- Site Analysis
- Site Use
- Passive Design
- Material Use
- Wet Areas
- Health and Safety
- Other Resources
Designing the building and the spaces within it to benefit from natural light, ventilation and even temperatures.
The Passive House standard is a rigorous, systems-based approach to closing the gap between the anticipated and actual performance of buildings. The first certified Passive House home in New Zealand was completed in Auckland in 2012. Over a dozen have followed since.
The idea is to construct buildings that are healthy and comfortable year-round, while needing very little energy to operate. This is achieved through a quality assurance regime that starts with the design and ends with the as-built certification.
Use of interconnected spreadsheets known as the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) allows the buildings performance to be accurately modelled before construction. While certified Passive Houses differ significantly in appearance and typology, they all perform within a narrow band of performance indicators:
- An annual heating/cooling demand of not more than 15 kWh/mē per year OR a peak heat load of 10 W/mē
- There must not be more than 0.6 air changes per hour at an indoor/outdoor pressure difference of 50 Pa during a test.
In addition, there are limitations for primary energy renewable demand and, for some certification classes, also requirements to generate renewable energy on site.
Certified Passive Houses have been built in all climate zones, from very cold to very hot. With New Zealand's overwhelmingly temperate climate, the targets are far easier to meet than in countries with more extreme climates.
Regions around the world are incorporating the Passive House standard into local legislation.
Updated: 28 October 2018