Is this how all new homes should be built in 2023? (Case Study)

MVHR kitchen extract grille with grease filter in luxury home

Heat, Space and Light Ltd has completed the design, supply and commissioning of a Passivhaus-specification MVHR ventilation system for a luxury new build in the northwest of England. The home was also tested by our building airtightness team and achieved an incredibly airtight result of 0.76 m3hr/m2 @50Pa. It’s only slightly shy of a fully-certified … Read more

MVHR system balancing and handover in Surrey luxury eco new build

MVHR system installed into plant room next to Air Source Heat Pump and hot water cylinder

Our MVHR design and commissioning team has recently completed the detailed ductwork design, supply of materials and balancing of our Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery system (MVHR) at a highly sophisticated new build home in Surrey. As part of our turnkey MVHR design, supply and commissioning service we’ve issued the MVHR Ventilation Airflow Measurement and … Read more

Are free MVHR designs any good?

Lately we’ve been seeing a few MVHR manufacturers offering “free” MVHR ductwork designs with their product sales. If you’re planning an MVHR system in 2022 for your build project you will have likely been offered or found a free MVHR design service yourself. At Heat, Space and Light we charge for our MVHR detailed ductwork … Read more

Forensic airtightness test gives 30% lifetime heating bill savings

Airtightness Test Kit mounted in hallway of London retrofit 2021

Heat, Space and Light Ltd technicians have conducted forensic airtightness testing on a renovated London Victorian end-of-terrace. The results of the four-hour visit will have improved its comfort, energy efficiency and acoustics by up to 30 per cent, and lowered the home’s heating bills for life. The forensic airtightness pressure test was conducted over four … Read more

Cotswold new build is 55x more airtight than Building Regs and 3x more airtight than Passivhaus

It is subtle and understated in its impact on UK housing, but this new build bungalow home is one of the most energy efficient buildings in the world – and represents the future of housebuilding in the UK and Europe. We pressure tested the home this December using a calibrated airtightness testing fan and it … Read more

How the price of an MVHR relates to quality and performance

Crushed and bent flexi-duct will increase noise in an MVHR

I’ve written before about the average price of a high quality Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery (MVHR) installation, which includes an itemised price for each detailed ductwork layout, materials supply, installation and commissioning (airflow balancing and client handover). Today I’m going to explain (with photos) why the cheaper MVHR units are a false economy, and can … Read more

It’s time to end the “shipping container recycling” fad in architecture

Shipping containers in conceptual architecture have become shorthand for “recycling” and “environmental sustainability”, and yet they are neither. You should run a mile from any architectural company that is genuinely enthusiastic about the potential of shipping containers, for the reasons I’ll explain below. The most important point: you’re not “recycling” shipping containers at all. Architects think they … Read more

What’s wrong with a Passive House?

Forensic air test of a very low energy home almost Passivhaus

Why aren’t passive houses (AKA Passivhaus) mainstream? Why isn’t every new home built in the UK produced to the design specifications of passive houses? Here I’ll go through what’s bad about passive houses, whether it’s true, and what might be done to fix the problems. 1) Passive Houses are boxy and ugly Passive houses are … Read more