A rigorous voluntary energy-efficiency design standard requiring extremely low space heating and cooling demand, achieved through superinsulation, airtight construction, high-performance windows and heat-recovery ventilation rather than active mechanical systems alone. The first four Passive House terraced houses were completed in Darmstadt-Kranichstein, Germany, in 1990 to 1991, following a 1988 discussion between Wolfgang Feist and Bo Adamson, and the standard is now certified worldwide by the Passive House Institute.
Facts
Concept DomainSustainability, Energy Performance 1 Formulated YearThe concept was discussed by Feist and Adamson in 1988; the first Passive House buildings, in Darmstadt-Kranichstein, were completed 1990 to 1991, before the certifying institute was formally founded in 1996. Domain
Domain (category)Environmental / Sustainable 1 FAQs
What is the difference between a Passive House and a Net Zero Energy Building?
Passive House is a design standard that cuts energy demand through the building envelope; net zero is a performance target reachable by any mix of efficiency and on site generation.
Passive House (Passivhaus) is a specific, certified design standard that cuts heating and cooling demand through superinsulation, airtight construction and heat recovery ventilation, so the building needs very little energy to begin with. A net zero energy building is a broader performance target: its total annual energy use must be matched by the renewable energy it generates on site, commonly solar panels, and it can reach that target through any combination of efficiency measures and generation, without following the Passive House standard specifically. A building can be both at once: a certified Passive House with enough on site solar generation also qualifies as net zero.
Connections
Associated With
The Passive House Institute is the organization that develops, promotes and certifies buildings to the Passive House standard.
Source Wikipedia
Additional Source Passive House Institute Official Site
Source Wikipedia
Additional Source WikipediaPassive house, Design and Construction section
Editorial link from the concept to a related style, element, milestone or figure; no citation attached
Sources
1. Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationPassive house history page
Four terraced houses in Darmstadt-Kranichstein (1990-1991) are widely cited as the first built to what became the Passive House standard.
- In Category: Concepts
Associated With: Passive Solar Design, Passive house, Design and Construction section
Passive solar design and urban/landscape integration - compact massing, appropriate solar gains, shading, and mitigation of overheating; strategies are adapted to climate, especially in hot-humid regions.
Associated With: Passive House Institute, Lead section
Passivhaus Institut, abbreviated PHI, is responsible for promoting and maintaining the Passivhaus building program.
View the Source Passive House Institute Official Site
Passive House InstituteAssociated With: Passive House InstituteView the Source Wikipedia
Associated With: Passive Solar Design, Passive house, Design and Construction sectionQuote, Associated With: Passive Solar Design, Passive house, Design and Construction section
Passive solar design and urban/landscape integration - compact massing, appropriate solar gains, shading, and mitigation of overheating; strategies are adapted to climate, especially in hot-humid regions.
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