A Passive House is only as good as the people who build it. The design sets the target, but whether a home actually hits it comes down to what happens on site: how the airtight layer is formed, how windows are fitted and how carefully every pipe and cable is sealed where it passes through.
If you are planning a low-energy home in Leeds or anywhere in Yorkshire, here is what we would ask any builder before signing a contract, including us.
1. Have they delivered a certified Passive House?
Plenty of builders describe their work as energy efficient. Far fewer have taken a home through formal certification, where the design is modelled and the finished building is independently checked.
Ask for a certified project you can look at. Ours is Bebington in Weetwood, North Leeds, a new build designed by LEDA that was certified to the Passive House Plus standard in June 2025. We are also members of the Passivhaus Trust.
2. What were their airtightness results?
Airtightness is the clearest measure of build quality on a Passive House. The standard requires no more than 0.6 air changes per hour when the building is tested at 50 pascals. A builder who has done this before should be able to tell you their actual results without looking them up.
At Bebington the final test came in at 0.42 air changes per hour. We explain what that number means in more detail in our guide to airtightness.
3. When do they test?
A single test at the end tells you whether the house passed. It does not give anyone a chance to fix a leak that is already behind plasterboard. Ask whether the builder runs a test before the internal finishes go on, so problems can be found and sealed while they are still accessible.
4. How early do they want to be involved?
Passive House is decided at the drawing board. Thermal bridges, window positions, service routes and the line of the airtight layer all need to be worked out before anyone orders materials. A good Passive House builder will want to talk to you and your architect early, not just price a finished set of drawings.
5. Who does the work?
On a Passive House, one careless trade can undo weeks of careful work. Ask who will actually be on site, how the airtight layer is protected once it is in, and who is responsible for checking each stage. On our projects the same team carries the detail through from groundworks to second fix.
6. Can they help if your project is a retrofit?
Not every low-energy project is a new build. If you are upgrading an existing house, the retrofit standard is EnerPHit, and the approach is different. Our article on whether EnerPHit makes sense for your renovation covers the options.
Talk to us early
We build Passive House, EnerPHit-style retrofits and high-performance extensions across Leeds, Harrogate, York and the surrounding areas. If you are at the planning or design stage, get in touch and we will tell you honestly what your project needs. You can also read more about our Passive House work in Leeds.
