passivehouse+ | Issue 10
News Warmcel used to insulate passive & ecological UEA Enterprise Centre of the company’s largest installations to date. Once open, the building’s function will be to inspire businesses, students and entrepreneurs to work together to develop new ideas and business-start ups. This passive house and Breeam Outstanding building was designed by Architype, and delivered by Morgan Sindall and Cygnum Timber Frame. The specification required the installation of over 63 tonnes of Warmcel cellulose insulation into the timber frame structure, which was constructed using locally sourced Corsican pine. Over 6,800 airtight Pro Clima patches were used to seal the injection holes, helping the building to achieve passive house airtightness levels. The building was constructed from at least 80% natural materials, including the timber frame, thatch cladding, and Warmcel’s recycled newspaper cellulose insulation. Jasper Meade from PYC Insulation said: “This building will benefit from Warmcel’s thermal performance, improved airtightness and decrement delay properties as well as verified sustainable environmental advantages which lock carbon in, and dramatically reduce the building’s heating requirements. It is good to see more of these buildings at this scale — and that quality, high performance, sustainable buildings are at last becoming mainstream.” The building is set to be completed in March 2015, and is set to be profiled in detail in Passive House Plus. PYC Insulation has completed its part in delivering a project that is set to be one of the UK’s most
high profile sustainable buildings. The Enterprise Center at the University of East Anglia is one
(above) The UEA Enterprise Centre is being built to passive house thermal performance levels using highly ecological materials
Viessmann launch home fuel cell system Viessmann has announced the launch of new electricity-generating domestic fuel cell technology that, the company says, could save homeowners up to £400 a year on electricity bills. The system has been installed for the first time in a four-bedroom house in Wolverhampton, where it is expect to cut 36% off the homeowner’s total energy spend and reduce CO2 emissions by half.
standards and qualifies for the feed-in-tariff.
The Viessmann Vitovalor 300-P system is designed to be easy to install in existing properties with a gas supply – as an alternative to a regular boiler replacement for example – as well as in new builds. The system converts natural gas into hydrogen to generate both heat and power.
Darren McMahon, marketing director with Viessman, said: “To continue to reduce CO2 emissions and make ourselves more energy efficient, we need to develop solutions for gas. Generating our own electricity at home is about twice as efficient as relying on centralised power stations. The Vitovalor 300-P is a technology available today, that reduces CO2 by 50 per cent. This first installation into a domestic dwelling in the UK is a significant moment.”
in Europe. The system features a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC)-based micro combined heat and power (mCHP) system. Viessmann jointly developed the Vitovalor 300-P with Panasonic.
According to Viessmann, the Vitovalor 300-P is the first mass produced, commercially available domestic fuel cell heating appliance on sale
(above) The Viessmann Vitovalor 300-P converts natural gas into hydrogen, a process that generates both heat and power
Comprising a Panasonic fuel cell unit, a Viessmann peak load boiler (for use on only the coldest days of the year) and hot water tank, the system requires the same connections as a gas boiler. The system is MCS-approved, meaning it has been rigorously tested to comply with industry
The energy created by the Vitovalor 300-P – approximately 4,500 kWh per year – is equivalent to that generated by thirty square metres of solar PV panels, according to Viessmann. Homeowners can track the savings they are making, in real time, via a Smartphone app.