Passivhaus standards to be brought in for new housing

All new build housing in Scotland will require to meet a Scottish equivalent of the Passivhaus standard under regulations to be laid within two years, the Scottish Government has confirmed.

The decision was confirmed in a letter by Housing Minister Patrick Harvie to Labour MSP Alex Rowley, whose proposal for a member's bill to achieve that change has fallen as a result.

Passivhaus is intended as a "gold standard" in terms of energy efficiency, insulation  and avoidance of heat loss, with stringent levels of airtightness, minimal thermal bridging and optimisation of passive solar gain. In the consultation preceding his bill, Mr Rowley said homes built in this way "provide a high level of occupant comfort and use very low amounts of energy for heating. They have a mechanical ventilation system designed into them to allow for cooling and the removal of stale air to be replaced by fresh air".

He wanted his bill to help tackle fuel poverty and rising energy costs, as well as address the climate crisis.

In his letter Mr Harvie advised that assisted by responses to Mr Rowley's consultation, officials would work from early 2023 on developing and delivering a Scottish standard, with the Government "seeking the laying of amending regulations in mid-December 2024".

Mr Rowley responded: "I am very happy that the Scottish Government has taken the opportunity to put my proposal into law.

“We have the knowledge and technology to build houses fit for the future, with occupant comfortability as a 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."