Panel Questions
I conduct research
Recently I received a message from one of my Substack subscribers (thanks Suzie!) who reported that she’d been driving behind a builders’ van bearing this legend:
Eclipse: Passive house builder. Prefabricated. Healthy & high performance homes.
She made a note of the name and let me know, and I immediately added Eclipse to our list of possible builders and/or suppliers of SIP panels. A big plus – they’re located in Sydney! The panel factory is out at Seven Hills.
Eclipse Passive House Panel factory [source]
Turns out Eclipse don’t make “SIPs” as such, but their own kind of panel. They also don’t merely supply the panels—they build the house. Interesting!
Here’s what their website has to say:
When we prefabricate the building envelope (floor, walls and roof panels) of your home or renovation in our factory-controlled conditions, we can ensure precision manufacturing, predictable delivery time frames and quality control that is guaranteed to meet Passive House performance standards.
Our prefabricated building system is what is called closed panel. This means that the floor, wall and roof panels are fully insulated, membrane covered, airtight and watertight straight out of the factory.
Our prefabricated building system is fully compliant with the National Construction Code (NCC) and with the Australian Standard for Timber Framed Construction (AS 1684.2)
Eclipse panels in the factory [source]
I ask some questions
I thought you might enjoy reading the email exchange I had with these suppliers. Admire my knowledgeable questions! Learn along with me!
Dear Eclipse
This is an initial enquiry for a building project I’m undertaking – a single level residential house (260 sq m) in Normanhurst, Sydney. My goal is to build it as a Passivhaus, and I’d love to achieve Passivhaus certification. I’m working with architects, and the design is custom. We are awaiting DA approval from Hornsby Council (should issue soon), and are seeking estimates from suppliers of SIPs as well as builders.
I was pleased to find a manufacturer and supplier of suitable pre-fab panels located in Sydney, both for logistical reasons and also to reduce the environmental footprint of transportation. It would also be great to source from a supplier who understands the regulatory building processes in NSW.
I have read your website. Before I ask my architects to seek a formal quote from you, could you answer a few preliminary questions?
So far so good! Here’s their response:
Thanks for the enquiry.
We are a fully licenced builder and typically undertake the full build on projects we are involved with in Sydney.
We manufacture and install a building envelope system that achieves Passive House. Nobody else can provide this, as such, we are involved early in projects with clients and their design team to ensure the best match for our system. We are not just a supplier of a product and don’t provide estimates to compare against SIPs or other builders.
The panels go in [source]
My questions ANSWERED:
1. Your panels: How do your panels differ from SIPs? What are they made of? Do you use OSB? Are any of the components imported? I understand you provide the panels already wrapped/moisture-proofed – is that correct? OUR SYSTEM IS TIMBER FRAMES, HAS OSB SHEET BRACING, IS FULLY INSULATED AND IS FULLY WRAPPED
2. R value: Your website quotes U values for walls and roof panels. Can you quote the R values (for ease of comparison with other panels)? R VALUES ARE NOT RELEVANT FOR PASSIVE HOUSE*
*if you’re interested in this, check here. The U value of products refers to the heat loss through building elements. The R value represents the thermal resistance of the building elements. Personally, I’m letting this one go through to the keeper for now.
3. Floors: We are looking into possibly insulating the concrete slab rather than using a panel floor (to possibly save costs, and reduce steps up into the house). Could we expect good results in terms of Passivhaus sealing, or are there reasons to go with a panel floor? WE HAVE BUILT PROJECTS WITH A CONCRETE SLAB AND OUR TIMBER FLOOR SYSTEM. WE HAVE ACHIEVED PASSIVE HOUSE WITH BOTH SYSTEMS
An ‘Eclipse’ panel [source]
4. Windows: The fact that you can factory-fit Passivhaus compliant windows is very attractive. Do you source from a particular supplier or suppliers? Can you work with a supplier we source? We have a number of floor-to-ceiling windows. Can these be factory-fitted? WE IMPORT WINDOWS FROM GERMANY. GENERALLY FULL HEIGHT DOORS NEED TO BE SITE FITTED
5. External Cladding: Are there any restrictions or special requirements around external cladding used with your panels? Can you advise any weight limits on what can be attached to the panels? (E.g. we plan some stone veneer). ANY CLADDING IS SITE FITTED AND WE HAVE NO LIMIT ON THE TYPE OF CLADDING
6. Construction: I understand from your website that you can provide builders to install the panels (with the remainder of the build completed by builders we retain). This is very attractive—please confirm. Can you recommend Passivhaus-enthusiast builders in the Sydney area? WE CARRY OUT THE BUILDING WORKS FOR MOST OF OUR PROJECTS IN SYDNEY
7. Engineering: Do you supply in-house the engineering for the building (needed for NSW construction certification) or do you out-source it? WE WORK WITH A STRUCTURAL ENGINEER WHO UNDERSTANDS OUR SYSTEM
8. Garden studio: Our plans include a detached garden studio of 23 sq m. The design is a simple square. Would you suggest looking at your ‘Eclipse Efficient’ range for this, to save some costs? YES, POTENTIALLY SO
*Their ‘Eclipse Efficient’ system is for small non-custom designs, so cheaper
Next steps: over to the architects, to add this name to the list of builders and suppliers who may provide quotes or tenders for the project. Here’s a nice-looking Passive House from Eclipse to inspire us:
An Eclipse passive House project [source]