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Montgomery Primary School classroom
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The 450-pupil school opened in November 2011, and has now been certified due to research carried out by the University of Bath. The Exeter-based school is expected to be fit for purpose until at least 2080.
Two other schools in England received Passivhaus certification on the same day. However, only Montgomery Primary School can claim to be a zero-carbon school.
Passivhaus buildings aim to give extremely high levels of thermal performance, achieved through the use of materials such as triple glazed windows, super insulation and heat reclamation. Exponents claim it is the fastest growing energy performance standard in the world, with over 30,000 buildings constructed so far.
Professor David Coley, of the university’s Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, first designed a zero carbon Passivhaus school on paper over twenty years ago. His vision was realised because of the enthusiasm of Devon County Council and the Department for Education.
Professor Coley said: “I have been carrying out research into Passivhaus technology for over twenty years, and in that time I have seen the technique grow in use outside the UK, especially in Germany where over 20,000 buildings have been realised.”
The power required by the school is taken from photo-voltaic panels on the roof which provide heat and power. Zero-carbon use is maintained by reducing the amount of heat and power required to run the building, through only allowing low-energy use appliances, preventing the loss of heat from the building through super-insulation and by using the heat generated by the occupants’ bodies. Professor Coley’s preparation for the school involved studies of the Met Office’s weather predictions for the next seventy years.
He said: “Montgomery Primary School is essentially an unheated building. It isn’t a sealed box, as the comfort of the users is paramount; however the heat in the air leaving the building through ventilation channels is harvested and used to warm the fresh air coming in. There is some heat loss, but this is made up for by the occupation of the building by the heat from the pupils and staff.
“Passivhaus principles allow a maximum amount of energy to be used in a building - usually about ten per cent of a typical modern building. In this school we’re beating that - and all the energy being used is generated by renewable means.”
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