Passive House: Is It Good?

A Passive House — known in Europe as a Passivhaus — is a type of energy-efficient building invented in the 1990s by Bo Adamson and Wolfgang Feist. Through their pilot project in 1989 and the subsequent creation of the Passivhaus Institute in Germany in 1996, became an architectural design that minimizes energy consumption.

These designs can be built using a variety of materials, from concrete to wood frames. The physics involved in making the design allows for minimal cost and energy demand without compromising comfort.

 

5 Principles of A Passive House

1. Continuous Thermal Insulation

It is surrounded by continuous thermal insulation, which means it will be warm during cold days and cool during hot days.

2. Airtightness

This building design has an airtight layer to protect itself from moisture, keep a stable temperature, and prevent unwanted, dirty air from seeping into the house.

3. Mechanical Ventilation

Although airtight, it does not mean there is no air circulation. Uses a mechanical ventilation and heat recovery (MVHR) system to redistribute air and heat.

4. High-Performance Windows and Doors

This design does have windows and doors. However, they are not your usual windows and doors.

The windows and doors are dedicated to keeping the heat and airflow system in place. Sealed windows and doors are helpful to keep moisture leakage while their insulated frame keeps thermal energy.

5. Thermal Bridge-Free

A thermal bridge is a fault in a building’s element that makes heat leaks. Ceramic floors that continue outside and leak heat, uninsulated door frames, and protruding metals are some examples of thermal bridges.

The construction of this design ensures that no thermal bridge is available. Without thermal bridges, heat circulation is maintained, therefore energy-efficient. 

 

4 Advantages of a Passive House

1. Healthy and comfortable

A Passive House is the epitome of health and comfort. The air circulation is clean, and the temperature is comfortable at all times. The addition of natural sunlight brings more healthiness to the table.

2. Energy-efficient

This design is known to be energy efficient, due to the effective circulation of heat and air, rendering electricity needed for cooling useless. At the same time, carbon use is significantly reduced because the buildings use less energy than conventional homes.

3. Low running costs

Energy efficiency also means that building heating costs are reduced. The energy needed to heat a building is significant; therefore, reducing the energy need means significantly reducing the cost.

4. Act as a future investment

A Passive House is future-oriented: meaning that the house will last in pristine condition. Although the initial building cost is high, a Passive House is undoubtedly a future asset.

 

References:

https://www.ovoenergy.com/guides/energy-guides/passive-house

https://architizer.com/blog/practice/details/passivhaus-complete-guide/

https://passivehouseaccelerator.com/passive-house/passive-house-design