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An example of cost saving might be that if you meet passivehaus standards, especially in a compact home, your heating demands are tiny so you can skip the expensive heat pump install and just put in a couple of small electric heaters. Given the tightening of building regs the 'design' cost of a passivhaus is now a much bigger element of the overall cost of meeting the standard. Therefore, if you are working on a standardised design/methodology spread over many units the cost of materials/extra labour to install is relatively small. Again, only talking about properties that have been designed up front to be easy to make passive. Any design can be made passive, but some are relatively cheap and some are very expensive. A lot of custom one-off homes will tend to be in the more expensive as the customers will want nice things like big windows, overhangs, lots of corners and detail or simply to squeeze a lot into a difficult site. Meeting the passivhaus standards then will add a lot more cost than a simple box. Edit: and as others have said, terraced houses, semis and flats are all easier/cheaper to make passive.

Re the garage door. I just fitted a standard FD 30, and then added an extra bead around the door frame and extra draught proof seal around that in addition to the intumescent seal (which is not an airtight seal) The garage door was the one removed for the air test blower door so did not figure in the air tight test results.

My apologies, and I will now listen to that one. It was a different series called Rare Earth. I think it's this. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m003011r

I suppose people could also emit the door into house or have one on an outside wall instead if possible.

The problem you describe here is one that has come up several times on this forum (for people who are just trying to be energy efficient, not building to passivhaus standards). Integrated garages impose a lot of extra costs that aren't obvious when the architect first draws them. That said, they are often the only option in many plots.

4% cheaper as passivhaus than not. ? That just isn't true is it, assuming like for like otherwise? Presumably there are other much bigger differences in terms of form and quality. Eg I've seen some social housing recently that looks like shipping containers stacked together but appears to be timber construction, without care in finish and simply looks cheap and temporary, as they probably are. Thanks for the links which I may read later. I'm cynical on the matter, obviously, and suspect it's more propaganda by the passivhaus lobby. It's OK to do PH. It's a choice and I understand it, and also the need to justify the choice.

Don't use this, as it will be thin enough to be a resonator / acoustic radiator. Concrete paving slab would be weathertight and have some weight to it to help out here.

are the height adjusters not on the top and bottom of the hinge under plastic caps? are the hinges loose on the frame if you grab and rock the door?

One side of my French doors is sagging, I checked online for possible solutions and the most obvious seems to be readjusting the hinges however only the top and bottom hinges have allen key slots for locking the height adjust, all three (top, middle , bottom) have the allen key slots for (presumably) adjusting height. Has anyone else dealt with something similar to this?

It very much depends on form-factor (easier to make savings on apartment blocks than one-off detached houses), but it is nowhere near 30%, and in some cases has been shown to deliver savings. And of course it also depends on whether you are certifying or just building to the same standards. This article https://www.coldwellsbuild.com/journal/are-passivhaus-homes-more-expensive-to-build has some better links, including to an Exeter City Council report showing how they have continued to reduce costs over the years - "Due to Exeter’s long-term commitment to Passivhaus they have developed unique expertise and experience which has enabled them to refine their delivery models and processes to drive down the cost of Passivhaus. This is reflected in the reduction in the cost premium for Passivhaus from 20 per cent in 2009 to 4 per cent cost saving, pre-covid for apartments up to 4 storeys based on the cost plans against Building Regulation compliant low-rise apartments." https://www.local.gov.uk/case-studies/exeter-city-council-passivhaus-exeter

I've been thinking about this. Not an ideal solution but one which should pass? Have a non fd rated passiv level insulated door opening into your hallway, and a fire doorset immediately behind opening into the garage. Depending what is stored in the garage after sign off you may want to remove fd? If the garage size and position of opening allows you may even like to build a small stud lobby within the garages. Insulated door into house, fire line the stud and fire door on the stud going into garage?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001m4rs Is it this one? Might download for a drive if its interesting

Infinite abundance?!

It is nonsense. The author is either a very poor architect for normal buildings or is spouting propaganda ... which AI has spotted Compared to what? Compared to an untrue figure. I'm guessing, but 30% more for passivhaus compared to building regs? Plus the fees for approvals and the consultants who prepare it. I think the discussion has been on here before. I've a feeling that the payback period was infinite. We have never had the slightest intention of going passivhaus as it is an expensive badge. Most of the principles are unchallenged and anybody can do some or all of them. Yes I read it this morning and was astounded. I guess the trick is to write the 'article' in lay person language exactly when the general public are interested for the first time. I think it should have a statement at the start... this is an opinion piece by an interested party. On the 'costing the earth' prog on Radio 4 last week they had 3 or 4 architects and no other construction experts, so this must be the perception of how buildings are designed. Fortunately the presenter was down to earth and questioned the trendy, 'shiny' non- sustainable buildings that are publicised in the magazines and brochures. And one of them hadn't read the brief and quoted an eccentric building as her favourite in the world. On the whole it was very interesting. I did like the cop-out , or honesty, at the end of the article saying it was a good idea to cover big windows.... I guess the author hadn't thought about it, and now has an old sheet hanging over the window. The robot 'olympics' in China today featured athletics and minor house duties. At an exhibition recently a Chinese company was promoting a plastering robot. There was only a film of it, but it was fast, precise and untiring. For standard houses it must be worthwhile... not that we discussed the cost.

That’s first job tomorrow sorted out. Thanks.

Yup. Don't overtighten it though, as the rubber seal will get damaged. Hand tight, then a 1/4 turn or so max is usually suffice.

Can't disagree, it might take a few years, but I suspect that it will be here before long. I'm very glad I am in my 60's, I'm not sure how the world looks for those much younger than me.

I wouldn't hold your breath. I'm sure it is coming eventually but surely we are talking decades rather than years

Looks like it, should be parallel thread with flat end to seat on a rubber washer in the hose coupling

How long though before houses are being built by robots? https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/cgljl9zp47xo They will work 24 hours a day, to exacting standards. I would imagine that passive would be easy for them to achieve. I used to think that it was the trades that would benefit from AI as they will still have jobs whilst others won't - now I am not so sure.

My last place was built to those u values with good airtightness (less than 1 I think on the normal test) and mvhr and I wouldn't of thought it was anywhere close to passiv. I remember doing at energy used per sqm thread on here years ago at the time.

One of these fits, would that be the right type of fitting to use?

slowly getting dizzy from going round the bend... Seem to have an array of fittings except the one i need grrr! What do i need to attach to a copper pipe to allow this to connect please? I can solder, but compression, or push would do me equally as well. Got some lovely Hep20 tails, but the connector doesn’t fit my bath mixer controller. Thin hep is 10mm and the mixer is 8mm. Ta.

Well we're finding it hugely expensive so I'm not surprised its not viable commercially. Our passive house is going to cost way more to build than it will be worth on the market thereafter. Latest example: We have an integral garage. Garage outside the passiv envelope, hallway inside. Door from garage to hall very nearly impossible to source. You can buy any number of FD30 rated fire doors for a few hundred quid as required by BC in that location. You can buy quite a few doors adequately rated for thermal efficiency and airtightness and they cost low thousands. But try to find a door that covers both angles and that's a tad harder. After a 6 month search I've found two companies who will make me one. One for £7k the other £8k. That's a lot of money for one internal door!

0.18 is the regs Depending on the house I've read that 0.15 might be all thats needed to meet passivhaus (there isn't a specific number as passivhaus is more about the overall heat loss which is affected by windows, air tightness, etc) It's not much difference in the quantity of insulation (another 50mm)?. The detailing is stricter and really once you are in this range air tightness matters much more. If you focus on that you need less insulation.