19 January, 2023 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
Two new faces at the meeting ast night which is always welcome. Next meeting Wednesday 15 February then 15 March. Arrive from 6pm at the Lord Nelson at 36 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ED (very accessible from Brighton train station) on the ‘Upper Deck’ to allow better social distancing. Pub food is available. We would ask people not to attend if they have any cold symptoms. If it’s cold pack your coat as we will be keeping a window open! As always, please bring your ideas, projects, drawing etc along for an informal discussion. All welcome and very much looking forward to seeing everyone!
18 January, 2023 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
It’s the AECB Brighton group meeting tonight. Arrive from 6pm at the Lord Nelson at 36 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ED (very accessible from Brighton train station) on the ‘Upper Deck’ (to allow better social distancing). Pub food is available. We would ask people not to attend if they have any cold symptoms. If it’s cold pack your coat as we will be keeping a window ajar! As always, please bring your ideas, projects, drawing etc along for an informal discussion. All welcome and very much looking forward to seeing everyone!
13 January, 2023 | General, Shoreham beach 'Passivhaus'
3 January, 2023 | General, Shoreham beach 'Passivhaus'
Pipe used for Injection grounting to west boundary to stabilise shingle
Contaminated shingle removed
Contaminated shingle
Boundary wall preparaton
3 January, 2023 | Edwardian deep retrofit, General
Phase 1 of this deep retrofit involves completely rebuilding the loft including installing an MVHR. Ground and first floors to follow in phase 2.
There were some very tricky details:
Foamglas pocket including around the padstone to isloate the steel beam from the structure, further complicated by having to maintain the cavity within the wall
Completed detail
The gable end was plastered in Thermactive insulating plaster and timber floor joists were hung off a steel beam to avoid timber bearing into the external masonry wall.
Detail showing the floor josits hung off the steel beam. The steel beams ends will be covered with Spacetherm to avoid condensation risk.
Pitched roof insulated with woodfibre so the whole construction is breathable (water vapour open)
A new steel bressummer beam was installed and made airtight to the celing of the pitched roof over the rear bay
Foamglas isolated the steel beam from the structure
Spacetherm was used to isolate the end of the steel bressummer beam from the abutting cavity walls
The retrurn secetion of the main roof showing floor reinforcement, Thermactive to walls, Intello AVCL over the purlin and woodfibre boards ready for installation
3 January, 2023 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
Up coming meetings are Wednesday 18 January, 15 February and 15 March. Arrive from 6pm at the Lord Nelson at 36 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ED (very accessible from Brighton train station) on the ‘Upper Deck’ to allow better social distancing. Pub food is available. We would ask people not to attend if they have any cold symptoms. If it’s cold pack your coat as we will be keeping a window open! As always, please bring your ideas, projects, drawing etc along for an informal discussion. All welcome and very much looking forward to seeing everyone!
14 December, 2022 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
Just a reminder that the AECB Brighton Christmas meal is next Wednesday 21st December at 7pm, but arrive from 6pm at the Lord Nelson at 36 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ED (very accessible from Brighton train station) on the ‘Upper Deck’ to allow better social distancing. We would ask people not to attend if they have any cold symptoms unless they are absolutely sure that they don’t have Covid. (If it’s cold) pack your coat as we will be keeping a window open! As always, please bring your ideas, projects, drawing etc along for an informal discussion. All welcome and very much looking forward to seeing everyone!
6 December, 2022 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
Last chance to book your Christmas meal for Wednesday 21st December at 7pm. If you want to come along but just for the regular pub grub, do still let me know ASAP. Nelson Christmas Menu 2022
23 November, 2022 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
Please let me know if your coming to on Wednesday 21st December for the Christmas special and if you want to eat at 7pm, either the regular pub grub or a Christmas menu and let me know your preference so I can pre-order. Nelson Christmas Menu 2022
17 November, 2022 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
Not a bad turnout last night considering the weather and always great to have new faces each month. Wednesday 21st December will be our Christmas special and ideas welcome but perhaps we should plan to eat together at 7pm? The Nelson offer the regular pub grub or a Christmas menu and if you let me know your preference, I’ll pre-order. Anyone want to do a quiz!?! Start at 6pm as usual at the Lord Nelson at 36 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ED (very accessible from Brighton train station) on the ‘Upper Deck’ to allow better social distancing. We would ask people not to attend if they have any cold symptoms unless they are absolutely sure that they don’t have Covid. If it’s cold pack your coat as we will be keeping a window ajar. As always, please bring your ideas, projects, drawing etc along for an informal discussion. All welcome and very much looking forward to seeing everyone! Nelson Christmas Menu 2022
16 November, 2022 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
Just a reminder that the AECB Brighton meeting is tonight, wednesday 16 November 2022 from 6pm (but arrive whenever you wish) at the Lord Nelson at 36 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ED (very accessible from Brighton train station) on the ‘Upper Deck’ to allow better social distancing. Food is served until 8pm. We would ask people not to attend if they have any cold symptoms unless they are absolutely sure that they don’t have Covid (noting that the lateral flow tests dont seem to pick up Covid for the first couple of days of infection). (If it’s cold) pack your coat as we will be keeping a window open! As always, please bring your ideas, projects, drawing etc along for an informal discussion. All welcome and very much looking forward to seeing everyone!
14 November, 2022 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
Just a reminder that the AECB Brighton meeting is this wednesday 16th November 2022 from 6pm (but arrive whenever you wish) at the Lord Nelson at 36 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ED (very accessible from Brighton train station) on the ‘Upper Deck’ to allow better social distancing. Food is served until 8pm. We would ask people not to attend if they have any cold symptoms unless they are absolutely sure that they don’t have Covid. If it’s cold pack your coat as we will be keeping a window open! As always, please bring your ideas, projects, drawing etc along for an informal discussion. All welcome and very much looking forward to seeing everyone!
2 November, 2022 | General, Shoreham beach 'Passivhaus'
At last the house has been demolished.
21 October, 2022 | AECB | BSBM meeting, Events, General
The mext AECB Brighton meetup will be WEDNESDAY 16 November 2022 from 6pm (but arrive whenever you wish) at the Lord Nelson at 36 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ED (very accessible from Brighton train station) on the ‘Upper Deck’ to allow better social distancing. Food is served until 8pm. We would ask people not to attend if they have any cold symptoms unless they are absolutely sure that they don’t have Covid. If it’s cold, pack your coat as we will be keeping a window open! As always, please bring your ideas, projects, drawing etc along for an informal discussion. All welcome and very much looking forward to seeing everyone!
19 October, 2022 | AECB | BSBM meeting, Events, General
Just a reminder that the AECB Brighton meeting is tonight, wednesday 19th October 2022 from 6pm (but arrive whenever you wish) at the Lord Nelson at 36 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ED (very accessible from Brighton train station) on the ‘Upper Deck’ to allow better social distancing. Food is served until 8pm. We would ask people not to attend if they have any cold symptoms unless they are absolutely sure that they don’t have Covid (noting that the lateral flow tests dont seem to pick up Covid for the first couple of days of infection). (If it’s cold) pack your coat as we will be keeping a window open! As always, please bring your ideas, projects, drawing etc along for an informal discussion. All welcome and very much looking forward to seeing everyone!
12 October, 2022 | AECB | BSBM meeting, Events, General
Just a reminder that the AECB Brighton meetings have moved to the third wednesday in the month and so this months meeting is NEXT wednesday 19th October 2022 from 6pm (but arrive whenever you wish) at the Lord Nelson at 36 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ED (very accessible from Brighton train station) on the ‘Upper Deck’ to allow better social distancing. Food is served until 8pm. We would ask people not to attend if they have any cold symptoms unless they are absolutely sure that they don’t have Covid (noting that the lateral flow tests dont seem to pick up Covid for the first couple of days of infection). (If it’s cold) pack your coat as we will be keeping a window open! As always, please bring your ideas, projects, drawing etc along for an informal discussion. All welcome and very much looking forward to seeing everyone!
22 September, 2022 | Airtightness, Events, General, Shoreham beach 'Passivhaus'
Very successful training session with Roots Construction pre-commencement on site, including advanced construction, Passivhaus and an overview of the scheme, followed by hands on airtightness training by SIGA.
15 September, 2022 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
Lively, fun meeting last night with a few new faces and lots of the old brigade. We’ve moved the date to the THIRD wednesday of the month so the next AECB Brighton meetup will be WEDNESDAY 19 October 2022 from 6pm (but arrive whenever you wish) at the Lord Nelson at 36 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ED (very accessible from Brighton train station) on the ‘Upper Deck’ to allow better social distancing. Food is served until 8pm. We would ask people not to attend if they have any cold symptoms unless they are absolutely sure that they don’t have Covid. If it’s cold, pack your coat as we will be keeping a window open! As always, please bring your ideas, projects, drawing etc along for an informal discussion. All welcome and very much looking forward to seeing everyone!
13 September, 2022 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
Just a reminder it’s the AECB Brighton meetup tomorrow, WEDNESDAY 14th September 2022 from 6pm (but arrive whenever you wish) at the Lord Nelson at 36 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ED (very accessible from Brighton train station) on the ‘Upper Deck’ to allow better social distancing. Food is served until 8pm. We would ask people not to attend if they have any cold symptoms unless they are absolutely sure that they don’t have Covid (noting that the lateral flow tests dont seem to pick up Covid for the first couple of days of infection). (If it’s cold) pack your coat as we will be keeping a window open! As always, please bring your ideas, projects, drawing etc along for an informal discussion. All welcome and very much looking forward to seeing everyone!
2 September, 2022 | Events, General
The AECB conference is always great and welcome after Covid decimated any face to face events!
1 September, 2022 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
Just a reminder it’s the AECB Brighton meetup WEDNESDAY 14th September 2022 from 6pm (but arrive whenever you wish) at the Lord Nelson at 36 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ED (very accessible from Brighton train station) on the ‘Upper Deck’ to allow better social distancing. Food is served until 8pm. We would ask people not to attend if they have any cold symptoms unless they are absolutely sure that they don’t have Covid (noting that the lateral flow tests dont seem to pick up Covid for the first couple of days of infection). (If it’s cold) pack your coat as we will be keeping a window open! As always, please bring your ideas, projects, drawing etc along for an informal discussion. All welcome and very much looking forward to seeing everyone!
14 July, 2022 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
Interesting discussion last night about how to keep cool using secure night time ventilation to make use of the lower temperatures overnight to dump heat, which is modelled in Passivhaus through the PHPP software and seems that the Building Regulations have finally caught up with the new Part O. Ideally as large as possible openings are required in all rooms, especially bedrooms and ideally with openings on top and bottom floors. But critically, openings need to be secure from unwanted guests and weather so rooflights with rain sensors are affective and ground floor windows with (aesthetically pleasing) louvres but it all needs to be carefully planned (another good reason for mandatory whole house plans across the board!).
No meeting in August as people are often away so hopefully see everyone on Wednesday 14th September.
13 July, 2022 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
Just a reminder it’s the AECB Brighton meetup tonight, WEDNESDAY 13th July 2022 from 6pm (but arrive whenever you wish) at the Lord Nelson at 36 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ED (very accessible from Brighton train station) on the ‘Upper Deck’ to allow better social distancing. Food is served until 7.50pm. We would ask people not to attend if they have any cold symptoms unless they are absolutely sure that they don’t have Covid (noting that the lateral flow tests dont seem to pick up Covid for the first couple of days of infection). (If it’s cold) pack your coat as we will be keeping a window open! As always, please bring your ideas, projects, drawing etc along for an informal discussion. All welcome and very much looking forward to seeing everyone!
12 July, 2022 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
Just a reminder it’s the AECB Brighton meetup tomorrow, WEDNESDAY 13th July 2022 from 6pm (but arrive whenever you wish) at the Lord Nelson at 36 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ED (very accessible from Brighton train station) on the ‘Upper Deck’ to allow better social distancing. Food is served until 7.50pm. We would ask people not to attend if they have any cold symptoms unless they are absolutely sure that they don’t have Covid (noting that the lateral flow tests dont seem to pick up Covid for the first couple of days of infection). (If it’s cold) pack your coat as we will be keeping a window open! As always, please bring your ideas, projects, drawing etc along for an informal discussion. All welcome and very much looking forward to seeing everyone!
12 June, 2022 | General, MVHR, MVHR maintenance
My endoscope inspection showed up significant build up of dust in the bathroom extract ductwork (and to a lesser extent in the ensuite extract). The kitchen extract has a filter which stops the dust but allowed grease to clog up the extract fan in the unit (and may well have been why the fan failed).
The industry doesn’t seem to be set up for domestic ventilation cleaning, so I decided to give it a go myself. I discounted the systems where you have to screw multiple sections of rod together and opted for a Wohler Mini Viper S which has a thin flexible rod housed on a roll, and a 70mm ‘PEK’ brush (to suit the 63mm ID of my ducting).
You have to be quite rough with the brush, and push and pull it through the duct run several times, (so it would be best to avoid joints if possible) but afterwards the ducts look as good as new.
I rigged up my vacuum cleaner with a connector made from online ventilation parts (with double gaskets to provide an airtight connection to the plenum box in the ceiling) which worked perfectly and no mess!
For my system, the amount of dust build up in the ducts is very definitely affected by the dust filter, or lack of one, to the room terminals. There is far less dust build up to the ensuite extract where I fitted a filter than to the bathroom. It would seem sensible to fit the filter to extend the duct cleaning maintenance interval, but the downside is the filters at the terminals need vacuuming monthly, which few users would tolerate, so practically probably best to leave the filters off and then accept the need to clean the ducts regularly, in my case every 3 years.
Interestingly, the noise level at the bathroom terminal has definitely dropped now that it is no longer clogged with dust and this does beg the question why the system wasn’t specified with 90mm OD ducting rather than the 75mm to lower noise and extend the maintenance interval.
The total cost of the parts was around £250 (and quite a few hours research), but now I’m set up the cleaning is fairly quick, and I suspect this may have already paid for itself or will have done so after the next clean in 3 years’ time.
Overall, after a far bit of research and set up, the cleaning was easy, but it does suggest that the domestic ventilation industry, from designers through to installers must ensure that a cleaning strategy is implemented throughout. Without cleaning my system would likely have been unusable within around 10 years and had I not designed in cleaning, would have caused a real problem.
9 June, 2022 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
Exciting to have such a varied crowd last night with lots of new and old faces, and the pub was so much quieter than in May. Next meeting WEDNESDAY 13 July 2022 from 6pm (but arrive whenever you wish) at the Lord Nelson at 36 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ED (very accessible from Brighton train station) on the ‘Upper Deck’ to allow better social distancing. Food is served until 7.50pm. We would ask everyone to only attend if they don’t have Covid, or indeed any cold symptoms unless they are absolutely sure that they don’t have Covid. Bring your coat as we will be keeping a window open! As always, please bring your ideas, projects, drawing etc along for an informal discussion. All welcome and very much looking forward to seeing everyone!
8 June, 2022 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
Just a reminder it’s the AECB Brighton meetup tonight WEDNESDAY 8th June 2022 from 6pm (but arrive whenever you wish) at the Lord Nelson at 36 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ED (very accessible from Brighton train station) on the ‘Upper Deck’ to allow better social distancing. Food is served until 7.50pm. We would ask people not to attend if they have any cold symptoms unless they are absolutely sure that they don’t have Covid (noting that the lateral flow tests dont seem to pick up Covid for the first couple of days of infection). Pack your coat as we will be keeping a window open! As always, please bring your ideas, projects, drawing etc along for an informal discussion. All welcome and very much looking forward to seeing everyone!
6 June, 2022 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
Just a reminder it’s the AECB Brighton meetup on WEDNESDAY 8th June 2022 from 6pm (but arrive whenever you wish) at the Lord Nelson at 36 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ED (very accessible from Brighton train station) on the ‘Upper Deck’ to allow better social distancing. Food is served until 7.50pm. We would ask people not to attend if they have any cold symptoms unless they are absolutely sure that they don’t have Covid (noting that the lateral flow tests dont seem to pick up Covid for the first couple of days of infection). Pack your coat as we will be keeping a window open! As always, please bring your ideas, projects, drawing etc along for an informal discussion. All welcome and very much looking forward to seeing everyone!
17 May, 2022 | For Sale | surplus, General, MVHR maintenance
Manufacturers make it difficult to repair things these days for a variety of reasons, a culture that must change as we move towards net zero. My Q350 fan motor repair was no different. It turns out that it was just two tiny bearings on the fan shaft which had failed and a local ‘Armature Winders’ R.W.Wilson replaced then for £150, avoiding scrapping the whole unit at £460 and the inevitable waste of materials and carbon. It took quite a bit of effort, but it should have been a standard repair. As a culture we have to design for longevity and easy repair.
12 May, 2022 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
Great meeting last night, lovely to see everone again! Next meeting WEDNESDAY 8 June 2022 from 6pm (but arrive whenever you wish) at the Lord Nelson at 36 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ED (very accessible from Brighton train station) on the ‘Upper Deck’ to allow better social distancing. Food is served until 7.50pm. We would ask everyone to only attend if they don’t have Covid, or indeed any cold symptoms unless they are absolutely sure that they don’t have Covid. Bring your coat as we will be keeping a window open! As always, please bring your ideas, projects, drawing etc along for an informal discussion. All welcome and very much looking forward to seeing everyone!
10 May, 2022 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
Just a reminder it’s the AECB Brighton meetup tomorrow, WEDNESDAY 11 May 2022 from the earlier time of (SIX) 6pm (but arrive whenever you wish) at the new venue Lord Nelson at 36 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ED (very accessible from Brighton train station) on the ‘Upper Deck’ to allow better social distancing. Food is served until 7.50pm. We would ask everyone to only attend if they don’t have Covid, or indeed any cold symptoms unless they are absolutely sure that they don’t have Covid. Bring your coat as we will be keeping a window open! As always, please bring your ideas, projects, drawing etc along for an informal discussion. All welcome and very much looking forward to seeing everyone!
3 May, 2022 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
To confirm the restarting of the AECB Brighton meetup on the new day of WEDNESDAY 11 May 2022 from the earlier time of (SIX) 6pm (but arrive whenever you wish) at the new venue Lord Nelson at 36 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ED (very accessible from Brighton train station) on the ‘Upper Deck’ to allow better social distancing. Food is served until 7.50pm. We would ask everyone to only attend if they don’t have Covid, or indeed any cold symptoms unless they are absolutely sure that they don’t have Covid. Bring your coat as we will be keeping a window open! As always, please bring your ideas, projects, drawing etc along for an informal discussion. All welcome and very much looking forward to seeing everyone!
1 May, 2022 | General, MVHR, MVHR maintenance
The realisation of a disconnected duct prompted a full investigation into the system, starting with the easy to access visible room terminals using a Depstech borescope. The borescope clearly showed that all the connections at the terminals were good but was inconclusive in determining if there was any issue at the other end with the manifold.
However, the borescope did clearly show significant build up of dust on the EXTRACT ducts, but the SUPPLY ducts were clean and the kitchen extract was only slightly dusty (I assume due to the kithcen greese filter). The ensuite had far less dust build up than the bathroom and as both have a similar air flow rate, I suspect that as the ensuite always had a black fleece filter fitted suggests these filters at the terminal are effective (as one would expect).
So after 5 years my extract ducts definitely need cleaning and arguably should have been cleaned earlier, so a 3 year maintenance interval looks appropriate. It would be reasonable to assume that there will likely be a multitude of ventilation systems across the UK with clogged ductwork and form my limited experience there doesn’t seem to be an awareness of this issue. The question then is how to clean the ductwork. Zehnder have just the kit but at over £1,600 it’s not a DIY product and there doesn’t seem to be an option to hire the equipment or specialist contractors to undertake this work. (Here’s a video showing what’s involved – view from 36min 40 seconds)
23 April, 2022 | General, MVHR, MVHR maintenance, Victorian 'EnerPHit'
My Zehnder Q350 MVHR was installed as part of a (partial) deep retrofit in 2017 so it’s about 5 years old. Firstly, the MVHR system has been amazing. Trickle vents don’t work, and opening windows just wastes heat and leads to poor comfort, but the MVHR means year round excellent indoor air quality and comfort, energy savings, and added benefits such as beiog able to keep windows shut when the neighbour has a party (or the seagulls are on your roof!) and also clothes dry quickly, sometimes overnight.
That said, maintenance of the MVHR system has been more involved than expected and in my case living in a city, the INTAKE filters need changing every 6 months, but the EXTRACT (which can be vacuumed) can last up to 12 – 18 months, so a total cost of about £50/year. The kitchen grease filter needs flipping over every month or so and changing every couple of months, but these are cheap. I had fitted the black fleece filters to the extract terminals in the bathroom and ensuite to reduce the dust making it to the EXTRACT filter in the unit, but these clog up fast and need vacuuming (at the very least monthly), so maybe best left off and keep a closer eye on the filter in the unit itself. The Q350 controller indicates when the filters in the unit need attention but no such alarm for the kitchen grease filter, whcih gets clogged quick and I suspect there are many systems out there, even in Passivhaus buildings, with blocked kitchen extracts.
You’re supposed to maintain the unit itself every couple of years, but I didn’t do this as everything looked good, i.e. the unit was using a similar amount of energy as when installed (just ~21W) and noise was normal, but then the EXTRACT fan failed. A new fan was £460 plus fitting (so not cheap) but when removed it was clear that even with a well maintained grease filter in the kitchen it had got pretty grimy, (although this may or may not have been the cause of it’s failure), but I’ll be maintaining the unit every 2 years from now on (perhaps a further £100 per year if undertaken by a third party).
The heat exchanger wasn’t too bad, just need a vacuum and a degrease to remove the fat from the kitchen
Two of the sensors on the unit had failed and were swapped out FOC by Zehnder.
So overall the cost of running an MVHR could be seen as similar to a gas bolier?
The kitchen has a recirculating cooker hood with the MVHR terminal nearby (as per Passivhaus doctrine) but in future (retrofit) projects I’ll consider ducting the cooker hood directly to the outside as it’s much more effective for removing smells and should go a long way to reducing the build-up on the (expensive) MVHR unit.
The kicker is that when rechecking the flow rates to the terminals, we noticed that one or two of the extract terminals couldn’t reach the desired flow rates and on inspection found that at least one duct had come away. This is a shame as the system was very carefully designed and installed. More on the resolution to this issue next time.
Maintenance by Carl Fivash of Eco Ventilation info@cfecoventilation.co.uk
22 April, 2022 | General
Dr. Suzy Nelson of the University of Westminster is conducting research on the extent to which difficulty in obtaining planning permission is an obstacle to the implementation of domestic retrofit projects. The research involves interviews with built environment professionals about their experience of obtaining planning permission to upgrade the fabric of homes to reduce energy demand and to install low carbon heating and solar panels. Interviews will be conducted via zoom and last between 30 and 45 minutes. If you are interested in participating in the research, please contact Suzy on nelsons@westminster.ac.uk.
19 April, 2022 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
After an aborted restart earlier in the year, the AECB Brighton Group meetings are back with a new day, time and location. Meetings will be the second WEDNESDAY of the month starting Wednesday 11 May 2022 from the earlier time of (SIX) 6pm (but arrive whenever you wish). We’ve moved venue to the Lord Nelson at 36 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ED (so still very accessible from Brighton train station) and have reserved the ‘Upper Deck’ space to allow better social distancing. Food is served until 7.50pm. We would ask everyone to only attend if they don’t have any Covid, or indeed any cold symptoms unless they are absolutely sure that they don’t have Covid. Bring your coat as we will be keeping a window open!
As always, please bring your ideas, projects, drawing etc along for an informal discussion. All welcome and very much looking forward to seeing everyone!
9 March, 2022 | For Sale | surplus, General
One of the fan motors in my Zehnder Q350 MVHR has died and so I urgently need a replacement but the leadtime for a new part from Zehnder is many many months. Can anyone help? Do you have an old unit somewhere or could I even borrow a fan from a unit not needed for a while? Any option considered and many thanks! The fan notor is formally ‘Motor scroll housing and fan for Zehnder ComfoAir Q350’ part number 400502005.
6 January, 2022 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
Very sorry to have to announce that the monthly meetings won’t in fact restart this month as the Lord Nelson pub has decided to temporarily close its doors for the first 2 weeks of January so the 12th cannot happen. With the current Covid situation it would seem wise to wait and see before scheduling another meeting, but we are looking at alternative arrangements.
8 December, 2021 | General, Oakhill Passivhaus, Passivhaus
The Passivhaus plaque is now installed
29 November, 2021 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
Just to confirm that there won’t be a Decemeber meeting, but looking forward to seeing everyone on Wednesday 12 January 2022 (details below)
16 November, 2021 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General
The AECB Brighton Group meetings are to restart (at long last!) from January but new day, time and location! Meetings will be the second WEDNESDAY of the month starting Wednesday 12 January 2022 from the earlier time of 6pm (but arrive whenever you wish) at Lord Nelson at 36 Trafalgar Street, Brighton BN1 4ED (so still vey accessible from Brighton train station). We have reserved the ‘Upper Deck’ space to allow better social distancing, and would ask everyone to take a covid test on the day and bring your coat as we will be keeping a window open!
As always, please bring your ideas, projects, drawing etc along for an informal discussion! Everyone very welcome
It would be good to have a relaunch do this December if anyone can think of a suitable (safe) venue? Maybe even outside!
4 November, 2021 | General, Oakhill Passivhaus, Passivhaus, Projects
Oakhill Passivhaus in Mayfield, Sussex has just received Passivhaus certification with an airtigthness of 0.22 ACH. One more building providing super low energy consumption and excellent comfort and occupant health. Congratulations to all involved – Koru Architects, MBC timber frame, Object Assemble main contractors, Etude Passivhaus certifiers, Enhabit M&E, Jim Miller design Passivhaus consultants and of course the homeowners for their tireless dedication without which the project would never have happened.
DCIM100MEDIADJI_0419.JPG
9 June, 2021 | Deep retrofit, EnerPHit, Events, General, Passivhaus
The 2021 IHBC online Summer School, “Historic Places – People Places” is on 17th and 18th of June and but Individual sessions are available for just £12 per session. See the programme here. To book a single session go to Booking and enter the discount code SINGLE. Jo Saady will be chairing the session on Thursday 17th June (11.00-12.30 BST) entitled Retrofit in Practise with local passivhaus designer Jim Miller followed by Harry Paticas MBE of ‘Retrofit in Action for Tomorrow’. The session ends with a 30min Q&A session so expect a heated debate on the hard face where sustainability meets heritage!
5 March, 2021 | Deep retrofit, Events, General, Materials
APU webinar now confirmed 3pm (GMT) Thursday 11 March. Still time to register your interest with Peter.Joerimann@apu.ch (and cc me if you would) and let him know if you’d like to receive samples in the post.
25 February, 2021 | Deep retrofit, General, Victorian 'EnerPHit'
6 years on from my ‘exemplar’ woodfibre external wall insulation (EWI) project and hairline cracks have appeared at the bottom of the reveals, just above the sills, mainly to the more exposed windows. The cracks run along the edge of the window reveal bead and the render has been weathered away where it is thinly applied over the plastic. The solution would appear to be a more robust reveal bead which allows more movement and also a thicker render coat at this critical point. The render bead was specified by NBT back in 2014 but there are better solutions available such as APU.
The installer is no longer trading and there seems no facility for redress through the (2014) Green Deal Home Improvement Fund who contributed £6,000. The insulation system was Diffutherm by Pavatex with Baumit Nanopor render all provided by NBT who are now owned by Soprema and who no longer support historical NBT projects, so there’s nobody left to offer support – a situation the industry can’t repeat too often if it wants to avoid poor public perception.
The repair was actually quick and easy, simply removing any lose render with a screw driver and brush and then applying Sikaflex EBT (kindly suggested by Chris at Back to Earth). I guess the system will need keeping an eye one and likely to need minor maintenance every so often which is the case with a traditional rendered wall, but it does highlight the increased maintenance required. An EWI system needs to last decades and ideally 60 years or more (with periodic ‘recoating’) to be truly sustainable and it would be interesting to see whole life costs (both monetarily and in terms of carbon).
Another issue has been mould growth during the colder months (which clears up in the summer) but does suggest that the silicate render specified by NBT (due to its high breathability) may not have been the optimum solution and a silicone product may be more suitable. EWI limits heat escaping and so the render is colder than for a traditional sand cement render applied directly to the masonry which may result in more mould growth and the granulated surface to the EWI may also attract more dirt – there are certainly many examples of tired looking EWI systems.
That said, the EWI works fantastically well in keeping the building warm and comfortable and I wouldn’t be without it.
24 February, 2021 | Deep retrofit, Events, Fenestration, General, Materials
External wall insulation (EWI) is likely to be one of the corner stones of the retrofit drive to reach zero carbon but requires careful detailing. One of the most critical elements is the reveal bead which seals the EWI to the window frame but many systems seem to rely on basic components potentially increasing the risk of failure. APU (often used as a generic name for reveal beads) are market leaders and will be discussing how to specify this critical item during a free webinar, open to all. Please register your interest with Peter.Joerimann@apu.ch (and cc me if you wopuld) and let him know if you’d like to receive samples in the post (which will greatly assist understanding during the webinar). The date of the webinar is TBC but will be in early March. Worthwhile waching this video which shows how the expanding foam tape allows greater movement.
6 January, 2021 | General, Listed building deep retrofit
More photos of the now completed deep retrofit to Passivhaus principles of this listed building in Hove, Sussex
Photos by Edward Bishop (www.edwardbishop.me)
13 November, 2020 | General
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11 November, 2020 | General, Listed building deep retrofit
Some preliinary photos showing the dark zinc cladding to the link and larch cladding to the rotunda with aluminium liners to the windows
Photos by Edward Bishop (www.edwardbishop.me)
26 October, 2020 | For Sale | surplus, General, Materials
Free to collect form Hove a bag of Foamglas bits, contact Dan on 07776 213922
7 September, 2020 | General, Listed building deep retrofit
The larch rainscreen cladding is looking fantastic and really emphasis the window liners. The larch is untreated and will naturally silver grey over the next year or so.
13 August, 2020 | General, Listed building deep retrofit
The dark grey zinc with variable panel width now clads the link and the battens (all to be painted black) are being installed on the rotunda to receive the timber cladding. The one piece metal liners are also visible to the rotunda windows.
Photos by Edward Bishop (www.edwardbishop.me)
10 June, 2020 | General, Listed building deep retrofit
The Warmcel insulation was pumped into the walls this week. It’s always great to see a mountain of insulation on site especially as it’s recycled newspaper and will sequester carbon for decades to come. Devana insulation were great and even took a core sample to check the insulation density to avoid any risk of slump.
28 May, 2020 | General, Listed building deep retrofit
Works have started back on site and the airtightness layer is now complete. Above ground the taped OSB forms the airtightness layer including airtight boxes to house the lighting in the ceiling and battens to the wall to provide a service void and safeguard the airtightness layer. It was impossible to extend the airtightness on the ground floor with the airtightness on the first floor (i.e. through the intermediate floor) due to complicated structure and steelwork so instead, each room (on the ground and the first floors) are separate airtight ‘boxes’ but it does make detailing complicated! Below ground (in the basement) the foil face of the wall insulation acts as the air and vapour control layer and is taped to the Foamglas to the ceiling. The wall insulation is mechanically restrained by simple timber offcuts to prevent the insulation moving and straining the airtightness tapes.
Photos by Edward Bishop (www.edwardbishop.me)
4 May, 2020 | General, MVHR, Ventilation
MVHR maintenance is often overlooked and is more involved than most people realise and is critical to keeping the system low energy, quiet and long lasting. All installations really need a user guide, perhaps something like this (happy to forward file to anyone who wishes to tweek it for their own purposes)
1 May, 2020 | General, Ventilation
The Passivhaus Trust have published an article dispelling the myth that mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) should only be installed in airtight properties and confirming anecdotal evidence that MVHR reduces energy consumption and improves air quality, even in more leaky buildings and retrofits.
16 March, 2020 | General, Listed building deep retrofit
The tour of the lodge on Saturday was very well received with lots of interest in the Internorm HV350 windows with integral blinds for solar control which are a fantastic piece of kit. If you missed it and want to be on the tour once works are complete later in the year, then get in touch
10 March, 2020 | AECB | BSBM meeting, General, Listed building deep retrofit
The tour this Saturday (14th) has been extended to include the Listed Lodge itself, which has exemplar secondary glazing and MVHR. Checkout the blog so far. Booking essential through jim@jimmillerdesign.co.uk
3 March, 2020 | General, Listed building deep retrofit
In the basement the timber studwork is being installed which supports the wall coverings and services but also provides an additional mechanical restraint to the insulation (which has been fitted without mechanical fixings to reduce cold bridging and condensation risk). Above ground the twin wall timber studwork is now complete with an external layer of woodfibre board which is fully breathable (making the wall build up robust and low risk) and will restrain the pumped insulation in due course.
Photos by Edward Bishop (www.edwardbishop.me)
2 March, 2020 | Edwardian deep retrofit, General
The Diathonite Thermactive insulating plaster was applied to bare brickwork in 5 coats over 5 days totalling 100mm thick (by a plasterer in the same way as any plaster), the coving remade in plaster and then a specialist lime top coat applied. The wall is now insulated but completely breathable so there is little or no risk of moisture build up within the wall and the thermal mass is retained. Due to the cork the thermal conductivity of the plaster is a very repsectable 0.037 W/mK (so similar to other insulations) and at 100mm thick reduces the thermal thermal transmittance (U value) from around 2 to 0.3 W/m2K (so an 85% reduction). It’s a fantastic solution and product, perhaps one way forward for rolling out mass retrofit, the only downside is it takes a long time to fully dry (perhaps a year!) and is not the cheapest of solutions, but if we want truly sustainable, i.e. low risk and long lasting solutions it’s definitely a leading way forward.
1 March, 2020 | AECB | BSBM meeting, Events, General, Listed building deep retrofit
We’re now about half way through the deep retrofit to the Listed Lodge to Passivhaus principles and it’s a great opportunity to look at the construction before everything gets covered up. Above ground there’s a twin stud wall with a cellulose based breathable build up, Internorm triple plus 1 fenestration with integral solar control and discussion on airtightness & overheating strategy. In the basement there’s an interesting solution to wall insulation, Foamglas to the soffit and MVHR ventilation throughout. Checkout the blog so far. The tour will take place Saturday 14th March at 11am. Booking essential through jim@jimmillerdesign.co.uk
31 January, 2020 | General, Listed building deep retrofit
Above ground the rotunda walls are being formed with a twin wall timber studwork creating a 350mm wide cavity ready for insulating, and plywood lines for the windows
Below ground in the basement the insulation is being bonded to the waterproofing membrane rather than being screwed to remove the fixings altogether and so eliminate the cold bridging (& simplify the works). Any risk of the insulation moving or will be negated once the free standing timber studwork is installed. Obviously a shame to use oil based insulation, but below ground it is perhaps more robust as the waterprofing membrane is fairly air and vapour tight, definitely cheaper, provides an integral vapour control layer and thermal mass is not a benefit in this situation.
Photos by Edward Bishop (www.edwardbishop.me)
10 January, 2020 | General, Listed building deep retrofit
Works have commenced above ground by stripping out the two storey rotunda, which was only built in 2012 but was so poorly designed and detailed it couldn’t reach a comfortable temperature in winter, massively overheated for the rest of the year (sometimes both on the same day!), and was totally unusable as bedroom due to the 360 degree glazing and no openable windows. The airtightness was an almost criminal 17 ACH but being an extension means this doesn’t contravene the Building Regulations. The world can’t keep building rubbish like this if we want to have any hope of mitigating the climate crisis.
Photos by Edward Bishop (www.edwardbishop.me)
11 December, 2019 | Events, General, Listed building deep retrofit
I’m planning a tour of the deep retrofit of a Listed Building in Hove sometime in the New Year when there should be lots to see before all the works are covered up. Period secondary glazing and MVHR to the Lodge, retrofit waterproofing and insulation to the basement, rebuild of the link and rotunda with MVHR throughout and all to Passivhaus principles. Can you let me if you’d be interested and if a weekday lunchtime tour would make sense.
2 December, 2019 | Deep retrofit, General, Listed building deep retrofit
The listed Lodge was remodelled in 2012 along with a massive extension including glazed link, rotunda, basement, garage and indoor and outdoor pools. Although works were only completed around 2012 there were so many issues with the oringinal design and implementation that Jim Miller Design were appointed to rethink the entire project from scratch. The lodge itself has already benefitted from secondary glazing and a whole house ventilation system (MVHR) but It’s taken 4 years of painstaking investigation and planning to get to a position to be able to commence with rebuilding the extension.
The basement alone is 100m2 and was built without adequate waterproofing or insulation to the walls! The photos show the cavity drain membrane system applied to the walls and the Foamglas insulation to the soffit (ceiling). Foamglas is installed with bitumen creating a completely impervious layer, which is critical in this unusual situation and will last for decades so meeting the ‘Do it once and do it right’ mantra.
Photos by Edward Bishop (www.edwardbishop.me)
16 March, 2018 | General, Listed building deep retrofit
My favourite builders go that extra mile to gain access!
14 April, 2016 | General
Anil is an architect whose condition report service has some key differences from the normal surveyor’s homebuyer survey. He loves to crawl all over a building and report on its idiosyncrasies, but will also do desktop research on planning history or the historic building context. He will also comment on design possibilities and the likely cost of alterations, including if appropriate, energy efficiency improvements. Having this information provides purchasers with some key insights at the front end of their process, and also this may initiate an ongoing design process following purchase completion
31 October, 2015 | General
Please help support the Brighton Earthship
30 April, 2015 | General
I’m looking for someone to assist with the preparation of drawings and visualisations for sustainable architectural projects within traveling distance of Hove. Possible software might be AutoCAD/SketchUP/Revit. Projects are mainly domestic retrofits and new builds.
6 January, 2015 | General
Local Brighton Spainish Architect looking for a break – can anyone help? Happy to work for free! Jose Maria Pamo 07926 678 388.
17 October, 2014 | General
Another great conference. People are now taking about the costs of building to Passivhaus coming down and many examples of no increased cost. Time for the government and industry to get on board? Seems like the PHPP internal heat gains modelling is a bit wonky especially for smaller properties which needs addressing.
22 January, 2014 | General
Revolutionary technology could transform traditional construction methods and reduce the cost of home-owning
11 July, 2013 | General
Brighton and Hove Council have just formally adopted a Supplementary Planning Document (SPG12) for the purposes o determining planning applications. Worth a look.
13 February, 2013 | General
Some welcome new blood at last night’s meeting; a solar installer, software programmer and a builder. We looked over plans for an eco garden office and discussed solar installations and controlling and integrating the many systems within a modern low energy build.
Next meeting is Tuesday 12th March at 7pm, Battle of Trafalgar, 34 Guildford Road, BN1 3LW. All Welcome. Please get in touch if you wish to join the mailing list
