GreenSteps windows and doors have been used in the Passivhaus / Code for Sustainable Homes Level 6 development at Lancaster Co-Housing. This is a development of 45 homes built to the highest possible energy efficiency standards in a beautiful riverside location.
In order to achieve the Passivhaus standard, gruelling levels of airtightness are required throughout the construction process. The required level of fewer than 0.6 air changes per hour at 50 Pascals of pressure is exceptionally hard to achieve. The equivalent standard for ordinary UK building regulations is 10 air changes per hour, so the Passivhaus level is just 6% of what is allowed under standard building regulations.
The choice and installation of windows and doors is a critical part of achieving this airtightness standard. GreenSteps Passivhaus windows and doors, with their unique 4 gasket airtight system, were chosen because of their exceptionally high performance standards. They were installed by Mike Neate’s team from Eco-DC (an approved GreenSteps window installer). This has now proven to be the correct choice, with the completed buildings achieving airtightness levels of 0.3 – 0.35 air changes per hour @ 50Pa.
With the BM Trada Q-Mark to verify independently the quality of production and the security and performance standards of GreenSteps windows and doors, they are an attractive and cost-effective option for any high performance development.
