A passive house is a residential structure designed to be highly energy efficient. They are based on the principles of bioclimatic architecture and require very little energy to heat and cool the environments. Therefore, they are extremely economical to operate and environmentally friendly.
What are the keys that differentiate a passive house?
Key features of a passive house include:
- Superior Insulation: They are very well insulated to minimize heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer. This usually involves high-quality insulation in walls, ceilings and windows.
- Airtight: Wrap-around airtightness minimizes unwanted drafts, reducing the need for heating and cooling.
- Controlled ventilation: They have mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (MVHR) systems to ensure a constant supply of fresh air and control indoor humidity without losing thermal energy.
- Orientation and passive design: the design makes the most of sunlight and terrain characteristics to optimize thermal comfort and natural lighting.
- They use renewable energy: They usually include renewable energy systems, such as solar, photovoltaic or thermal panels, to generate electricity and hot water sustainably.
Origin of passive houses
In the 1970s, a growing interest in sustainability emerged in society, catalyzed by the oil crises of 1973 and 1979, which led to a reconsideration of the energy model, especially in the United States.
American architecture schools reflected this emerging awareness, proposing buildings that minimized energy consumption without sacrificing the comfort of their occupants.
In 1979, the United States Institute of Architecture published the book “The Passive House: Climate and Energy Savings.” The text advocated taking advantage of the specific climatic conditions of each location to reduce conventional energy consumption. This milestone marked a before and after in the construction of homes.
Benefits offered by this type of construction
A passive house offers a number of significant benefits:
- His design, Highly efficient, it allows you to consume less energy for heating and cooling compared to conventional homes. This translates into lower energy bills.
- Designed to maintain stable and comfortable temperatures inside throughout the year, regardless of outside weather conditions.
- The controlled ventilation systems of a passive house guarantee a constant supply of fresh, filtered air, improving indoor air quality.
- In its construction they use high quality materials and advanced construction techniques, which increases its durability and minimizes long-term maintenance.
- They consume less energy from non-renewable sources, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions and mitigating climate change.
- With the use of renewable energy systems, they achieve energy independence, reducing their dependence on the conventional electrical grid.
Passive buildings are a growing trend in architecture in many countries. For example, in Argentina, in 2022 they built a 400 m² passive house that consumes less than a hair dryer, according to its owner.
It focuses on energy efficiency, sustainability, long-term economic benefits and a significant contribution to the preservation of the environment.
