Insights

Key Features

There are several key features that all passive homes share:

>> Thick insulation: The walls, floors, and ceilings of a passive home are all very well insulated. This ensures that heat stays inside during the winter and outside during the summer, maintaining a comfortable temperature no matter the time of year. To further improve your home’s eco-friendly credentials beyond its energy efficiency, using sustainable, non-toxic insulation is another way to dramatically reduce your property’s carbon footprint.

>> Airtight construction: To prevent heat from escaping, passive homes are built with tight seals around doors and windows. This means that with the rising cost of living and energy crisis, less of your hard-earned cash gets wasted on heating a home that is hemorrhaging heat energy.

>> Solar orientation: To take advantage of the sun’s energy, passive homes are designed to maximize solar gain in the winter and minimize it in the summer. This can be done with ultra-efficient glazed windows that create an energy barrier that prevents heat from entering or escaping, whilst also allowing natural light to flood in and reduce your reliance on artificial lighting. During the brighter months, the property will even make use of natural light sources, without acting like a greenhouse.

>> Heat recovery ventilation: Most homes need mechanical ventilation to bring in the fresh air and expel stale air. In a passive home, this ventilation system is designed to recover the heat from the outgoing air and use it to warm up the incoming air. That means that even during the coldest winter months, your home will feel fresh and warm, and you won’t lose all your heat out of an open window.

These features work together to create a home that is comfortable and efficient all year round. And because passive homes use so little energy, they can even be powered by renewable energy sources like solar panels and wind turbines. That allows you to further lower the carbon emissions of your property, whilst reducing your reliance on the national grid. And the best part is if your home produces more energy than it needs, you can sell that energy back to the grid and make some money.

Final Thoughts

If you’re interested in learning more about passive homes, or if you’re thinking about building one yourself, we’re here to help you to design, plan, and build your dream project to fit your budget. With over 50 years of experience, Halsteads has been providing consulting engineering services to high-end residential and commercial clients across London and the surrounding counties. Our network of London’s leading architects, and interior designers, can help turn your passive home dream into reality. Fill out a form on our contact page, or call 0208 445 7721, to book a free consultation and quote.

Money

An experienced and creative structural engineer can save you significant time and money on your home build. Firstly, they will be able to advise on building materials that can be used to build structures efficiently and with less material. Whilst an interior designer may choose materials based on their aesthetics, a structural engineer will recommend materials based on their function, durability and structural integrity. Over the course of the refurbishment or construction, the use of optimal building materials will save you time and money on wasted materials.

Safety

A structural engineer will help you to design a home that is safe and structurally sound, which will last for generations. An experienced structural engineering firm will have worked on countless home renovations and construction projects, which means they will have the knowledge and skills to ensure that your home is designed safely. A structural engineer’s priority is to ensure that the building’s structural integrity is optimal, whilst also identifying and resolving any potential safety issues along the course of the project.

Problem Identification

Working with an experienced structural engineer may help you to avoid costly repairs or renovations in the future. Looking at the proposed design of your property, a structural engineer will be able to identify any potential problems with the design before you spend money on constructing it. Having worked on many refurbishment and construction projects, an experienced structural engineer will be able to pinpoint any potential challenges that you may encounter with any proposed designs. They will then work with the architect and designer to work out a creative solution to any issues, doing their best to stick to any aesthetic goals that you may have.

Regulations

Structural engineers can also help you save time and money by ensuring that your home will meet any local building codes and regulations that apply. Through their experience and intimate knowledge of the sector, they can speed up the process and help you to avoid any potential complications down the line. A structural engineer will also assist with providing the required information to Building Control and Planning Officials to obtain the necessary approvals and certifications.

Contacts

If you’re planning a home refurbishment or construction project and don’t know where to find trusted contractors, an experienced structural engineering firm will be able to assist you. Most experienced structural engineers will have a network of architects, interior designers and construction professionals that they have worked with across different projects. This can again save you time, money and risk as these professionals will have been vetted by the structural engineering firm. Moreover, having worked on past projects together, the different contractors will have developed an understanding of each others’ ways of working and this synergy can save you further time and money.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for an experienced structural engineer in London – look no further. For over 50 years, Halsteads has been providing consulting engineering services to high-end residential and commercial clients across London and surrounding counties. We work with London’s leading architects, interior designers and contractors to deliver exceptional value and quality for all of our clients. You can easily book a free consultation and quote through our website or by giving us a call on 0208 445 7721.