CIH Scotland raises concerns with plans for Scottish equivalent to Passivhaus standard

The Scottish Government has committed to introducing a Scottish equivalent to Passivhaus standard for all new build homes. The first of two consultations (which closed on Wednesday 23 October) seeks to set out the general principles for a Scottish standard with a second consultation to follow in the new year considering technical specifications.

Passivhaus standard was developed in Germany and focusses on delivering buildings with very low energy demand, reducing emissions and keeping fuel bills low. It is a voluntary standard but there are examples of Passivhaus developments across Scotland in the private and social housing sectors. It is estimated that building to Passivhaus standard adds between four to eight per cent to the cost of each home.

The Scottish Government proposes introducing a new voluntary equivalent standard from 2026 with mandatory implementation from 2028.

Ashley Campbell, policy and practice manager at CIH Scotland said:

“We fully support efforts to improve the standard of new homes and welcome alignment of standards across tenures. Everyone should be able to expect the same high standards regardless of whether they are a private tenant, a social tenant or a homeowner.

“However, we have significant concerns about the potential costs associated with delivering this new standard and the impact this could have on a sector that is already struggling to build the new homes we need.

“The Scottish Government has declared a national housing emergency, acknowledging significant housing pressures across the country. The latest homelessness statistics show more households coming into the system and new build statistics show housebuilding in decline across the private and social sector. Inflationary costs continue to pose challenges, the affordable housing supply budget has been cut and some social landlords have already withdrawn from new development.

“We would urge the Scottish Government to think carefully about the timing of any new standards which could have a negative impact on new housing delivery or provide reassurance as to how any additional development costs will be covered.”