What is Passive house?
What is Passive House?
Passivhaus was originally developed in Germany and has since spread throughout the world.
The standard continues to evolve and is now finding popularity in diverse climatic regions including US, Europe and the Middle East. The Passivhaus design, at the forefront of today’s building energy efficiency standards, ensures a dramatic decrease in the energy required for building operations, with potential savings of up to 80%. This approach not only enhances occupant comfort but also significantly improves the quality of indoor air, without necessitating a substantial initial increase in investment. Coupled with renewable energy sources, the Passivhaus model simplifies the transition to a net-zero energy status. Demonstrated in over 100,000 buildings globally, across diverse climatic conditions, the Passivhaus standard is gaining momentum at an exponential rate.
Advantages of Passive house Design
Energy Efficiency
Passive Houses are designed to reduce the operational energy consumption of buildings by up to 80%, while providing superior comfort
Comfort and Indoor Air Quality
These buildings maintain a constant desired temperature throughout, without drafts, and provide continuous fresh and filtered air. This results in a healthier living environment, free from pollutants and allergens
Energy Standards
Passive Houses must meet stringent energy standards, including specific requirements for space heating and cooling energy demand, primary energy demand, and airtightness. These standards are verified with onsite testing and energy modeling programs
Sustainability
By dramatically reducing energy demand, Passive Houses contribute to a more sustainable and resilient built environment. They are designed to work in all climate zones and are part of a global movement towards zero energy and zero emission buildings
How Passive Houses work?
A “passive” approach to building design ensures that performance is achieved organically through the architectural layout and persists over time with minimal intervention, aside from routine upkeep. For instance, passive solar design strategically positions a structure to harness natural elements. Consider a building with south-facing windows that capture the low-arc winter sunlight to heat the interior during the day, reducing the need for additional heating at night. The heated floor serves as an evening heat source. Conversely, an overhang designed to shade these windows in the summer blocks the high-arc sun, aiding in natural cooling. These passive design features contribute to lower heating needs in winter and cooling demands in summer, effectively and indefinitely.
Passive House design incorporates many such passive strategies. An airtight construction retains its seal over time, ensuring temperature stability with minimal heating or cooling. Proper insulation minimizes heat loss in winter and heat entry in summer, maintaining its function throughout the building’s lifespan. These passive solutions are effective from the outset and continue to perform naturally over time.
A Passive House is characterized by exceptional insulation and airtightness, with a significant portion of its heating derived from passive solar exposure and internal sources like occupants and appliances. Incorporating well-placed windows and skylights enhances natural lighting, further reducing the reliance on artificial light sources. The use of LEDs can decrease energy demands even more.
While buildings don’t require ventilation, people do. A heat recovery ventilation system ensures a steady exchange of air, expelling indoor air and introducing fresh outdoor air without mixing the two. This system, which operates with high efficiency, does require some energy, making it a partially active solution. The heat exchange process itself is passive, necessitating only human effort for filter replacement and occasional upkeep.
Sustainability follows a natural progression: Passive, Active, Renewables. Begin by designing with nature and scientific principles to inherently secure performance. Then, implement appropriately sized active systems for air quality, temperature control, hot water, and resilience. Finally, integrate renewable energy sources to fulfil the significantly reduced energy requirements. The result is a comfortable, healthy, durable living environment, reflecting a commitment to renewable energy and a carbon-neutral future.
How Passive Houses work?
A “passive” approach to building design ensures that performance is achieved organically through the architectural layout and persists over time with minimal intervention, aside from routine upkeep.
For instance, passive solar design strategically positions a structure to harness natural elements. Consider a building with south-facing windows that capture the low-arc winter sunlight to heat the interior during the day, reducing the need for additional heating at night. The heated floor serves as an evening heat source. Conversely, an overhang designed to shade these windows in the summer blocks the high-arc sun, aiding in natural cooling. These passive design features contribute to lower heating needs in winter and cooling demands in summer, effectively and indefinitely.
Passive House design incorporates many such passive strategies. An airtight construction retains its seal over time, ensuring temperature stability with minimal heating or cooling.
Proper insulation minimizes heat loss in winter and heat entry in summer, maintaining its function throughout the building’s lifespan. These passive solutions are effective from the outset and continue to perform naturally over time.
A Passive House is characterized by exceptional insulation and airtightness, with a significant portion of its heating derived from passive solar exposure and internal sources like occupants and appliances.
Incorporating well-placed windows and skylights enhances natural lighting, further reducing the reliance on artificial light sources. The use of LEDs can decrease energy demands even more.
While buildings don’t require ventilation, people do. A heat recovery ventilation system ensures a steady exchange of air, expelling indoor air and introducing fresh outdoor air without mixing the two.
This system, which operates with high efficiency, does require some energy, making it a partially active solution. The heat exchange process itself is passive, necessitating only human effort for filter replacement and occasional upkeep.
Sustainability follows a natural progression: Passive, Active, Renewables. Begin by designing with nature and scientific principles to inherently secure performance.
Then, implement appropriately sized active systems for air quality, temperature control, hot water, and resilience. Finally, integrate renewable energy sources to fulfil the significantly reduced energy requirements. The result is a comfortable, healthy, durable living environment, reflecting a commitment to renewable energy and a carbon-neutral future.
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Components Certification
The Passive House Institute serves as an autonomous body that examines and certifies products for their.....
Buildings Certification
Seeking a certification is much more than just following the principles as the process of certification.....
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