How the passive house can save up to 90% of energy?

December 7, 2022

There are consumers for whom the record energy prices recorded in recent months are not such a serious problem.

And these are passive house owners who continue to enjoy the comfort of their home at minimal cost.

But how is this possible in a context of military conflict, uncertain energy supplies and rising inflation? 

Source: zeroenergy.com

The passive house concept пасивна къща is reduced to one of the world's leading standards, which combines energy efficiency, convenience and affordability. At the same time, it is an example of sustainable and ecological construction

This type of house needs only 10% of the energy that an average European homeconsumes to maintain a comfortable environment.

This means that passive houses can save up to 90% of the energy consumers currently use. Interestingly even new buildings that are built to modern energy efficiency requirements use on average 75% more energy than passive houses.

Source: zestarchitecture.com

But where does this effect come from?

In general, the benefits of this type of building are based on several principles - superinsulation, airtightness, external influences (such as sun and shade) and ventilation. Thus, there is no need to resort to active heating and cooling with air conditioning or heating. 

An additional plus of passive houses is that they maintain stable temperatures without uncomfortable deviations and provide good indoor air quality. Perfect insulation also reduces unpleasant outside noises.

What requirements must a house meet to be "passive"?

  • The need for heating energy should not exceed 15 kWh/m22 of living space per year or 10W/m22 in peak season. For comparison, an average home needs about 100 W/m2.2.
  •  The total energy needed to satisfy all domestic needs (heating, hot water and electricity) should not be more than 60 kWh/m2 per year.
  •  Passive buildings must have a very high level of airtightness.
  •  Year-round thermal comfort in the premises, as for no more than 10% of the hours during the year temperatures can exceed 25°C.
Source: zeroenergy.com

How are passive houses built?

It is necessary to focus on modern and intelligent design - the home must be designed and oriented in an optimal way to take advantage of external factors such as sun and shade.

Along with this, there are several principles that must be followed:

  • removing thermal bridges
  • high class insulation
  • mechanical ventilation with heat recovery option
  • quality window frames
  • airtight construction
Source: mainehomes.com

Of all these factors, perhaps the most key is super insulation, which protects the home from heat loss and maintains a perfect environment all year round. Even under extreme external conditions, there are no significant differences in air and surface temperatures indoors.

In order for an insulation to be really good, quality materials are needed in its construction.

In this sense, the Schöck Isokorb structural elements are the ideal solution because they provide insulation without compromise and are resistant to various atmospheric influences.

They are also the best way to eliminate thermal bridges indoors and help significantly reduce heat loss and energy bills.

At the same time, we do not disturb the insulation of the building and give complete design freedom.

Learn more about how to completely eliminate thermal bridging in buildings here.

The advantages of passive houses

The advantages of this type of housing are undeniable and completely real. The Passive House has it all:

  • year-round comfort - regardless of the outside temperatures
  • quality - passive houses meet some of the highest standards in construction
  • sustainability - release few emissions and have very low energy consumption
  • accessibility - the investment in a passive house may be slightly larger than that for a regular home, but it pays off many times over time

One of the best things about this type of construction is that it is applicable to anyone and anywhere - both residential and business and administrative buildings.

The passive house can be designed for any location according to its specifics, and its benefits have been proven.

Read more from our helpful blog here.



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