The Passive House was developed in Germany for single family dwellings, as well as for multi-family/commercial buildings. The most interesting aspect of the criteria of the Passive House standard may be that it has relatively few mandatory requirements, thereby providing design flexibility and that it focuses exclusively on energy consumption.

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The unique focus of the Passive House standard is an exceptional concern about heat loss by conduction and air leakage through the building envelope no matter what climate zone the building is. Despite their name, a Passive House is a very energy-efficient building which requires such a small amount of heat that it can be heated by mainly “passive” sources such as incoming sunlight, lights and appliances. The use of passive solar design principles is recommended but not mandatory.

The primary Passive House requirements are:

  • A total heating & cooling demand of less than 15 kWh/m2 per year (4.7 kBTU/ft2 per year)
  • Total primary energy demand of less than 120 kWh/m2 per year (38 kBTU/ft2 per year)
  • Air-tightness off max. 0.6 ACH@50 Pa or less
  • The peak heating demand should be less than 10 W/m2 (3.2 BTU/ft2)
  • High efficient heat recovery over 80% or higher
  • Window U-values of less than 0.8 W/m2K (0.15 BTU/ft2F, R-7.1)

Most Passive Houses rely on:

  • Very heavy insulation R40-R60 in walls, R50-R90 in roofs, R30-R50 under slabs
  • Triple glazed windows with low e glass and exceptional avoidance of thermal bridging
  • Ultra airtight construction
  • Passive solar gain for a portion of the heating by orienting the house to the south and using the window Solar Heat Gain Coefficient (SHGC) of around 0.5 or higher if possible
  • Heat recovery with earth tubes or with dual HRV’s to reach high 80% to low 90% efficiency
  • Heating of the ventilation air to provide space heating and thermal comfort, although many homes use radiant floors, walls, ceilings and radiators

Achieving the specific Passive Home target of 15 kWh/m2 per year for heating onsite energy use, results in investment of better materials and money that often will exceed other less costly and environmentally impactive solutions. The use off better insulated buildings influences your Health, Comfort and Life.

Feel free to contact Pacific Homes if you have questions about Passive Houses or energy saving solutions for your own home.

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