{"id":7701,"date":"2023-01-31T18:36:10","date_gmt":"2023-01-31T18:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fpwi.ca\/?page_id=7701"},"modified":"2023-06-01T19:43:21","modified_gmt":"2023-06-01T19:43:21","slug":"the-passive-house-standard","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/fpwi.ca\/index.php\/the-passive-house-standard\/","title":{"rendered":"The Passive House Standard"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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PASSIVE HOUSE INTRO<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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What is the Passive House Standard?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Passive House is considered worldwide as the most rigorous methodology for achieving energy efficient buildings. with an envelope-first approach to reducing heating\/cooling energy requirements by as much as 90%<\/span>. Unlike other green building certification programs, that are checklist based and cover a wide range of sustainability measures (like credits for active transportation installations), Passive House focuses on demanding (yet feasible) performance targets for Space Heating\/Cooling, Total Energy Demand, Air Tightness and Thermal Comfort. A Passive House design is guided by the Energy Modeling process as the design is entered in PHPP (Passive House Planning Package); The Passive House Designer will iteratively adjust the design, building orientation, window to wall ratio, solar shading, envelope assembly and component insulation values and equipment energy efficiency to meet the required performance targets.<\/span><\/p>

In a passive house the main goal is to\u00a0build a building envelope that is superbly insulated and airtight; then deliver fresh air through a high-efficiency\u00a0heat recovery ventilation<\/span><\/span> (HRV) system. Renewable energy sources are certainly an option with a passive house, but not a requirement.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Passive House Crash Course<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHistory\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t
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In 1996, the Passivhaus-Institut<\/a> was founded in Darmstadt, Germany. But the concept had early pioneers in Saskachewan, Canada dating back to 1977. Notably the Saskatchewan Conservation house was designed for the extreme -40C to +40C climate of the Canadian prairie. Since then many projects have been built in all types of climate around the word. Several projects have been subsequently monitored to validate the predicted vs actual energy performance. The energy modeling software developed by the Passive House Institute, named PHPP has hence proven it's accuracy and continues to be updated as more project typologies are built and data is collected. Today, Passive House is the world\u2018s leading standard in energy efficient construction with its roots stemming from Building Science backed by data and not anecdotal opinions. Thousands of buildings have been realized in the field driving industry innovations in building products and techniques. As of 2018 the BC Building Code and BC Step Code have\u00a0recognized Passive House Energy Modeling tool PHPP and their certification process as a pathway to achieving Net Zero ready compliance which will be required by 2032.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\tAccessible for all\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t
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A home built to the Passive House Standard can be accessible to all homeowners. The reported average upfront cost varies between 5% to 15% more expensive than a conventional home built to base building code standards. A Certified Passive House Designer is equipped to validate the extra financial investment vs the cost of saved kW\/h while considering loan interest & amortization period, inflation, residual value & maintenance costs.<\/p>

To diminish the perceived cost barrier, I help to establish long term priorities early on. The level of finishes can often double the cost of a home without adding any value to the home as a system<\/strong> that needs to be sustainable and healthy. No matter which finishes are selected, homes will have the same energy performance. I find it helpful to think of this as \"movable\" vs \"immovable\" components, some are easier to upgrade later. Therefore, establishing priorities for the level of finishing and required size in relation to your desired energy performance is important at the outset.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\tWhy build this way?\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t
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The obvious reasons to build to the Passive House Standard are.<\/p>

  • Energy Efficiency<\/strong><\/li>
  • Increased Thermal Comfort<\/strong><\/li>
  • High quality indoor fresh air<\/strong><\/li>
  • Superior durability (detailing & components)<\/strong><\/li>
  • Environmental responsibility<\/strong><\/li>
  • The intangible health and well-being benefits!<\/strong><\/li><\/ul>

    In addition, with the introduction of the BC Step Code that has a clear upgrade path to Building Code minimum Energy Efficiency, by 2032 all new homes will be required to be at Step 5 which is similar to the efficiency levels the Passive House Standard or Net Zero. This is the fastest energy efficiency upgrade path the BC Building Code has ever done since it's first aboption of the National Building Code in 1973. Therefore arguments can made that selling a home that was built to lower performance requirements may be harder. To sell these \"below code minimum\" homes past 2032 a seller may need to lower the price. So I would add to the list\u00a0Increased resale value\u00a0<\/strong>or Investment protection.<\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t<\/div>\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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    HOW TO: PASSIVE HOUSE 101<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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