Energy saving houses being built in York could be 83 per cent cheaper on energy bills

Passivhaus, a type of energy-saving home first built in Germany in 1991, can slash annual energy bills from £800 to £133.

Some 600 Passivhaus homes are being built off Burton Stone Lane in the Clifton area of York, 60 per cent of which will be affordable and 40 per cent will be market price.

There will be a range of one-bed flats, as well as two-bed, three-bed and four-bed houses available when building finishes in the summer of 2024.

“It’s an increasing interest because of climate change and the energy crisis.

“What it delivers is warm comfortable homes with healthy air,” said the City of York Council’s housing development manager Adam Harper.

“What Passivhaus does is that there’s very little heating required.”

“We’re trying to reduce heating because that’s a social need that everyone should be able to have a home that they can afford to heat.”

The homes are built with super-insulation, triple-glazed windows and are airtight.

They’re built with 616mm walls, about double what most homes are built with.

Each house comes with a cycle shed, there are electric car charging points, a communal play area and a sustainable drainage system.

Council officers working on the scheme weren’t able to answer how expensive they would be, but according to Checkatrade, ​based on a 150m2 home, the average Passive House price is £322,500.

“I think back to when I was a child growing up in Halifax with frost on the inside of the windows,” housing executive Coun Michael Pavlovic said.

“What I think we’re creating here is something for the future, for our children to be able to grow up in environments where they’re healthier they’ve got a really nice place to live.

“And there’s more of the financial security of knowing what their fuel bills are going to look like.

“At the moment I think we are living almost not daring to open the fuel bill when it arrives because you have no idea what it’s going to be.

“That should take some of that anxiety out and I just think it’s amazing.”

An open day for prospective buyers will go ahead at Duncombe Square on Friday, November 10.

Climate executive Coun Kate Ravilious said: “For 20 years, Passivhaus buildings have been helping cut carbon emissions across the world.

“Those who have built them have welcomed people interested in learning more about these zero-carbon homes.

“This site visit will show the materials, construction methods, ventilation and heating systems used to create these much-needed homes.

“Self-builders and interested residents are all welcome to this opportunity.”

Chayley Collis, from the Passivhaus Trust, said: “The visits to Duncombe Square will be a great way to share the project team’s technical knowledge of building to the Passivhaus standard and show other councils, building professionals, and social housing providers what is possible for largescale housing developments.”

The free event will include a presentation as well as a site tour.

Two sessions will take place between 10.30am to 12.15pm and at 13.30pm to 15.15pm.