Houses built using the PassivHaus principles can save up to 90% on fuel bills.

An energy efficient house in West Yorkshire based on the German PassivHaus design will have fuel bills of just £70 a year according to the Green Building Store.

The house is currently under construction, but when complete, will become the most energy-efficient home in Britain.

The PassivHaus system, upon which the house is designed, relies on insulation, air-tightness and orientation towards the sun to cut its energy needs.

Warmth is generated from the sun, body heat and ‘white goods’, and a mechanical heat recovery system is used to maintain air quality.  

The design was created by the Green Building Store in Huddersfield, which is also managing the build process.

Project manager Bill Butcher told The Daily Mail: “You can buy a PassivHaus flat pack from Germany, but the materials are completely different. They use a solid wall and stick polystyrene insulation on the outside of the house.

“They don’t fit into the local streetscape here, builders aren’t familiar with them and planning can be an issue. This PassivHaus is the first to be built using British construction methods with blockwork, a cavity wall and stone cladding.

“We use the PassivHaus principles and what’s important is quality control and detailing on site. Everything has to be monitored from beginning to end to make sure there are no gaps.”

PassivHaus dwellings typically achieve an energy saving of 90% compared to existing housing, and in Europe so far more than 7,000 houses with a wide variety of designs have been built according to PassivHaus principles.

The three-bedroom property is being built for Geoff and Kate Tunstall in Denby Dale, Huddersfield, who travelled to Austria to see the energy-saving homes in the flesh. With a British twist, theirs is being built in the back garden for just £140,000 and should be finished by February 2010.

For more information, visit the PassivHaus website.