The First Residents Move into Seend Affordable Housing Scheme

June, 2024 |

Every resident attends a handover day where they are presented with their keys and a bottle of something to celebrate. White Horse Housing engaged with each resident in a very supportive and positive manner, and we were given time to explain about living in a Passivhaus.

This ‘soft-landing’ introduction explains about the ventilation system, how it works, and the advantages for reducing energy bills, for comfort, and the health benefits of high indoor air quality (IAQ). We talk through the simple controls, the process for changing the filters, and even explain the recirculating cooker hood and to use that as the grease filter, not the MVHR extract valve. Our second topic is glazing, the opening and shutting of triple-glazed windows and doors, and the use of inward tilt opening for assisting with night cooling in the summer as these types of windows are not familiar to UK users. Thirdly, we cover fixing things to the inside of the external walls and any worries they might have about damaging the airtight layer. All these matters are covered in our occupier guide, should they need any reminders. A more technical version of the guide goes to the housing association.

It is lovely to share in the excitement for those starting to live in a Passivhaus. Many have had poor housing experiences and to move into such a high quality and healthy homes, with low energy bills, is a huge plus. A significant number of these households include people managing health conditions that should benefit from the Passivhaus high IAQ.

We plan to speak with each resident again after a year of occupancy and will report back.