All of our developments are certified to the Passive House (PH) standard. A building that is PH certified has undergone extensive thermal modeling that integrates three factors. These factors are site orientation, the local climate, and the thermodynamic properties of all materials that comprise the thermal barrier. The Passive House standard is the most rigorous energy standard in the construction industry. Buildings that achieve this standard use 90% less energy for heating and cooling than conventional buildings.
Canada has our own organization for this physics-based building standard.
The History of Passive House
The concept of Passive House as a building standard started 25+ years ago when Avory Lovins from the Rocky Mountain Institute challenged Wolfgang Feist to turn his then current building science research into a building standard. More than two decades of evolution and improvements has turned into one of the leading building standards of today.
The Benefits of Passive House
A house built to the Passive House standard has transparent benefits and ones that are less obvious, too. The benefit of energy efficiency is first on everyone’s mind and is realized throughout the life of the dwelling.
A couple of somewhat less obvious benefits are increased comfort and sound dampening. The increased comfort is two-fold. First, there is no stratification of heat: no longer will your shoulders be hot while your ankles are cold. Second, the radiative chill from standing next to a window in the winter doesn’t exist in a Passive House.
The least obvious benefit of a Passive House is the thermal resiliency in the winter here in Canada. The power goes out. There is no heat for several days. In a typical house, the next day you’re wearing two sweaters, and by day-two you are uncontrollably cold. A Passive House study has been shown to lose no more than 2 degrees over six days after a power outage makes the central heating supply unavailable.
Compared to BC Step Code
The BC Step Code was implemented by the Province to increase the energy efficiency of structures built in British Columbia. This obligatory Provincial standard has five steps affecting residential structures, with Step 5 being the strictest. As of May 2023, Step 3 was required, and Step 4 will come into effect in 2028.
The Passive House standard is more rigorous than any of the BC Step Codes. Upon an initial comparison, a PH dwelling has substantially less unplanned ventilation. Furthermore, when a PH structure is properly designed from the beginning, it can be built at cost parity to a structure with a similar function. However, many architects find that building to Step Code 3, is more expensive than a conventional build. Yes, that seems counter-intuitive at first glance.
However, initial design choices inherent in a Passive House project immediately lead to design, construction, and maintenance cost savings. Cost savings increase again when a home’s annual heating demand is supplied through an add-on to the ventilation system.
The Certification Process
The certification process for a Passive House has two phases. First, a consultant works with architectural drawing provided by the architect. The consultant models the energy balance of the original design and any changes. This modeling happens in an Excel spreadsheet template called the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP).
Once a final design is approved, the consultant finishes the energy modeling in the PHPP. By this time the model of windows has been selected. Selections of other components such as the ventilation unit and a heat pump (if required) have been made.
The recommended practice is to have a PH Certifier examine the PH consultant’s work prior to construction commencing. This ensures the energy consumption for the final design will stay below the PH threshold.
Once construction is completed the final PHPP and a suite of photos of the construction process goes to the PH Certifier. The Certifier checks the PHHP for accuracy and checks the photos to verify that construction matches the plan. Lastly, the Certifier submits the results of their analysis to the Passive House Institute and certification is awarded by the Institute in Germany.