BENEFITS OF PASSIVE HOUSE

SUSTAINABLE
REDUCED ENERGY USE / LOWER BILLS
COMFORTABLE
QUIET
INCREASED LONGETVITY OF BUILDING
QUALITY ASSURANCE OF AIRTIGHTNESS AND CONSTRUCTION

WHAT IS A PASSIVE HOUSE?

A passive house is a voluntary set of standards designed to minimize energy required to heat and cool a building, thereby reducing the building’s operational carbon footprint. Passive Houses can reduce energy requirements of a home by 40% to 60%. according to the Passive House Institute US. When coupled with renewable energy, it is possible to achieve a Net Zero building, whereby the building produces as much energy as it consumes over the course of a year. Passive House Strategies focus primarily on operational carbon in a building. This refers to any carbon emissions emitted as a result of heating, cooling or otherwise operating the building over the course of its lifetime. Additional steps can be taken to reduce the buildings embodied carbon, or carbon emissions released during the extraction, manufacture, transportation, installation and disposal of materials used in the construction of the building itself.

According to the Passive House Institute US, “Passive Building utilizes five core principles to create safe, resilient, comfortable and energy efficient structures”. A brief outline of these principles can be found below. Please refer to the PHIUS website for additional information.

THERMAL CONTROL

Passive Houses minimize gains and losses through the building envelope in-part by utilizing continuous “super-insulation” around the building. This insulation exceeds code minimum and provides the additional benefit of sound attenuation, making passive buildings exceptionally quiet.

AIR TIGHTNESS

Special Attention is given to the detailing and installation of air control layers in the building envelope. Air leakage rates of passive houses are very low. This helps increase longevity of the building envelope and saves energy.

BALANCED VENTILATION

All passive houses are required to have continuous balanced ventilation in every room of the home. A Heat Recovery Ventilation (HRV) unit is often used to provide fresh filtered air, resulting in exceptional indoor air quality.

RADIATION CONTROL

Passive houses utilize high performance windows, account for building orientation, and focus on shading around / on the building to minimize unwanted solar radiation in the summer months and capitalize on solar gains in the wintertime.

MOISTURE CONTROL

The high performance envelopes of Passive Houses require special detailing to ensure proper management of moisture. When starting a project, team members should have the appropriate certification (preferably a Certified Passive House Consultant or Builder) and discussions about detailing and systems should happen early in the design process.