Scotland to Adopt Passivhaus

Scotland is poised to be the first part of the UK to implement Passivhaus standard for new homes after the low emissions benchmark made it through the Scottish government.

A private member's bill was submitted during the summer by Alex Rowley, a Labour member of parliament to mandate Passivhaus standard which will be applied to all new-build homes. The Bill (Domestic Building Environmental Standards) was in response to a recommendation by the Scottish Climate Assembly.

Scottish zero carbon buildings minister Patrick Harvie in a letter to Rowley on December 15th confirmed that the government would push through the standards within two years through secondary legislation. Work on the new standard will imminently with the aim to presenting the new regulations before parliament by end of 2024.

Passivhaus Trust CEO Jon Bootland, in response to Harvie's letter praised the 'truly forward-thinking approach' They are to be applauded for taking this crucial step towards meeting their net zero climate emergency goals. Now we must ensure that the bill is well developed and implemented to deliver the greatest impact on the actual performance of new homes in Scotland.

Rowley; 'We have the knowledge and technology to build houses fit for the future, with occupant comfort as priority, at a fraction of the heating costs of a standard-build house now - it simply seems obvious to me that we should be doing this. This will help future-proof housing stock, save people money and tackle our climate emergency.