We’ve Upgraded Our Homes

The Team at HQ have been hard at work, over the last few months, looking & researching how we can improve our construction methods, using new materials or technologies, and improving our efficiencies to reduce waste even further in 2023! To begin, the question is why?

Why would we add a bunch of new things to an already fantastically designed home? The short answer is YOU!

It is clear that our customers come to us for our greener and sustainble practices and not just for reducing carbons emissions to save our wonderful plant but to also save a tonne of cash on unwanted bills, because let’s face it, no one looks forward to paying their energy bills in todays world! So how do we choose which materials to edit? We look at what causes our homes to use excessive energy. From here, we can work on materials and appliances that work in sync to increase the efficiency for a healthier home and one that doesn’t take part in damaging our beloved environment!

We’ve Added Triple Glazing

We’ve ditched double glazing, and upgraded it for triple glazing! If this doesn’t sound like much, then read on! Triple glazing increases the efficiency of heat loss or solar gain increasing the energy efficiency of the home up to 30%! This increase means you’ll less likely reach for the heating appliance as you’ll gain natural warmth from the suns rays and the heat inside the home is retained for longer - winner! Another benefit is the noise reduction from the additional pane. Whether you are letting our your home or living in it permanently, being able to close the door to exterior noise and to be met with true silence is what its all about!

Air Heat Source Pumps

You may have heard about them in the news. You may have heard good things or possibly even bad things such as ‘they’re energy intensive and my bills will be through the roof’. As a matter of fact, yes, should one of these bad boys be fitted inside a poorly insulated home, they will not work effectively and may cost just as much, and in some cases, more than a regular heating system. It’s a bit like filling a bath with hot water without the plug in!

So why are they high performing inside our homes? Well, it’s all about the balance of an energy efficiently constructed home paired with this new technology. Together, they work in sync to create a warm low energy usage home.

So how does it work? An air source heat pump works by extracting heat from the outside air and using it to heat the interior of a building. It operates similarly to a refrigerator or air conditioner, using a refrigerant to transfer heat from one place to another. The heat pump consists of an outdoor unit and an indoor unit, connected by pipes containing the refrigerant. The outdoor unit collects heat from the air and transfers it to the indoor unit, where it is then distributed throughout the building as warm air. In the summer, the process can be reversed to provide cooling. The heat pump uses a small amount of electricity to operate, but the majority of the heat it provides is from the renewable energy source of the outside air.

Fun Fact - For every unit of energy used in the air heat source pump, 4.9 units of heat will be generated. Compare this to a radiator that requires one unit of energy for one unit of heat!

MVHR - Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery Units

Mechanical what? while it sounds a little technical, this unit makes a HUGE difference to the homes air quality. If you suffer from asthma or allergies, you may already understand the importance of healthy levels of air quality for easy breathing. So how does it work?

The ventilation system provides a continuous supply of fresh air from the outside while recovering heat from the inside air. It can recovery up to 90% of the heat inside the home reducing the need to turn on your heating and regularly removes impurities and dust particles from the air and exchanges this with clean healthier air.

MVHR systems also help control indoor humidity levels, reducing the risk of mould and dampness. This results in increased comfort levels and a healthier indoor environment.

Passive Haus Approach for the Future

As you begin to think ‘why would this matter to me, I’m here for the fancy fixtures and fittings!’. That’s right! That’s exactly why we want you to choose our beautifully designed homes that ooze style for all occasions. However, our job, which is a little like being a producer behind the scense, is to create a feeling of luxury that is noted by all of your senses, think smells, sight, sound, taste and touch. Have you ever been inside a home that smell of intoxicating plastic or fumes from painting? We know the shudder feeling you get when the air feels damp or drafty. We couldn’t imagine booking a weekend break only to discover the windows allow noise pollution through resulting in a poor nights sleep. Each of these reasons is why we build following Passive Haus principles, to provide a better performance for you so you can feel good about spending your time inside our homes.

Okay, so you’re sold on listening to what we’ve changed to increase of Passive Haus performance. In short, it’s all about the airtightness of the home. Airtight buildings don’t come easy, but after testing a few different membranes and construction approaches, we’ve finally concluded that SIGA membranes & SIGA Rissan passive home tapes are the winner (and the best on the market). We’ve pushed our construction methods to the max by putting 150mm insulation (0.31w/mk) in the frame & a further 50mm of insulation within the service void. That’s a whole lot of insulation in the walls and through ‘solar gain’, i.e the heat created by the sun alone, should keep the build nice and toasty all year round.

Hutonit Wall Boards

We use Hutonit wall boards for health reasons. Both for our staff and for your own well being. These boards are made using pure wood-fibres in a process with water and compressed under heat. The process is done without adding glue, instead, a natural binding material called Lignin is used. As it is pure wood and tested for low emission the product is now recommended by the Asthma and Allergy Association in Norway. If it’s good enough for Norway, then it’s good enough for us!

So, that’s it. We hope this infomation gives you understanding of what we are trying to achieve and that it’s not just about doing our part for the environment but to do our part for you so that your home is clean and healthy during any season!

Want to learn more about our models? Check out our cabins, tiny houses and lodge by clicking the model button in the header! Alternatively, you can reach out to a team member should you wish a free consulation - info@thetinyhousing.co