Passive House is a building standard that relies on a combination of energy efficiency, passive solar, and internal heat gains to eliminate the need for a conventional HVAC system. The concept is implemented through stringent performance standards for airtightness and energy consumption, and verified with a field tested energy modeling program, the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP). The energy consumption limits are developed through extensive research on climate change imperatives, economic feasibility, building durability, occupant comfort, and indoor air quality. A Passive House is a very well insulated, virtually airtight building that is primarily heated by passive solar and internal heat gains from occupants, cooking, bathing, electrical equipment, etc. Control of summer heat through shading, window orientation and passive ventilation helps to limit the cooling load. Any backup heating or cooling demand is provided by an extremely small source instead of a conventional HVAC system. A heat/energy recovery ventilator provides a constant supply of tempered, filtered fresh air. Using this “fresh air” heating and cooling system not only saves space conditioning costs by “recycling” indoor energy, it also provides excellent indoor air quality and consistent comfort. 

Design Approach

• Accurate climate- and site-specific energy modeling with Passive House Planning Package (PHPP)
• Superinsulation (project specific)
• Elimination/mitigation of thermal bridges (insulation gaps)
• High performance windows and doors (project specific)
• Optimized passive solar design (solar gain in winter, shading in summer)
• Airtight shell with mechanical ventilation and heat recovery (”recycles” 8-15 times the energy used for ventilation)