What's this new PassiveHouse concept?
...'70's "Passive Solar" met '90's "Advanced Building Science" in Darmstadt Germany...
Quite simply it's the most stringent and highest certified building performance standard in the World. The Passive House designation combines time-honored design principles with advanced performance standards to produce homes with the most comfort for the least amount of energy needed.
Components of a Passive House:
Sometimes, a new design is so innovative that it completely obliterates all we know about the original object… PassiveHouse is a totally new science-based enhancement of our passive solar homes of the ’70s…
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Superinsulation
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airtight envelope
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energy recovery ventilation
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no thermal bridging
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advanced frames with triple-pane windows
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maximized passive solar
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“itty bitty" heat & air units
Built using a true systems approach:
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proper siting to take full advantage of passive solar gains
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super-tight construction
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eliminating thermal bridging
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adding super-insulation and leading-edge windows and doors
Remarkably Low Energy Use
Passive House uses only 10% heating/cooling energy than that of a house built to standard codes, saving homeowners thousands of dollars a year in utility costs.
High Indoor Air Quality
You’ll breathe better every day. The home’s stale indoor air is replaced with clean fresh oxygenated air every 2 hours.
Comfortable, Consistent Indoor Temperatures
Irritating drafts and hot/cold spots are eliminated thru the super tight construction and the absence of thermal bridging.
Operational Savings
Utility bills – really small. 90% less than standard homes.
Maintenance – tight building envelope reduces typical associated costs. Conventional mechanical systems – eliminated.
Sustainability
Globally, more than 500,000
buildings have been constructed using Passive House principles. In fact, many European countries have already
or are in the process of making it
their standard building code.