What is a Passive House?

A building standard that is truly energy efficient, comfortable, affordable and ecological at the same time.

Passive House is not a brand name, but a construction concept that can be applied by anyone and that has stood the test of practice.

Yet, a Passive House is more than just a low-energy building.

Passive Houses allow for energy savings of up to 90% compared with typical central European buildings and over 75% compared with average new constructions. In terms of heating oil, Passive Houses use less than 1.5 litres per square meter of living space per year – far less than typical low-energy buildings. Similar energy savings have been demonstrated in warm climates where buildings require more energy for cooling than for heating.

Passive Houses are also praised for their high level of comfort. They use energy sources inside the building such as the body heat from the residents or solar heat entering the building – making heating a lot easier.

Special windows and a building shell consisting of highly insulated exterior walls, roof and floor slab keep the desired warmth in the house – or undesirable heat out.

A ventilation system consistently supplies fresh air making for superior air quality without causing any unpleasant draughts. A highly efficient heat recovery unit allows for the heat contained in the exhaust air to be re-used.

The vast energy savings in Passive Houses are achieved by using especially energy efficient building components and a quality ventilation system: There is absolutely no cutting back on comfort; instead the level of comfort is considerably increased (see Comfort).

Passive Houses save energy and reduce greenhouse gases - not just a little but a great deal. And these savings do not only exist on paper but also in real life. This diagram shows the consumption values measured in low-energy houses and in Passive House estates.

The Passive Houses Standard is a sustainable construction standard, and the Resolution of the European Parliament of 31 Januar 2008 calls for its implementation by all member states by 2011. On 17 November 2009 the European Parliament and the Council fixed 2020 as a deadline for all new buildings to be nearly zero energy buildings.

Source: http://passipedia.passiv.de/passipedia_en/basics/what_is_a_passive_house