Building performance, compared honestly.
A growing engineering knowledge base — written and reviewed by a Certified Passive House Designer — that explains how diagnostic methods, retrofit options and building-physics decisions genuinely differ. No marketing, just the building science you need to choose well.
Why these comparisons matter
Most building-performance mistakes are decision mistakes: the wrong test for the question, the wrong fix for the damp, a heat pump sized onto unimproved fabric. Each comparison sets out what each option actually does, the building physics behind it, the common misconceptions, and what a Certified Passive House Designer would recommend in real situations — so you can spend money where it counts.
Featured comparisons
Thermal Imaging vs Blower Door Testing
Read comparisonBlower Door vs Smoke Testing for Air Leakage
Read comparisonCondensation vs Penetrating Damp vs Rising Damp
Read comparisonInternal vs External Wall Insulation
Read comparisonBuilding Performance Diagnostic vs a Standard Survey
Read comparisonThermal Imaging vs Heat Loss Survey
Read comparisonThermal Imaging vs a Damp Survey
Read comparisonBlower Door Test vs EPC
Read comparisonCondensation vs Rising Damp
Read comparisonPassive House vs Building Regulations
Read comparisonBuilding Physics Assessment vs a Standard Survey
Read comparisonInvestigation-led Retrofit vs Build First, Diagnose Later
Read comparisonPIR vs Mineral Wool Insulation
Read comparisonMVHR vs MEV (Mechanical Extract Ventilation)
Read comparisonHeat Pump Readiness: Fabric-First vs System-First
Read comparisonHeat Pump Sizing: Room-by-Room vs Rule of Thumb
Read comparisonDesign Heat Loss vs EPC Heat Demand
Read comparisonWhole-House vs Single-Measure Retrofit
Read comparisonBrowse by category
Every RetrofitIQ service has its own comparison cluster, growing over time.
Building Performance Diagnostics
How whole-house diagnostic surveys compare to traditional surveys, and how the core investigation methods differ.
Thermal Imaging
Where infrared thermography helps, where it doesn't, and how it compares to other diagnostic tools.
Blower Door & Airtightness
Airtightness testing, air-leakage detection and what the numbers actually mean for your home.
Damp & Moisture
Telling condensation, penetrating damp and rising damp apart — and why the diagnosis dictates the fix.
Building Physics
Modelling, calculation and assessment methods that predict how a building really performs.
Passive House
Passive House and EnerPHit standards, certification routes and design decisions, compared.
Retrofit & Insulation
Insulation strategies and retrofit approaches compared on a fabric-first, moisture-safe basis.
Ventilation & Indoor Air Quality
Ventilation strategies that protect health and the building fabric, compared like for like.
Soundproofing & Acoustics
Airborne vs impact noise, and which acoustic build-ups actually work in real homes.
Heat Loss
U-values, thermal bridging and the metrics that explain where a home loses heat.
Heat Pumps
Heat pump readiness, fabric-first sequencing and system choices, assessed objectively.
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