Passive House Standard

This video showcases the Casa Pasiva project, which uses the Passive House method to retrofit multiple buildings in the affordable housing sector. The project focuses on implementing energy-efficient measures, such as exterior insulation and mechanical systems integration while considering interior renovations and aesthetic treatments.

Video credit: Reimagine Buildings (brand new channel by Passive House Accelerator)
Architect: Chris Benedict, R.A.
Project Managers: Justin R. Milliet R. Taylor, David Newman, Kelsey Page and Sabrina Rocha

Achieving Energy Efficiency
and Comfort with
Passive House Standard

The Passive House Standard has emerged as a pioneering approach to energy efficiency and comfort in sustainable construction. Originating in Germany in the 1990s, it was developed by Dr. Wolfgang Feist, a German physicist, and his colleagues at the Passive House Institute in Darmstadt. This rigorous building standard has gained international recognition for its ability to significantly reduce energy consumption while creating a comfortable indoor environment (Passive House Institute).

Buildings that meet the Passive House standard can use up to 90% less energy for heating and cooling than conventional buildings. They also provide enhanced indoor air quality and help maintain indoor temperatures stable during power outages. This can result in significant energy savings, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and improved indoor air quality and comfort for occupants. The Passive House standard has been adopted worldwide, with thousands of buildings certified or under construction (Passive House Database).

The Essence of Passive House Standard:

Passive House is an energy efficiency certification program focusing on various aspects: airtightness, high-quality insulation, efficient ventilation, and optimized solar gain. By prioritizing these elements, Passive House buildings aim to minimize energy demand and provide a sustainable solution to our construction needs. Furthermore, emphasizing airtightness and efficient ventilation ensures superior indoor air quality, creating a healthy and comfortable living or working environment. The stability of indoor temperatures, even during power outages, highlights the resilience and reliability of Passive House buildings. To meet passive house standards, buildings undergo rigorous tests set by the Passive House Institute, consuming about 90% less heating energy than older buildings and 75% less energy than average newly-constructed buildings.

Insulation and Airtightness:

At the core of Passive House construction lies super-insulation, which involves high insulation levels in walls, roofs, and floors. This design choice limits heat loss and gain, contributing to energy efficiency. Complementing insulation is airtightness, a meticulous sealing process that minimizes air leakage. The combination of insulation and airtightness reduces energy loss and enhances indoor air quality, providing a comfortable living or working environment.

Efficient Ventilation:

Passive House buildings incorporate energy-recovery ventilation systems that promote fresh air circulation while recovering heat from outgoing stale air. This ensures a continuous supply of clean and fresh air throughout the building, enhancing indoor air quality and occupant comfort.

Harnessing Solar Gain:

Passive solar gain is a crucial principle in Passive House construction. Buildings are strategically oriented to optimize sunlight entry, harnessing free heat during winter. This passive approach to heating reduces the reliance on traditional heating systems, resulting in significant energy savings.

Windows and Doors:

High-performance windows and doors play a crucial role in Passive House construction. These features are equipped with Low-E coatings and insulated frames, minimizing heat loss and gain. By utilizing advanced technology, Passive House buildings maximize energy efficiency while maintaining an aesthetically pleasing design.

The Adoption of Passive House:

By 2020, the Passive House Institute reported that over 120,000 Passive House projects were completed or underway globally (Passive House Institute). The success and validity of Passive House construction have been demonstrated in various climatic regions worldwide, from Texas to Alaska. As a result, in the U.S., many municipalities and states are now offering incentives to encourage the adoption of this high-efficiency standard. Massachusetts, in particular, has emerged as a leading supporter, providing monetary incentives to promote the construction of Passive House buildings. 

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Passive House Standard represents a breakthrough in sustainable construction, offering energy efficiency, comfort, and improved indoor air quality. By prioritizing insulation, airtightness, efficient ventilation, and solar gain optimization, Passive House buildings achieve remarkable energy savings and contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. As more regions recognize the benefits of this standard, Passive House construction is poised to revolutionize how we approach sustainable building practices.

Photo credit: Building Energy Exchange

Passive House Key Factors

  • The building envelope is designed to minimize heat loss and gain, with high insulation levels in walls, roofs, and floors.

    Super-insulation is a crucial component of the Passive House standard. It involves using high levels of insulation in the walls, roof, and floor to minimize heat transfer between the interior and exterior of the building. This insulation significantly reduces the need for heating and cooling, ensuring a stable and comfortable indoor environment. The insulation materials commonly used include expanded polystyrene (EPS), mineral wool, and vacuum-insulated panels (VIPs).

    The Passive House Institute provides detailed information on super-insulation techniques and materials.

  • The building is sealed to minimize air leakage, which reduces energy loss and improves indoor air quality.

    Creating an airtight building envelope is another essential aspect of Passive House design. Energy loss is reduced by minimizing air leakage and improving indoor air quality. Airtightness is achieved through careful detailing, proper sealing of joints and penetrations, and air barriers and tapes.

    The International Passive House Association offers guidance on achieving airtightness in buildings.

  • The building is oriented to maximize the amount of sunlight that enters the building, providing free heat during winter.

    The passive solar design maximizes the utilization of sunlight to provide free heat during the winter months. The interior can benefit from the sun's warmth by adequately orienting and designing the building’s windows. This reduces the need for mechanical heating systems, resulting in energy savings.

    The Passive House Institute provides guidance on optimizing passive solar gain in buildings.

  • Fresh air is brought into the building through a ventilation system that recovers the heat from the outgoing stale air.

    Energy-recovery ventilation (ERV) is a crucial component of Passive House buildings. It ensures a constant supply of fresh air while recovering the heat from the outgoing stale air. This process significantly reduces the energy required for heating and cooling and improves indoor air quality.

    The Building Performance Institute offers information on energy-recovery ventilation systems.

  • The windows and doors are designed to minimize heat loss and gain with Low-E coatings and insulated frames.

    Passive House buildings incorporate high-performance windows and doors that minimize heat loss and gain. These windows and doors typically feature low-emissivity Low-E coatings, insulated frames, and multiple glazing layers to improve thermal performance and reduce energy consumption.

    The Passive House Institute provides guidelines for selecting and installing high-performance windows and doors.

The House at Cornell Tech is a highly energy-efficient building and the tallest on the Cornell Tech campus. It was designed to Passive House standards, providing a comfortable living environment while reducing energy consumption. The building’s exterior features state-of-the-art color-changing paint and a louver system that acts as "gills" for the building’s heating and cooling equipment. The interiors foster social and intellectual connectivity among students and faculty.

Photo credit: Handel Architects

Embrace the Passive House,
where innovative changes lead to significant energy savings.

By implementing the Passive House standard, building owners, occupants, and the environment can all benefit from energy-efficient, comfortable, and sustainable buildings. The resources provided below offer more in-depth information and guidance on Passive House principles, techniques, and case studies.

  • The Passive House Network provides a collection of reports exploring the correlation between Passive House adoption and building energy efficiency standards. These insightful studies delve into a wide range of topics, encompassing the policies that drive the uptake of Passive House, the economic considerations involved, the profound health advantages for low-income communities, effective retrofit strategies, comprehensive energy efficiency guidelines, the transformative impact on the market, as well as the obstacles that hinder widespread adoption.

  • Passive House construction can be affordable with the help of building financial incentives. Utility-based funding, municipal incentives, low-income tax credit-based incentives, and lender preferential financing pricing are the four main incentives available in the U.S.

    Find out more about the Passive House incentives by state at the Passive House Network website.

  • The Passive House approach empowers us to build more durable and resilient buildings with significantly reduced energy consumption and carbon emissions. It ensures predictable, cost-effective energy performance while providing healthy, comfortable, and quiet interior environments.

    Find out more about the Passive House at the Passive House Accelerator website.

  • Passive houses, or "Passivhaus," utilize natural energy sources to generate and capture heat, significantly reducing the need for external energy. While these houses can help the construction industry lower carbon emissions and meet climate targets, their high construction costs make them unsuitable for affordable housing solutions.

    Find out more about Passive House and energy at the World Economic Forum website.

  • The Passive House Standard contributes to the Sustainable Development Goals: 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 17.

    Find out more about Passive House and the SDGs at the Passive House International website.

Video credit: Reimagine Buildings (Passive House Accelerator YouTube Channel)