Passive House & Low Energy Homes
Specialist design and build for passive house and low energy homes in South Wales. Tess Construction combines ICF construction with airtight detailing to achieve outstanding energy performance.
Passive House & Low Energy Construction
What is Passive House?
Passive House (Passivhaus) is a rigorous, voluntary standard for energy efficiency in buildings. Homes built to this standard require little energy for heating or cooling, achieving exceptional comfort through superior insulation, airtightness, and controlled ventilation. As ICF specialists, we are ideally placed to deliver passive house builds.
ICF for Passive House Performance
Insulated Concrete Formwork is one of the most effective construction methods for achieving Passivhaus and EnerPHit targets. The continuous insulation and concrete thermal mass combine to create a highly stable, airtight envelope — reducing heating demand and eliminating cold bridging.
MVHR & Airtight Detailing
Achieving passive house performance requires meticulous attention to airtightness at every junction. We work with mechanical ventilation and heat recovery (MVHR) engineers to ensure your home is properly ventilated without sacrificing thermal efficiency. Every detail is considered from the outset.
EnerPHit Retrofit
EnerPHit is the Passivhaus Institute’s standard for the refurbishment of existing buildings. If you are looking to significantly improve the energy performance of your existing home, we can work with your design team to develop a phased or whole-house retrofit strategy to achieve EnerPHit certification.
Ready to discuss your project?
Get in touch with the Tess Construction team today for a free consultation.