When people hear the name Passive House, they come across many misconceptions about the Passive House standard. Such as:
“Only houses can be built with this standard.”, “These houses are very expensive.”, “The windows don’t open.”, etc.
The passive house myths are many, but here we have broken seven of the most common ones.
Passive house windows cannot be opened
Who wants to live in a house where the windows do not open? Of course, the windows open, but compared to conventional buildings that do not have a ventilation system, this is less necessary. It is even advisable for the passive house to have openable windows. In this way additional cooling of the building is achieved during summer nights.
The air in the passive houses is stagnant because the windows do not open
This applies 100% to conventional buildings. They have CO2 levels too high, which requires ventilation by opening the windows. This causes the buildings to be drained in winter and further warmed in summer. The passive house has a ventilation system that works on the principle of recovery and delivers constantly clean air. Passive buildings are well insulated and airtight, thanks to which the ventilation system maintains a constant temperature throughout the building throughout the seasons.
Passive buildings are very expensive
Passive buildings have become more accessible as their popularity and access to components has increased globally. In some cases, investing in a passive house may be equivalent to, or even lower than, conventional buildings. This is thanks to the long-term savings associated with energy consumption.
Passive buildings save up to 90% of conventional heat, which means they save annually on the cost of investing.
Passive buildings have no heating
Yes, they do not have active heaters, this is called passive. Warming takes place on the principle of recuperation, the incoming fresh fresh air meets the exhaust air exchanger (without mixing), the exhaust air gives off its heat to the fresh air and it passes through a filter, and from there it is discharged to the rooms.
The fresh air supplied does not recycle and thus inhibits the development of bacteria and dust in the premises.
Passive buildings are ugly
Beautiful or ugly is a relative term. Passive houses can look any way, there are already tens of thousands built around the world in different architectural styles. It’s important to know that a passive house is a standard, not an architectural style – meaning owners can choose which house to build.
Passive houses are too complicated
Maybe by reading the technical features of the Passive House standard,
heat load ≤ 10 W / m2,
annual heating energy consumption ≤ 15 kWh / m2,
annual primary energy consumption ≤ 120 kWh / m2,
air tightness ≤ 0.60 ACH @ 50Pa,
It may seem very complicated, but for the average occupant of the passive house it is enough to know how the ventilation system is managed. And this is no more complicated than managing an air conditioner.
Passive houses are only built in Germany
The Passive House standard was developed in Germany, but not only in Germany. The Passive House standard is international and can be applied to any climate and geographical area. The standard is appropriate for any type of building, with some examples including museums, skyscrapers, supermarkets, factories, etc. It is also possible to apply the Passive House principles for older buildings by renovating them to the EnerPHit standard.