Orchard Cottage: A Near Passive New-build in Whittlesford

Tue 13 Sep 2022, 7:00pm – 8:00pm

Meet your hosts, Nik and Sally

Nik and Sally bought their plot of land in Whittlesford in 2012, and with it an ageing 1950s bungalow. They considered renovating, but the limitations of the old house with its ageing materials, inefficient use of space and unknown structural characteristics made it difficult. Instead, they started afresh, completing their near Passivhaus standard new build in 2021.

Nik says: “Given that we were going to be doing major works, it seemed obvious to build our new house to be as low-energy as possible.”

This was a really informative Tour:
Video of the Zoom Tour, with sections marked in the timeline
Slides from the talk as a PDF, with working links
PDF case study

Key Features of this home

Insulated clay block construction
Triple and quadruple glazing
Solar PV used dynamically to heat hot water tank
Mechanical ventilation & heat recovery (MVHR) system
No heating installed – maybe a wood stove for next winter
Bamboo flooring
Cool pantry
Rainwater storage and shower waste heat recovery system
Solar shading from eaves and integral Venetian blinds in windows

Tour details

1 hour online tour, running:

Tue 13 Sep, 7.00pm

Nik’s top tips for being more energy efficient at home

Visit homes and exhibitions to get lots of ideas before making any big/expensive decisions
Talk to other people who have installed and used products or have the same aspirations about what works and why they chose them
Choose products/changes that are most likely to have a positive effect on your current lifestyle or work in your home – not everything will work for you and small lifestyle changes can be effective.

Nik and Sally are also offering in-person Tours on Sat 17^th Sept, at 13:30 and 15:30

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