The future of social housing by councils?

[Derbiean]

Norwich council have tried something interesting and award-winning and may even save on heating bills.

The estate, which was designed by a London firm, Mikhail Riches, is built to German Passivhaus standards, a rigorous system that reduces a building’s ecological footprint. The houses are designed to be as airtight as possible, with a mechanical heat and ventilation system that circulates air through the rooms. Heating bills should theoretically be about £150 a year.

There are teething problems tho as the article points out;

Many complained that the houses’ fittings were breaking and they had struggled to keep their homes cool during the record-breaking temperatures this summer. Westgate said her toilet leaked and her taps had broken. “The longer we live here, the more I notice little things that are wrong, but it’s stuff that we can improve on,” she said.

https://www.theguardian.com/society/201 ... ith-street

Thoughts? Assuming the costs are not astronomical and the problems can be resolved this might be something to adopt nationwide?

[BeautifulSunshine]

All new adventures have teething problems but this is a step in the right direction.

[blythburgh]

Some said it was hard to keep houses cool during heatwave. I live very close to the sea and it is usually cooler here in a heatwave (I tell myself Norwich will be hotter in the summer but still feel I am wearing the wrong clothes). Our house was built in the 1880's and it is hard to keep it cool in heatwaves.

[Derbiean]

During a heatwave, I imagine you'll always have trouble keeping a house/flat cool unless you install air conditioning