Labour MSP Alex Rowley has proposed a bill in the Scottish Parliament that would require all newly built housing in Scotland to pass the ‘Passivhaus’ standard, an architectural design that keeps a stable temperature so almost no heating is required.
According to the Passivhaus Trust, ‘Passivhaus buildings provide a high level of occupant comfort using very little energy for heating and cooling.’ This is achieved through various design elements, including triple glazed windows, airtight building fabric, and a mechanical ventilation system to run fresh air through the house. They also use a roof overhang to shade windows so that direct sunlight does not make the house too hot.
However, making every new residence in Scotland conform to these standards would be a big step. The design requires architects and builders who have specific expertise that can be hard to find, and the buildings are not to everyone’s taste. For example, the buildings are often described as ‘boxy’ and the insulation requirement means that the size of windows must be limited.
Rowley has stated that if the bill became law it would bring down living costs for people in new-builds and reduce emissions in Scotland. He said “We are experiencing a perfect storm, with families seeing huge increases in fuel bills whilst at the same time Scotland is failing to meet its greenhouse gas emissions targets,”
“This winter, more and more people are going to be plunged into fuel poverty – we have to take immediate, practical action and the housing sector has to play its part.
“This new standard would not only deliver better housing and improved energy efficiency, it would create new skilled jobs and be of significant benefit to the economy.”
When asked if they supported the bill, the secretary of the Scottish tenants’ rights organisation Living Rent, Meg Bishop, said:
“Over three quarters of households across the UK will be pushed into fuel poverty in January and over half of tenants’ homes fail the most basic repair standard. Our broken, freezing homes are driving up fuel poverty amongst the most vulnerable. Poorly insulated homes are also damaging for our health, increasing the severity and likeliness of respiratory conditions when we are still dealing with the impacts of a pandemic.
“But energy inefficient homes are also an environmental issue. 20 per cent of Scotland’s carbon emissions come from housing.
“We need to focus on clear steps to combat the climate crisis and that has to be energy efficient housing to reduce bills and reduce our emissions.”
“Primer edificio Passivhaus Plus de España” by Mtadomar is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.