PASSIVE HOUSE DESIGN What Is It? Information and FAQ’S

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PASSIVE HOUSE DESIGN What is it? Information and FAQ’s

What is Passive House? Commercial and Residential Passive House is a cost eff ective system of " e name Passive House implies this method SAMPLE design and construction with exceptional is for residences, but in reality it is equally BUILDING energy performance—so good in fact, a 1000- well applied to larger commercial buildings. Square Feet: watt hair dryer could provide enough heat " ousands of schools, civic buildings and 10,000 SF for a typical home. High quality construction offi ce buildings have been built in Europe practices used in Passive House capitalize on since 1990 when the Passive House method Average Annual the sun’s energy yields, fresh air ventilation was born. Passive House off ers a certifi cation Energy Use/Cost: and produce year round thermal comfort. system that assures high quality and good 250,000 kw/hr/yr " is creates a healthier indoor environment performance for Commercial and Residential $ 21,250 annually and reduces greenhouse gases. buildings equally. Developed in the U.S. during the Oil embargo Passive House and refi ned in Europe, Passive House buildings Average Use/Cost: use passive solar energy, good insulation, air 111,400 kw/hr/yr tightness and heat recovery ventilation for energy reduction. Abundant natural light and $ 9,470 annually continuous fresh air ventilation also makes Savings: for a very healthy and comfortable indoor $ 11,780 annually environment—and yes, you can open the A hair dryer could heat the typical Passive House windows. Why would we build any other way? Built Tight, Ventilate Right Environmental Impact Passive House buildings Thermal Envelope can signifi cantly reduce our A key component of the superior impact on the environment comfort and reduced energy use provided by a Passive House is the high quality by reducing energy use. thermal envelope. By thermal envelope b Buildings use a signifi cant we mean the continuous insulating skin amount of energy which that thermally separates inside from a contributes to greenhouse outside. Passive House buildings are specially designed to have no drafts or gases. According to the Opening area in these frames shows: cold spots, so that in winter you can keep U.S. Energy Information a Average area of air leaks in a typical home. the thermostat at a comfortable level and b Average area of air leaks in a Passive House. Administration, in 2013, still save on energy bills. 40% of the total U.S. energy production was consumed by Breath Easy: Indoor Air Quality & Comfort buildings. Surprisingly, even One of the biggest advantages of Passive House buildings is superior air quality and in our region with signifi cant comfort. For people who are sensitive to mold and air-borne chemicals, a Passive hydropower and wind, fossil House building can make a big diff erence in their quality of life. " ere are almost no fuels still generate about 1/2 air leaks or cold spots for mold to form, and fresh air from outside is continuously of our electricity. Because brought in the building at the same time stale air is sent out. Passive House buildings are required to meet a 7.2 degree F standard for thermal comfort. " is means all Passive House buildings use inside surfaces (walls, fl oors, windows and ceilings) stay within 7.2 degrees F of the so much less energy, we can indoor air temperature year round. In a Passive House building you can walk barefoot live comfortably and still or sit right next to a window on the coldest day in winter and not feel cold. signifi cantly reduce energy use and greenhouse gas Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRV’s) emissions. " e importance of a high effi ciency heat recovery ventilator is that it allows you to have continuous fresh air without losing heat. Passive House qualifying heat recovery systems have to be at least 75% effi cient at heat recovery, and have a minimum use of electricity to operate the fan that moves air throughout the house.

HIGH-EFFICIENCY HEAT RECOVERY COMFORT & SAVINGS THERMAL ENVELOPE + =

LIKE A WARM WINTER COAT CAPTURING HEAT FROM THE AIR 90% LOWER HEATING BILLS AND COVERING ALL SURFACES WITH LEAVING THE BUILDING THAT SUPERIOR INDOOR AIR QUALITY NO AIR LEAKS, COLD DRAFTS OR NORMALLY GETS WASTED AND COMFORT THERMAL BRIDGING

PASSIVE HOUSE BASIC PRINCIPLES PASSIVE HOUSE DESIGN

Passive House Elements for Commercial and Residential Buildings

Air is continuously circulated through the building: Fresh Air is pumped into the building through the heat recovery ventilator. The used Return Air is moved outside

through the same heat recovery ventilator. Summer Insulation “Blanket” This way about one-third of the inside air is replaced each hour. A total of 12-16 inches of insulation with an airtight Air Circulation System membrane situated on the warm side, decreasing the heat requirement to

≤ 1.4 Kw/hr/yr Winter

Supply Air Solar Heat Gain Winter Classroom High Performance Windows Return Air Situating the building correctly, Triple glazed, windows retain the Ofﬁce the winter sun, sitting lower in the heat in winter and keep it out in sky, helps to warm the house. summer.

Solar Shading Summer Return Air Supply Air Using overhangs for solar shading, Supply Air Restroom Lobby Exit Air the summer sun is blocked from the window area, keeping the building cooler.

Basement

High Performance Doors Heat Recovery Ventilator High eﬃciency doors with The heat recovery system is the excellent insulation and tighter center piece of the building. Fresh seals are used to increase the heat air is ﬁltered and warmed up by retained in the building. the exiting, used air. Air is constantly moved into and The Passive House Advantage through the building with almost no heat loss. › Reduction of Heating Costs by up to 90%. › Small Environmental Footprint. › Excellent Indoor Air Quality. › A Big Step Towards a Carbon Neutral Future. › Healthy Environment to Work and Live in. › Great Commercial and Residential Building Solution.

Thermal Bridging Most buildings have signiﬁ cant energy leakage through the building envelope because of thermal bridges. Standard construction details are designed to be easy to build, not easy to insulate. " e careful detailing used in Passive House buildings eliminates thermal bridges that pass heat between inside and outside. " is not only improves comfort, but reduces energy use for the lifetime of the building. " e image on the cover illustrates the diﬀ erence in thermal bridging and heat loss of a Passive House building.

About Windows You may notice the high quality windows in a Passive House. Windows typically lose more heat than any other building component. Passive House windows have specially designed frames and air seals to reduce thermal losses. " e glass is typically triple pane which keeps the interior surface of the glass at room temperature, eliminating drafts. With proper orientation and shading, windows that meet the thermal performance requirements can actually gain more energy than they lose over the year. hkpa.com Certifi cation in depth assessment with site visits and recommendations to improve effi ciency. Passive House Certifi cation assures Existing buildings can be retrofi tted building Owner’s that the high performance to reach Passive House levels of Passive House requirements are met and performance and comfort. Assessment the building will be thermally effi cient is the fi rst step to tell you whether it and comfortable. " e Certifi cation process makes more sense for you and your begins during design when a building building to take small steps toward a energy model is used to simulate the energy more effi cient building or go all the way use of the proposed building, and make to meet the high level of the Passive any adjustments needed in the design to House Certifi cation. meet the standards. During Construction, ® project testing and inspections are done by Call us to fi nd out more about the Julie Blazek, CPHC experienced third party experts to verify options available. that actual construction tolerances meet the same level called for in the design. HKP launched its Passive House Studio in 2014 as a new service for Building Energy Effi ciency all projects looking to incorporate Retrofi ts (BEER) the highest levels of energy effi ciency, indoor air quality and You may ask what can I do about my thermal comfort. Led by Julie existing building? You may be losing money Blazek, a Certifi ed Passive House every month unnecessarily. An energy Consultant, HKP’s Passive House assessment can show you how your building Studio is interested in working with is performing compared to national averages owners and developers to save and determine the best ways to slow or stop Are you ready to enjoy the benefi ts of Passive House? operational costs, provide healthy, the energy that is literally leaking out of comfortable space, reduce impacts your building. to the environment and differentiate Biggest Benefi ts their project from those in the A Building Energy Effi ciency Retrofi t ¡ Thermal Comfort Year Round marketplace. (BEER) may be the right answer for you. Visit our website for ¡ Amazing Indoor Air Quality " ere are several levels of assessment that the latest Passive could be performed, from a simple remote ¡ Exceptional Energy Reduction House Studio building assessment that reviews and ¡ Reduces Greenhouse Gases information at: analyzes energy consumption and compares www.hkpa.com/ your building to national averages, to a more ¡ Saving on Energy Bills PHR passive-house

Sustainable design principles have always been at the heart of our PASSIVE HOUSE faq’s design decisions, particularly when it comes to natural ventilation, 1. Is Passive House the same as Passive Solar? passive solar strategies, light, views and material expression in the Answer: They are not quite the same. While both seek to use the sun’s energy for winter heating, Pacifi c Northwest. HKP architects Passive House buildings go beyond Passive Solar to provide continuous building insulation, air tightness, actively incorporates sustainable and heat recovery ventilation. This assures the building will be comfortable, healthy and won’t require design principles in all of our work as much thermal mass or south facing glazing as a typical Passive Solar house often has. and we help clients understand 2. I’ve heard you can’t breathe in an airtight house. the long-term benefi ts to our environment and to their operation Answer: You’ll experience better air quality in a Passive House building because it’s designed to bring and maintenance costs. in plenty of fresh air through the heat recovery ventilation system, or through windows. Air quality is better when air is brought in this way rather than through cracks in leaky walls, fl oors and roofs that can harbor mold. Having an airtight Passive House building allows you to bring in air when and where you HKP architects want it to come in. Build Tight, Ventilate Right. 204 W. montgomery Mount Vernon, Washington 98273 3. Can you build apartment units as Passive Houses? phone: (360) 336-2155 Answer: Yes, in fact apartment units are well suited for being Passive Houses because they have so email: [email protected] many shared walls. This reduces the amount of exterior walls compared to the fl oor area and makes them easier to heat and cool. hkpa.com