Passivhaus

The Passivhaus concept represents today’s highest certified building energy standard, with the promise of reducing the total energy consumption of buildings by up to 80% while providing superior comfort and indoor environmental quality – all at little to no additional upfront cost. When combined with renewable energy systems such as solar photovoltaic or solar thermal, Passivhaus puts true zero energy buildings and carbon neutrality within reach.

The Passivhaus envelope minimizes heat-loss through super insulation, air-tight construction, advanced windows and doors and heat recovery ventilation, therefore retaining space conditioning energy very effectively. It maximizes passive solar gains and combines them with internal heat gains from people, appliances, as well as a tiny backup system for peak heat-load demand to create a balance between heat-losses and heat-gains.

Passivhaus’ are designed to operate without the use of big “active” mechanical systems (i.e. boiler and furnace) hence the name “Passive”. Depending on climate and location, point source heaters may be needed to satisfy peak heat loads in extremely cold climates. In general however, the concept of a building that can be heated with the help of a hairdryer holds true. The overall space-conditioning energy load (heating and cooling) is reduced by about 90% over standard construction.

With 70% to 90% energy usage reduction, Passivhaus is the most rigorous and holistic approach tackling building energy efficiency today.