Ingleside and Woodleigh on Zetland Road
The Zetland Passive House is the UK's greenest retrofit and the first homes to attain EnerPHit Plus certification in Europe. Built in 1894, these two Victorian townhouses are some of the most difficult types of buildings to upgrade to Passivhaus. This project has achieved a 95% reduction in space heating demand with no central heating system. The aim was to go beyond Passivhaus targets by building the homes in the most ecological way possible - without petrochemicals, using only breathable, natural materials - delivering the healthiest, and most sustainable living space. This project has been awarded the "Living Comfort" prize at the 2021 International Passive House Awards.
A simple, yet life changing home
What's it like to live in a Passivhaus? Read on to learn what one of the Zetland Passive House homeowners has to say:
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"After seeing the striking larch rear elevation out of the window of another property we were viewing on Zetland Road, we were told we were looking at “some sort of over-priced eco-house”. In recent years, our impact on our surroundings, a focus on our health and future-proofing ourselves from the costs of utility suppliers has become more and more important so, this coupled with our love of the unusual, we decided to go take a look.
We met with Kit and the Ecospheric team and went on a journey ourselves - understanding (as best you can) the process of the build, what it's like to live in a Passive House - and really thinking about how we wanted to live going forward without compromising our lifestyle, behaviour, or our love of traditional architecture. Our biggest fear was how we would live in it, what we would need to do and learn; but the fact is, you don't need to do anything - the house does it all for you. It is warm, comfortable, fresh, and each space in the house offers something unique due to its layout. If anything, the house has changed us rather than us changing for the house. We have become more aware, more considered & more respectful of everything around us.
So here we are, almost a year to the day and the biggest compliment we can give is that it's our home and we love living in it. Our stamp is firmly on it and we often joke about the fact we couldn't go back to a 'traditional house'."