EnerPHit Listed Church Conversion

Warksburn Old Church is a locally-listed Victorian-era church based in Northumberland that has been converted to a 3-bedroom Net Zero Carbon holiday let and is a certified Passivhaus EnerPHit building. During 2023-24 it was converted from a redundant Presbyterian church, which was originally built in 1875.  

Ecospheric supported the project as Passivhaus and building services designers. The team adopted a component method approach to achieving certification with a thermally efficient structure constructed within the existing stone building, coupled with the integration of renewable energy generation. The project achieved an outstanding final airtightness test result of 0.19 ACH.

This unique retrofit has been spearheaded by the property owners, Anne and Alan James. The rebuilding programme has not only repaired and retained historic features, such as the stained glass windows and soaring timber roof trusses, but also transformed the former church into one of the most energy efficient buildings in the UK, which generates more energy than it consumes.

Anne and Alan have uncovered the extraordinary history behind the church, which was originally funded by engineer Sir George Barclay Bruce who was the first to articulate the concept of renewable generation and storage of electricity in the 19th century. Now, Alan and Anne - who are renewable energy pioneers of the 21st century - are bringing Sir George's vision to life with their Net Zero historic church. Read more about this story here. 

Alan presented the story of this unique retrofit at Grand Designs Live with Kevin McCloud and at the UK Passivhaus Conference. The retrofit process has been documented by Air TV and will soon air on Derelict Rescue on Discovery Channel.

For more information about the project, check out the website for Warksburn Old Church https://warksburnoldchurch.com/

Anne and Alan have also chronicled the build on their Instagram https://www.instagram.com/warksburn_old_church/

News articles about Warksburn Old Church:

• Homebuilding & Renovating, "Church converted into net-zero Passivhaus home in Northumberland could be a world-first"

• Passivhaus Trust, "Let the Passivhaus bells ring!"

• Hexham Courant, "Warksburn Old Church to become new home with eco-friendly revamp"

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A key reason Anne and Alan wanted to embark on this project was to enable visitors to experience for themselves what it is like to live in a building which both incorporates innovative 21st Century smart energy technologies and preserves the 19th Century heritage of the original building. 

If you are considering a Passivhaus retrofit and would like to "try before you buy", or if you simply want to enjoy an indulgent luxurious holiday between Hadrians Wall and the Scottish Border in rural Northumberland.