Passive House- The New Standard of Energy Efficient Building
Image by Passivhuscentrum
Passivhaus or Passive House is a European standard of efficiency that is rapidly growing in the United States. “The basic idea of a Passive House is to reduce the energy usage of a home by 90% over traditional code built homes.” (100K House) In an interview with Dwell magazine, architect Milos Jovanovic points out [in theory], “you can heat an entire house with a hair dryer.” (November 2009) Many people as the question, “how is this possible?”
Image by Passive House Darmstadt Kranchstein
Many Passive House requirements are easy to perform. Some of the basic criterias in creating a Passive House include:
- Energy-saving household appliances
- Energy-efficient windows glazing and frames
- Incorporation of solar energy
- Hot water supply using regenerative energy sources (Passivhaus Institute)
Passive House in Hohen Neudorf, Germany (Live Science)
Passive Houses are extremely insulated and virtually air-tight. The energy efficient standard gets its name for using “passive” sources of energy. The majority of the home’s heat source comes from solar power, geothermal energy, and internal factors like people and electrical equiptment.
Image by EcoFriend
To learn more about Passive House, please visit the PassiveHouse Institute US, or Passive House Institute
Thanks for the overview of the Passivhaus standard. To read a report on the recent Passive House conference in Illinois, see “Passivhaus Crosses the Atlantic.”
Martin Holladay, senior editor
GreenBuildingAdvisor