 One of the original Passive Houses at Darmstadt The term Passive house (Passivhaus in German) refers to the rigorous, voluntary, Passivhaus standard for energy use in buildings. It results in ultra-low energy buildings that require little energy for space heating. A similar standard, MINERGIE-P®, is used in Switzerland [1]. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (880x646, 76 KB) Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ...
Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (880x646, 76 KB) Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ...
Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland (federal state) of Hessen in Germany. ...
Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (880x533, 68 KB) Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ...
Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (880x533, 68 KB) Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ...
A low-energy-house is any type of house that uses less energy than a regular house. ...
The first Passivhaus buildings were built in Darmstadt, Germany, in 1990, and occupied the following year. In September 1996 the Passivhaus-Institut was founded in Darmstadt to promote and control the standard. Since then more than 6,000 Passivehaus buildings have been constructed [2] in Europe, most of them in Germany and Austria, with others in various contries world-wide. Darmstadt is a city in the Bundesland (federal state) of Hessen in Germany. ...
This article is about the year. ...
1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...
Despite the name, the standard is not confined only to houses. Several office buildings, schools, kindergartens and a supermarket have also been constructed to the standard. Although it is mostly applied to new buildings, it has also been used for refurbishments. This article is about traditional meanings of the word office. ...
Students in Rome, Italy. ...
Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...
Exterior of a typical British supermarket (a Tesco Extra) Exterior of typical North American supermarket (a Safeway) A typical supermarket in Hong Kong. ...
The standard
 The dark colours on this thermogram of a Passivhaus (right) show how little heat is escaping compared to a traditional building (left). The Passivhaus standard requires that the building is within the following limits [3]: Image File history File links Passivhaus_thermogram_gedaemmt_ungedaemmt. ...
Image File history File links Passivhaus_thermogram_gedaemmt_ungedaemmt. ...
Thermography can refer to a printing process and an imaging process. ...
- The building must not use more than ≤ 15 kWh/m²a (4,755 Btu/ft²/yr) in heating energy
- The specific heat load for the heating source at design temperature must be less than 10 W/m²
- With the building pressurised to 50Pa by a blower door, the building must not leak more air than 0.6 times the house volume per hour (n50 ≤ 0.6/h).
- Total primary energy consumption (primary energy for heating, hot water and electricity) must not be more than 120 kWh/(m²a) (38,039 Btu/ft²/yr)
These standards are much higher than houses built to most normal building codes. For comparisons, see the international comparions section below. The British thermal unit (BTU) is a non-metric unit of energy, used in the United States and, to a certain extent, the UK. The SI unit is the joule (J), which is used by most other countries. ...
The pascal (symbol Pa) is the SI unit of pressure. ...
The original Passive Houses at Darmstadt, Germany The original Passive Houses at Darmstadt The term Passive house (Passivhaus in German) refers to the rigorous, voluntary, Passivhaus standard for energy use in buildings. ...
National partners within the 'consortium for the Promotion of European Passive Houses' (PEP) are thought to have some flexibility to adapt these limits locally.
Space heating requirement By achieving the Passivhaus standards, Passivhaus buildings are able to dispense with conventional heating systems. The ability to do this is the underlying Passivhaus objective. However this does not mean that no heating is required, and most Passivhaus buildings do include a system to provide low levels of supplemental space heating. This is normally distributed through the low-volume heat recovery ventilation system that is required to maintain air quality, rather than by a conventional hydronic or high-volume forced-air heating system, as described in the space heating section below. Heat recovery ventilation is a ventilation system that employs a heat exchanger between the inbound and outbound air flow to save on energy required for heating (or cooling) the room. ...
A Forced-air heating system is one which uses air as its heat transfer medium. ...
The original Passive Houses at Darmstadt, Germany The original Passive Houses at Darmstadt The term Passive house (Passivhaus in German) refers to the rigorous, voluntary, Passivhaus standard for energy use in buildings. ...
Construction costs In Passivhaus buidings, the cost savings from dispensing with the conventional heating system can be used to fund the upgrade of the building envelope and the heat recovery ventilation system. With careful design and increasing competition in the supply of the specifically designed Passivhaus building products, in Germany it is now possible to construct buildings for the same cost as those built to normal German building standards, as was done with the Passivhaus apartments at Vauban, Freiburg [4]. A building code is a set of rules that specify the minimum acceptable level of safety for constructed objects such as buildings and nonbuilding structures. ...
View of Vauban Vauban is a new carfree neighborhood of 5000 inhabitants and 600 jobs 4km to the south of the town center in Freiburg, Germany. ...
Evaluations have indicated that while it is technically possible, the costs of meeting the Passivhaus standard increase significantly when building in northern Scandinavia above 60° latitude [5] [6]. Scandinavia is a region in Northern Europe. ...
Latitude, usually denoted symbolically by the Greek letter φ, gives the location of a place on Earth north or south of the Equator. ...
Design and construction
 The passivhaus uses a combination of low-energy building techniques and technologies. Achieving the major decrease in heating energy consumption required by the standard involves a shift in approach to building design and construction. Design is carried out with the aid of the 'Passivhaus Planning Package' (PHPP) [7], and uses specifically designed computer simulations. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (945x741, 146 KB) Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ...
Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (945x741, 146 KB) Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ...
A computer simulation or a computer model is a computer program that attempts to simulate an abstract model of a particular system. ...
To achieve the standards, a number of techniques and technologies are used in combination:
Passive solar design Following passive solar building design techniques, where possible buildings are compact in shape to reduce their surface area, with windows oriented towards the south (in the northern hemisphere) to maximise passive solar gain. However the use of solar gain is secondary to minimising the overall energy requirements. Passive solar building design involves the modeling, selection and use of appropriate passive solar technologies to maintain the building environment at a comfortable temperature through the suns daily and annual cycles. ...
Passive houses can be constructed from dense or lightweight materials, but some internal thermal mass is normally incorporated to reduce summer peak temperatures, maintain stable winter temperatures, and prevent possible over-heating in spring or autumn before normal solar shading becomes effective. Thermal mass, in the most general sense, is any mass that absorbs and holds heat. ...
Superinsulation Passivhaus buildings employ superinsulation to significantly reduce the heat leakage through the walls, roof and floor compared to conventional buildings. A wide range of thermal insulation materials can be used to provide the required high R-values (low U-values, typically in the 0.10 to 0.15 W/m2K range). Special attention is given to eliminating thermal bridges. Superinsulation is an approach to building design, construction and retrofitting. ...
This article is becoming very long. ...
The R-value is a measure of thermal resistance. ...
In physics, thermal conductivity, k, is the intensive property of a material that indicates its ability to conduct heat. ...
A disadvantage resulting from the thickness of wall insulation required is that, unless the external dimensions of the building can be enlarged to compensate, the internal floor area of the building may be less compared to traditional construction.
Advanced window technology
 Typical Passivhaus windows To meet the requirements of the Passivhaus standard windows are manufactured with exceptionally high R-values (low U-values, typically 0.85 to 0.70 W/m²K for the entire window including the frame). These normally combine triple-pane insulated glazing (with a good solar heat-gain coefficient, low-emissivity coatings, argon or krypton gas fill, and 'warm edge' insulating glass spacers) with air-seals and specially developed thermally-broken window frames. Image File history File links Passivhaus_Fenster_Beispiele. ...
Image File history File links Passivhaus_Fenster_Beispiele. ...
Insulated glazing unit (commonly referred to as IGU) is a piece of glazing consisting of two or more layers (lites) of glazing separated by a spacer along the edge and sealed to create a hermetically sealed air space between the layers. ...
Low-emittance (Low-E) coatings are microscopically thin, virtually invisible, metal or metallic oxide layers deposited on a window or skylight glazing surface primarily to reduce the U-factor by suppressing radiative heat flow. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number argon, Ar, 18 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 3, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 39. ...
General Name, Symbol, Number krypton, Kr, 36 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 4, p Appearance colorless [[:Template:Elementbox atomicmass gpm]] Electron configuration [Ar] 3d10 4s2 4p6 Electrons per shell - Physical properties Phase gas Density (0 °C, 101. ...
In Central Europe, for unobstructed south-facing Passivhaus windows, the heat gains from the sun are, on average, greater than the heat losses, even in mid-winter. Central Europe is the region lying between the variously and vaguely defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe. ...
Airtightness The standard requires the building to achieve very high levels of airtightness, much higher than are normally achieved in conventional construction. Air barriers, careful sealing of every construction joint in the building envelope, and sealing of all service penetrations through it are all used to achieve this.
Airtightness minimises the amount of warm (or cool) air that can pass through the structure, enabling the mechanical ventilation system to recover the heat before discharging the air externally.
Ventilation Mechanical heat recovery ventilation systems, with a heat recovery rate of over 80% and high efficiency ECM motors, are employed to maintain air quality. Since the building is essentially airtight, the rate of air change can be optimised and carefully controlled at about 0.4 air-changes per hour. All ventilation ducts are insulated and sealed for air tightness. Heat recovery ventilation is a ventilation system that employs a heat exchanger between the inbound and outbound air flow to save on energy required for heating (or cooling) the room. ...
ECM is an abbreviation of: Electret condenser microphone Electro chemical machining Electronic countermeasures Electronic contract manufacturing Electronic control module Elliptic curve method (integer factorization) Electron Cloud Model Enterprise content management Entitlement control message - in secure data transfer Error correction mode (fax protocol) Essentials of Clinical Medicine Extracellular matrix See also...
Although not compulsory, earth warming tubes (typically ≈20cm diameter, ≈40 m long at a depth of ≈1.5 m) are often buried in the soil to act as earth-to-air heat exchangers and pre-heat (or pre-cool) the intake air for the ventilation system. In cold weather the warmed air also prevents ice formation in the heat recovery system's heat exchanger. Earth cooling tubes or earth warming tubes (also known as ground-coupled heat exchangers) utilize the earths near constant subterranean temperature to warm or cool air for residential, farm or industrial uses. ...
Snowflakes by Wilson Bentley, 1902 Ice is the name given to any one of the 14 known solid phases of water. ...
A heat exchanger is a device built for efficient heat transfer from one fluid to another, whether the fluids are separated by a solid wall so that they never mix, or the fluids are directly contacted. ...
Space heating
 In addition to the heat echanger (centre), a micro-heat pump extracts heat from the exhaust air (left) and hot water heats the ventilation air (right). The ability to control building temperature using only the normal volume of ventilation air is fundamental. In addition to using passive solar gain, Passivhaus buildings make extensive use of their intrinsic heat from internal sources – such as waste heat from lighting, white goods (major appliances) and other electrical devices (but not dedicated heaters) – as well as body heat from the people and animals inside the building. Together with the comprehensive energy conservation measures taken this means that a conventional central heating system is not necessary, although they are sometimes used due to client preference. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (666x631, 21 KB) Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ...
Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (666x631, 21 KB) Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ...
Solar gain (also known as solar heat gain or passive solar gain) refers to the increase in temperature in a space, object or structure that results from solar radiation. ...
A major appliance is a large machine which accomplishes some routine housekeeping task, which includes purposes such as cooking, food preservation, or cleaning, whether in a household, institutional, commercial or industrial setting. ...
For the physical concepts, see conservation of energy and energy efficiency. ...
For the Grand Central Records albums, see Central Heating (Grand Central album) and Central Heating 2. ...
Instead, Passive houses typically have a dual purpose 800 to 1,500 Watt heating and/or cooling element integrated with the supply air duct of the ventilation system. It is fundamental to the design that all the heat required can be transported by the normal low air volume required for ventilation. A maximum air temperature of 50°C (122°F) is applied to prevent any possible smell of scorching from dust that escapes the filters in the system. The watt (symbol: W) is the SI derived unit of power, equal to one joule per second. ...
The air-heating element can be heated by a small heat pump, by solar thermal energy, or simply by a natural gas or oil burner. In some cases a micro-heat pump is used to extract additional heat from the exhaust ventilation air, using it to heat either the incoming air or the hot water storage tank. Small wood-burning stoves can also be used to heat the water tank, although care is required to ensure that the room in which stove is located does not overheat. A diagram of a simple heat pumps vapor-compression refrigeration cycle: 1) condenser, 2) expansion valve, 3) evaporator, 4) compressor. ...
The major applications of solar thermal energy at present are heating swimming pools, heating water for domestic use, and space heating of buildings. ...
Natural gas is a gaseous fossil fuel consisting primarily of methane. ...
An Oil burner is a heating device which burns fuel oil. ...
Because the heating capacity and the heating energy required by a passive house both are very low, the particular energy source selected has fewer financial implications than in a traditional building, although renewable energy sources are well suited to such low loads. Energy Resources The sources and methods by which energy can be tapped can be listed as follows: These are modes of energy generation or energy conservation, listed alphabetically. ...
Renewable energy is energy which can be replenished at the same rate it is used. ...
Lighting and electrical appliances To minimise the total primary energy consumption, low-energy lighting (such as compact fluorescent lamps), and high efficiency electrical appliances are normally used. A spiral type compact fluorescent light bulb. ...
International comparisons - In the United States the standard results in a building that requires space heating energy of 1 BTU per square foot per heating degree day, compared with about 5 to 15 BTUs per square foot per heating degree day for a similar building built to meet the 2003 Model Energy Efficiency Code. This is between 75 to 95% less energy for space heating and cooling than current new buildings that meet today's US energy efficiency codes.
- In the United Kingdom, an average new house built to the Passive House standard would use 77% less energy for space heating compared to the (2002?) Building Regulations [8].
- In Ireland, it is calculated that a typical house built to the Passive House standard instead of the 2002 Building Regulations would consume 85% less energy for space heating and cut space-heating related carbon emissions by 94% [9].
 Dr Feist, founder of the Passivhaus Institut and co-originator of the concept  Prof. Bo Adamson, co-originator of the concept The British thermal unit (BTU) is a non-metric unit of energy, used in the United States and, to a certain extent, the UK. The SI unit is the joule (J), which is used by most other countries. ...
A degree day is a measure of heating or cooling. ...
Energy efficiency in British housing has been attracting greater attention in recent years due to the UK commitment to the United Kingdom Climate Change Programme, and the Kyoto Protocol. ...
Top: Increasing atmospheric CO2 levels as measured in the atmosphere and ice cores. ...
Image File history File links Wolfgang_Feist. ...
Image File history File links Wolfgang_Feist. ...
Origins of the passive house The Passive House standard originated from a conversation in May 1988 between Professors Bo Adamson of Lund University, Sweden, and Wolfgang Feist. Their concept was developed through a number of research projects, aided by financial assistance from the German state of Hessen. The eventual building of four row houses (terraced houses) was designed for four private clients by professors and architects Bott, Ridder and Westermeyer. 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Lund University main building, from 1882 by Helgo Zettervall. ...
Hesse is also the name of the German writer Hermann Hesse, as well as the German mathematician Otto Hesse. ...
A street of British Victorian/Edwardian terraced homes. ...
A professor giving a lecture The meaning of the word professor (Latin: one who claims publicly to be an expert) varies. ...
Architect at his drawing board, 1893 An Ciara Danille Bowers is a person who is involved in the planning, designing and oversight of a buildings construction. ...
After the concept had been validated at Darmstadt, with space heating 90% less than required for a standard new building of the time, the 'Economical Passive Houses Working Group' was created in 1996. This developed the planning package and initiated the production of the novel components that had been used, notably the windows and the high-efficiency ventilation systems.
The products developed were further commercialised during and following the European Union sponsored CEPHEUS project, which proved the concept in 5 European countries over the winter of 2000-2001. The Boast of Cassiopeia is a story from Greek mythology, associated with Perseus. ...
This article is about the year 2000. ...
2001: A Space Odyssey. ...
While some techniques and technologies were specifically developed for the standard, others (such as superinsulation) were already in existence, and the concepts of passive solar building design dates back to antiquity. There was also experience from other low-energy building standards, notably the German Niedrigenergiehaus (low-energy house) standard, as well as from buildings constructed to the demanding energy codes of Sweden and Denmark. Superinsulation is an approach to building design, construction and retrofitting. ...
Passive solar building design involves the modeling, selection and use of appropriate passive solar technologies to maintain the building environment at a comfortable temperature through the suns daily and annual cycles. ...
Generically, a low-energy house is any type of house that uses less energy than a regular house. ...
Comparison with zero energy buildings A net zero energy building (ZEB) is another term for a very similar approach to creating small buildings that use substantially less energy. Zero energy building or zero energy home seem to be phrases that are gaining popularity in the United States, possibly due to the implication that the energy for a zero energy home would be free. Similar or related terms: Near zero energy building, Zero energy house, Near zero energy house A zero energy building (ZEB) can be described as structure with a net energy consumption of zero over a typical year. ...
Unfortunately the ZEB seems to have been implemented without making maximum use of passive techniques to minimise heat loss and instead relies on active techniques to make up the energy / heat shortfall. See zero energy building for details of the debate. Similar or related terms: Near zero energy building, Zero energy house, Near zero energy house A zero energy building (ZEB) can be described as structure with a net energy consumption of zero over a typical year. ...
See also The Boast of Cassiopeia is a story from Greek mythology, associated with Perseus. ...
An energy-plus-house produces its own energy, sometimes even more than is being used within its own walls. ...
Generically, a low-energy house is any type of house that uses less energy than a regular house. ...
A self-sufficient house is one that operates without need for external electricity, natural gas, sewage, or other utilities. ...
In physics, thermal conductivity, k, is the intensive property of a material that indicates its ability to conduct heat. ...
External links
Official Passive House organisations
Passive House research - Passive House Estate in Hannover-Kronsberg Construction details and performance
- CEPHEUS Final Report Major European Union research project. Technical report on as-built thermal performance.
- "Passive-On Project" Research and dissemination to promote Passive Houses in warm climates.
Passive House examples
Domestic - The original Darmstadt Passive Houses
- More images of the Darmstadt development
- German & Austrian residential Passive House examples
- Kama House One of the first Passive Houses in the United Kingdom.
- Passive House, Ireland
- Waldsee The first certified US Passive House (Minnesota).
- E-colab Passive House projects, Urbana, Illinois
- Energy Design Update: An Illinois Passivhaus
Capital Saint Paul Largest city Minneapolis Area Ranked 12th - Total 87,014 sq mi (225,365 km²) - Width 250 miles (400 km) - Length 400 miles (645 km) - % water 8. ...
Official language(s) English Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Area Ranked 25th - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²) - Width 210 miles (340 km) - Length 390 miles (629 km) - % water 4. ...
Non-domestic - Nah&Frisch Passivhaus supermarket In German, with photos.
- Energon Passivhaus office building In German, with photos
- ChristophorusHouse multifunctional office / warehouse / cultural building, Austria
- Passive Geothermal Warehouse, Illinois
Other links - History of the Passivhaus In German
- IEA Energy Conservation in Buildings and Community Systems Programme
|
Feeds |
Contact