Passive House Plans: Misunderstood in the United States

Indeed Passive House designs may use 90% less energy for heating than a conventional home. Although the Passive House Standard is exceptionally efficient, the German-originated standard is not yet widely understood in the United States, resulting in challenges for people who would seek to build them.

According to an article on Empowerhouse, an affordable Passive Home, designing a passive house that maintains a constant level of thermal comfort with minimal active heating and cooling is accomplished by focusing on 1) optimal window orientation for maximal use of the sun's rays, 2) a highly insulated building envelope that is virtually air-tight and 3) thoughtful HVAC design (mechanical, passive or hybrid) that keeps the home at a relatively steady, comfortable indoor climate.

A passive home's solar orientation lets heat from the sun warm the interior during the winter, while integrated shading structures provide cooling and keep unwanted incremental heat out during the summer.

While a conventionally-built homes in the U.S. utilize a furnace or integrated HVAC system to heat and cool, many Passive Houses rely on a heat exchanger, an essential component that maintains efficiency and indoor air quality, to circulate fresh air throughout the house. In the winter, the heat exchanger captures heat from the conditioned inside air, and uses it to warm the fresh air from outside. Such concepts can seem alien to established links in the homeowner value-chain.

Indeed, because a Norwich, Vermont-based passive home's plans did not include a furnace of any sort, insurers were convinced its pipes would freeze, and declined coverage.

Passive Houses are also more expensive to build than conventional homes perhaps due to the fact that few professionals have Passive House expertise, and building materials for such homes are often to track down.

While there are over 30,000 Passive Houses meeting the standard across Europe, the standard has not gained traction in the States. However, over time as energy efficiency becomes more of a consideration in residential home design, the Passive House standard should become more affordable and common.