HOW ENERPHIT WORKS
Usually applied to new-build homes, the stringent Passivhaus standard relies on creating a balance between airtightness, indoor air quality and thermal comfort. Kit Knowles at Ecospheric explains: ‘In a new build, it’s usual to find a timber structure infilled with insulation and finished with a continuous membrane on the inside that enables the property to remain virtually airtight, whereas in a retrofit you commonly have a brick wall supporting a timber roof and floor structure. Therefore, it’s inherently difficult to make them airtight and insulate them, and they often form considerable thermal bridges or cold spots.’ Enerphit is a standard devised to apply to low-energy retrofit projects where the existing architecture and conservation issues mean that meeting the Passivhaus standard isn’t feasible.