Publication date: February 2025 🔐Login/signup to download

Misunderstanding Passivhaus Principles

Lead author: Alun Watkins

As awareness of the Passivhaus standard has grown, some knowledge of the fundamental physical characteristics which all such high-performance buildings have in common – for example, appropriate levels of continuous insulation and air tightness together with Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) – has also spread throughout the industry. This must be seen as a positive. However, this has led to projects that have declared that they are following “Passivhaus principles” because they incorporate some or all those characteristics, while neglecting to follow the principles of accurate modelling, an integrated approach, and rigorous quality assurance which are central to all certified Passivhaus projects and which deliver so many health, comfort and energy benefits.

This paper shows how attempting to incorporate some physical characteristics without following all the principles introduces significant risks. If looking to achieve the benefits delivered by Passivhaus buildings, then use of the Passivhaus Planning Package (PHPP) to produce an energy and comfort model from the earliest stage of design, followed by implementation of robust quality assurance, is fundamental.