When we found a site with an old barn with planning permission we decided to self build,” said homeowner Samita Mukhopadhyay, who added that energy efficiency was her number one priority for the build. “MBC seemed to listen to me and take time to explain everything to me that I needed to know,” she added.

Mukhopadhyay told Passive House Plus that, when finished, the house will feature mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR), and a solar PV array to electrically heat water for a small amount of underfloor heating pipework.

Mukhopadhyay plans to keep a small pond on site for wildlife and will be providing new 12 bat-boxes too.

When asked what she wanted from her new home, she said: “I wanted a simple functional house, which would hopefully be beautiful too.”