All case studies
UK-wideCompleted 2024

Passivhaus Trust EnerPHit project database

An open database of certified Passivhaus and EnerPHit retrofit projects across the UK, each with monitored or modelled performance figures.

Source

Summarised from Passivhaus Trust, a Tier 2 source on Your Home Climate. We did not run this project; the figures below are reported by them. Click through to verify any of them at the original publication.

https://www.passivhaustrust.org.uk/projects/

The problem

Most retrofit advice is generic. Homeowners and designers wanting evidence of what a deep fabric-first retrofit actually achieves in a UK climate need real, comparable projects, not glossy brochures.

What they did

The Passivhaus Trust hosts a searchable database of certified projects. EnerPHit is the certification for retrofits, applying tighter rules than new-build Passivhaus because original geometry constrains what is possible. Each entry typically records space-heating demand, airtightness (n50), heating system and ventilation strategy.

What the source reports

  • EnerPHit space-heating demand target≤ 25 kWh/m²/yrmodelled
  • EnerPHit airtightness target≤ 1.0 ach @ n50measured

Measured means monitored data from the site. Reported is the publisher's stated figure. Modelled is a target or design figure rather than an outcome.

What we take from it

  • An airtightness test at first-fix is non-negotiable in a deep retrofit. By the time plaster is on, fixing it costs ten times more.
  • Heat recovery ventilation is what makes a tight house comfortable. Without it, a tight house is a damp house.

What the source does not tell us

  • EnerPHit is a high bar. Most retrofit projects in the UK are not certified, and the database is a self-selected sample of the best work.