What is the passivhaus standard?

The Passivhaus Standard is an international, rigorous, scientific, performance standard for the design and construction of energy efficient buildings. It applies to all kinds of buildings, not just houses. It encompasses:

• Comfort
• Energy Efficiency
• Quality Assurance

Our short slideshow explains more:

Transcript below:

1. Passivhaus: The Road to Carbon Zero

2. Passivhaus: The Road to Carbon Zero PASSIVHAUS – What is Passivhaus? • A fabric-first approach to building design • Highly insulated • No uncontrolled heat losses (no draughts) • Minimal or NO heating needed • Excellent indoor air quality • Electric only • Very low utility bills

3. Passivhaus: The Road to Carbon Zero – New Build or Refurbishment – Any architectural style – 1,200 certified units to date

4. Passivhaus: The Road to Carbon Zero Passivhaus standard Current Building Regulations 2050 Building Regulations net zero carbon homes target PASSIVHAUS is a quality standard that avoids the ‘performance gap’ These emissions are no longer included in the definition for Zero Carbon homes E.g. Plug loads from appliances, computers, TVs and entertainment equipment, etc On Site LZC (Low and Zero Carbon) technologies include: Solar photovoltaics; solar hot water; air or ground source heat pumps; combined heat & power, etc

5. Passivhaus: The Road to Carbon Zero PASSIVHAUS – More Councils and Housing Associations are adopting the Passivhaus Standard Last year the government confirmed that councils are entitled to set higher building energy standards locally than is mandated by the Building Regulations • Fareham Borough Council • Bristol City Council • Glasgow City Council • Exeter City Council • Norwich City Council • Camden Council • Greater Manchester • Wales • And others • Hastoe Housing Association • Southern Housing Association • Mid Wales Housing Association • And others 1,200 Certified Units and Growing Fast

6. Passivhaus: The Road to Carbon Zero

Find out more about our passivhaus design service

You may also like the Passivhaus In Plain English blog by Elrond Burrell here