What is Passivhaus?
Buildings are a significant culprit of carbon emissions – accountable for 35% of total global energy consumption. Backed with over 30 years of international evidence, Passivhaus is a tried & tested solution that gives us a range of proven approaches to deliver net-zero-ready new and existing buildings optimised for a decarbonised grid and augmented for occupant health and wellbeing. Passivhaus buildings provide a high level of occupant comfort using very little energy for heating and cooling.
Passivhaus adopts a whole-building approach with clear, measured targets, focused on high-quality construction, certified through an exacting quality assurance process. For more on why adopting an efficient first approach is cruicial to meeting carbon targets, check here.
EnerPHit is a slightly relaxed standard for retrofit projects, where the existing architecture and conservation issues mean that meeting the Passivhaus standard is not feasible.
What is the Passivhaus standard?
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Why Passivhaus?
It is important to understand the value & sound business case for building to the Passivhaus Standard; it is so much more than just world-leading energy efficiency and thermal performance. There are several benefits, and many are interconnected – creating a catalyst for positive effects. Low energy bills, constant fresh air, superior internal comfort, peaceful and quiet interiors - the list goes on. Learn why the Passivhaus approach is good for people and the planet. Get more detail in our Passivhaus benefits guide.
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I was working as a physicist. I read that the construction industry had experimented with adding insulation to new buildings and that energy consumption had failed to reduce. This offended me – it was counter to the basic laws of physics. I knew that they must be doing something wrong. So I made it my mission to find out what, and to establish what was needed to do it right.
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Feist Director of the Passive House Institute, Darmstadt, Germany
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How to achieve the Passivhaus Standard in the UK
The performance gap between design and in-use energy performance in the UK is well documented and, conservatively, is found to result in a 60% increase in space heating demand in residential and often considerably more in non-residential buildings. Passivhaus buildings, by contrast, are reliably found to perform as designed on average.
How is this achieved? The Passivhaus Trust defines eight Passivhaus principles: not only the well known building principles of insulation, airtightness, ventilation, minimised thermal bridging, and high-performance windows, but also the three core principles of approach:
- detailed performance and comfort criteria
- accurate design modelling using the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP)
- rigorous quality assurance.
Together, these eight principles form an integrated whole that reliably delivers performance, comfort and durability.
Performance and comfort criteria
The table below summarises the key headline criteria for all building standards defined by the Passive House Institute. In addition, there are detailed criteria relating to optimal thermal comfort, user satisfaction, and low risk of damage from moisture accumulation.
Readers must refer to the full criteria from the Passive House Institute to ensure they have the correct values for their specific project – variations may apply.
Click image to view table with annotations [PDF]
Claiming the Passivhaus Standard in the UK
The Passivhaus Trust recommends that the best way to achieve quality assurance for a Passivhaus project is through certification by a registered Passivhaus Certifier. It is reasonable to claim that a building is a self-declared Passivhaus provided that it still satisfies all the requirements of the standard.
Read more about this in our technical briefing paper 'Claiming the Passivhaus standard'.
The Passivhaus Planning Package (PHPP)
The Passivhaus Planning Package (PHPP) is a modelling tool that reports a bespoke energy balance for your project. This means that while the Passivhaus standard is the same for most building types, the particular solution for your building will be tailored.
PHPP has been proven to be reliable in giving accurate predictions of actual energy use in the finished building. Used as a design aid at an early stage, PHPP can help you quickly identify which details have the most impact, and find opportunities for optimisation.
Certification
Over thirty years of experience demonstrates that the high levels of comfort and energy savings associated with the Passivhaus Standard is achieved through independent quality testing. All certified Passivhaus buildings undergo a rigorous compliance process. Certification is also available for specific components, Designers/ Consultants & Tradespeople.
Building Certifiers: A number of UK organisations have been approved to assess and issue the quality assured Passivhaus Certificate. These organisations must be separate to the main design team and provide impartial verification that all Passivhaus criteria has been satisfied. Details of who can provide Passivhaus certification can be found here.
Simplified PHPP workflow to Certification:
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