Maintenance

Many different materials can be used for insulation, including rock wool, glass wool, sheep's wool, cellulose, polystyrene and straw bales, among others. Find out how they compare in terms of performance and cost.

For serious plumbing emergencies you'll need a plumber, but there's still quite a bit you can do yourself in terms of maintaining your sink and taps, or even in terms of unclogging a blocked sink.

The main purpose of passive design is to reduce the need for artificial heating and cooling - which often requires a lot of energy. Find out more about climate control measures for passively designed houses.