What is Passivhaus?

 

Understanding Passivhaus: A Deep Dive into Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Architecture

Introduction:

Passivhaus offers a distinct approach to achieving exceptional levels of energy efficiency. This blog post aims to delve into the intricacies of Passivhaus, its principles, and how it can benefit the homowner in the long run.

PassivHaus new build Rest On The Hill

Basic Principles of Passivhaus:

The Passivhaus standard shares some common principles with generic approaches to passive solar architecture but distinguishes itself through its ability to significantly reduce heating demand and primary energy consumption. This standard is not only a robust energy performance specification but also a holistic low-energy design concept applicable to various building types, including residential, commercial, industrial, and public structures.ures.

The key principles of Passivhaus include:

  1. Good Levels of high quality Insulation with Minimal Thermal Bridges ensuring any heat generated by the building is maintained for as long as possible and keeping the building cool through summer.

  2. Passive Solar Gains through careful planning of window design and placement to ensure free energy from the sun is captured in winter and where possible avoided through summer.

  3. Excellent Level of Airtightness to maintain stable internal temperatures with minimal reliance on external heat and cooling sources.

  4. Good Indoor Air Quality with Mechanical Ventilation: With such high levels of air tightness and insulation it is essential to ensure good ventilation. Whole-house mechanical ventilation with efficiency heat recovery is essential.

New build development featuring Eco friendly homes.

Conclusion:

In summary, Passivhaus is not merely a design concept but a specific and rigorous standard for achieving unparalleled energy efficiency in buildings. By understanding its basic principles and distinguishing it from broader sustainability assessments, one can appreciate the unique contribution Passivhaus makes to environmentally conscious architecture. Whether applied to residential or non-residential structures, Passivhaus serves as a testament to the possibilities of combining energy efficiency with holistic design principles.