What is Passive House?
Imagine a house heated primarily by the sun that uses 90% less energy than a similar conventional building. A durable house with excellent indoor air quality, an abundance of natural light, and is truly affordable. A house that is nearly carbon neutral and can be made energy independent with the addition of a small active power system such as wind or solar. That is Passive House – The future of building and home design.
Passive House is not just for houses! To date, between 15,000 and 20,000 buildings of all varieties including houses, offices, schools, and supermarkets have been Passive House certified. The vast majority are houses. Aesthetically, Passive House can be built to suit any style including historic, traditional and contemporary. The largest collections of Passive House standard buildings exist in Germany and Europe. The standard does, however, have a few noteworthy houses completed or under construction in the United States and certified by the Passive House Institute US (PHIUS). Passive House certification is completely voluntary, has a low cost, and there are no penalties for failure to achieve the requirements.
Hallmarks of a Passive House include:
- Proper site orientation
- A highly insulated envelope
- Nearly airtight construction
- Properly placed insulated glazing
- A small, efficient mechanical system
- Ventilation with 100% outside air
- A thoughtful internal space layout.
Together these features minimize energy losses year round and produce a very thermally comfortable indoor environment. In the winter, glazed openings on the south facing side of the building allow low winter sun to gently heat a home. A small heater, with roughly the power of a hairdryer, adds supplemental heat only as required. In the summer, glazing is shaded by mechanical louvers or vegetation and a small air conditioner cools the interior. Passive House systems are designed to function in a variety of climates, even extreme weather locations.
Passive House is the most effective means to design and build comfortable, healthy, durable, sustainable and energy efficient buildings at an affordable cost. Whether your motivation is to be a steward of the environment, to save substantially on your energy bills, or to build a high quality home, choosing Passive House shows leadership and foresight.
Visit our technical article on Passive House for more in depth information regarding the requirements, history, and strategy of Passive House.
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