What is PassiveHouse?
PassiveHouse & EnerPHit are the leading international low-energy construction and retrofitting standard for residential and commercial buildings that is truly energy efficient, comfortable and affordable at the same time. The first PassiveHouse was built in 1991 in Darmstadt, Germany. We are proud to being able to offer you our know-how and show you how PassiveHouse/EnerPHit will help create a comfortable and healthy home.
The PassiveHouse criteria for a new-build house in Central European climate are:
space heating/cooling demand of ≤ 15kWh/m² per annum (or space heating/cooling load of ≤10W/m²)
primary energy demand of ≤ 120kWh/m² per annum (including hot water, space heating/cooling, fans, lighting and appliances)
airtightness of n50 ≤ 0.6ac/hr
internal surface temperatures > 17ºC at all times
internal temperature not to exceed ≥ 25ºC for more than 10% of the year (UK guideline is 5% with a best practice target of 0%)
For retrofitting (EnerPHit) an existing building, some criteria are slightly less stringent:
space heating/cooling demand of ≤ 25kWh/m² per annum
primary energy demand of ≤ 120kWh/m² per annum plus heat load factor
airtightness of n50 ≤ 1.0ac/hr
Source: passivhaustrust.org
Why use PassiveHouse/EnerPHit?
Comfortable & healthy
summer and winter comfort
no draughts
no cold surfaces or down draughts
excellent indoor air quality
silent ventilation
Low energy:
minimal heating/cooling required
efficient services, lighting and appliances
addresses energy security
High quality:
robust and long lasting construction
real performance matching predictions
certified designers, certifiers, trades, products and buildings
Affordable:
can be achieved for capital costs comparable with standard build
much lower running costs
alleviates fuel poverty
Exceeds policy requirements:
performs better than current and upcoming building regulations
will help to meet the 2016 Zero Carbon target
measured performance meets the new “as-built” proposals
Environmental:
focus on minimising energy consumption
can incorporate other environmentally friendly features
helps raise awareness of general environmental issues
Get started
Please contact us if you wish to learn more about how PassiveHouse/EnerPHit and how your project could benefit from it.