It’s a topic we’ve previously written about in our blog post, Why Passive House Is The Future For Energy Efficient Homes. In that post we looked at what the Passive House standard is, what some of the benefits of it are and how Roof Maker can help you create a truly Passive House.
But what if you’re looking to create a house that is incredibly energy efficient and is nice and comfortable to live in? What you need is Active House.
What is Active House?
The Active House is an evolution of Passive House that goes one step further than a zero carbon footprint, by encouraging homes to produce positive energy which can then be fed back to the grid, often via photovoltaic panels.
An Active House also encourages comfort and more natural light and ventilation to enter the property. So whilst, traditionally, a Passive House home featured thick walls and small windows to conserve energy, they could also be a bit gloomy as a result. Active House homes are quite the opposite and allow homeowners to include contemporary design and luxury fittings with the efficiency needed to qualify as an Active House.
To maintain this efficiency, Active House homes still include heavy insulation, high-efficiency glazing, heat recovery ventilation (HRV), and zero thermal bridges. Modern Active Homes may also use clever design to hide these elements or new systems and materials are used to improve efficiency. These homes are also usually designed to maximize sunlight and shading.
To do this, most promote increased natural light and ventilation without compromising energy efficiency through adequate windows and certified rooflights. This careful consideration of light and where you can best trap the sun’s rays can have a positive effect on your home, be it the aesthetics, performance, or even the health and sleeping patterns of residents.
[Related reading: 5 Ways To Fill Your House With Fresh Air This Summer]
The obvious “issue” with Active House is that all the extra windows and rooflights mean that solar gain (the thermal energy a home obtains from the sun) can be an issue during the summer. Furthermore, all those extra windows and rooflights are harder to insulate (and achieve the same result) as standard walls. Opting for a rooflight with specialist Solar Performance glass can help to overcome this issue.
Additionally, choosing an option with bespoke blinds also allows you to control how much sunlight is allowed in, and provides an extra layer of protection when it’s cold and dark, and you want to trap as much heat as possible.
Active House vs Passive House
So which is better: Active House or Passive House? The answer is… it depends.
It depends on what you want from a home. For example, if you are simply looking to create a house with a zero-carbon footprint, Passive House is going to help you achieve that.
If you want to take this to the next level by designing a home that produces its own energy and is comfortable to live in because of the amount of natural light and fresh air it benefits from, Active House is the standard you’ll want to meet.
How Roof Maker can help you create an Active House
If you’ve read our blog post on designing a Passive House (linked to earlier in this piece), you’ll know that our Passive House Flat Rooflight is the only fixed flat rooflight manufactured in the UK to have been awarded the Certified Passive House Component seal.
So, if our Passive House Flat Rooflight meets the extremely stringent standards of the Passive House Institute and has been rubber-stamped as being Passive House ready, it can be used in the design of Active House too.
We are also constantly looking for new ways to innovate, whether it’s offering high-performance glass such as our triple-glazed rooflights, or reducing the size of our aluminium frames to provide the best views without compromising on strength.
If you’d like to know more about the flat and pitched roof windows we offer, as well as bespoke sky lanterns, contact our team today. We’re ready and waiting to help you step into the future and construct a passive or active home that will keep you cosy for the years to come. Our rooflight experts will help you to choose the right solution for your needs.
Updated 28/Aug/24