How Passivhaus Works

What is Passivhaus

Passivhaus buildings provide a high level of comfort while using very little energy for heating and cooling. To achieve this a great deal of attention goes into the design, detailing and construction to ensure that the building adheres to the principles developed by the Passivhaus Institute in Germany. A certification program was created to act as a quality assurance process.

Why Passivhaus

Passivhaus achieve savings of up to 90% in heating and cooling requirements. The reductions are so significant that a typical Passivhaus with a 5 star heat pump air-conditioner may use about the same amount of electricity for heating and cooling as an average fridge. The design of the hot water system then has a greater impact on the total energy used. By using PHPP as a design tool and looking at total energy consumption we are able to reduce the ecological footprint of the building. Because about 80% of the total building carbon output is created during its use the Passivhaus standard provides a robust method to substantially reduce the buildings lifetime carbon footprint.

5 Principles of Passivhaus – refer below

These 5 principles were all developed well before the first Passivhaus was built. These are commonsense principles based on sound building science. For any building to achieve the levels of efficiency that characterize a high-performance building, it will need to utilize all the 5 principles listed below and apply them in the correct manner. The Passivhaus Institute set out a number of performance criteria and developed the software (PHPP) to be able to accurately assess this.

5 Principles of Passivhaus

SUPERIOR QUALITY OF INSULATION

HIGH PERFORMANCE WINDOWS

THERMAL BRIDGE FREE CONSTRUCTION

AIR-TIGHT CONSTRUCTION

BALANCED VENTILATION WITH HEAT RECOVERY (MVHR)

100% Renewable energy

Every inch of our homes are not only beautifully designed, they are calculated and built to surpass the World’s most rigorous energy efficiency, comfort and sustainability standards for buildings. Every component, every wall, window and even appliance is taken into consideration when meeting the Passivhaus performance standards

TO DATE THERE HAVE BEEN OVER 60,000 PASSIVHAUS UNITS BUILT AROUND THE WORLD.

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Address: 21 Beatty St, Flinders Park, South Australia