The PASSIV HOUSE

For us, a sustainable, future orientated Passivhaus to consider the following aspects:
- Energy supply of the buildings at 100% from re- newable energies, which are preferably produced where they are required:

  • Use of only ecological harmless building materials

  • No use of insulation materials, which contain HBCD (Hexabromcyclododecan)

  • Use of regrowing building materials

  • Usage of recyclable building materials

  • Environmentally appropriate water management

  • Water is becoming more and more valuable. Many countries do not have enough clean drinking water already. Rainwater- and graywater use is indispen sable to save the valuable drinking water resources.

  • A Passivhaus has to satisfy aesthetical requirements too. Otherwise, „Nearly Zero Energy Buildings“ will
    contribute to a loss of building culture.

  • In addition, the energy storage has an increasing role and should already be considered at new buildings.

Advantages...

The offers a comfortable living climate via permanent fresh air supply, preheated by ground collectors and purified by air and dust filter. Because of that, the CO2 concentration in a Passivhaus is extremely low and a comfortable climate predominates all-season. Thanks to the decreased difference in temperature between room air and the surface of the building components a high living comfort arises. Cold draughts belong to the past. In a Passivhaus heat losses based on heat transmission and uncontrolled ventilation are minimized.

 

Passivhaus requirements

  • Heat energy demand ≤15 kWh/m²a or heat load ≤10 W/m²

  • Cool energy demand ≤15 kWh/m²a

  • Primary energy demand ≤120 kWh/m²a

  • Extremely low heat transfer on the basis of low U-values:

    • For opaque building envelope components: ≤0.15 W/m²K,

    • For transparent building envelope components (e.g. windows: ≤0.85 W/m²K)

  • Thermal bridge free completion

  • Extremely low infiltration heat losses will be achieved by high airtightness of the building shell (n50 ≤0.6 h-1)

  • ventilation system with heat recovery of at least 75%

  • Energy demand of the ventilation system of ≤ 0.45 Wh/m³

Besides the comfort arguments, also economic ones are crucial for the decision for a Passivhaus. Therefore, a Passivhaus causes only very low energy costs combined with low operation- and maintenance costs.
Meanwhile, after 26 years Passivhaus experiences, all Passivhaus components are serial products. Therefore, the addition investment costs compared to a standard building are hardly measurable and amortize in a very short time.