7 Criteria of a Passive House: Standards & Design

Designing modern energy-efficient housing relies on strict technical regulations. For a building to officially meet the Passive House standard, it must satisfy seven core criteria that ensure minimal operating costs and maximum living comfort.

What are the main criteria for a Passive House?

The primary criteria for a Passive House include: annual space heating demand not exceeding 15 kWh/m², building envelope airtightness of n50 < 0.6 h⁻¹, use of mechanical ventilation with heat recovery (efficiency > 75%), complete absence of thermal bridges, high-performance windows, energy-efficient appliances, and the integration of renewable energy sources for hot water.

1. Specific Space Heating Demand

The most critical metric is the annual heating limit of 15 kWh/(m²·yr). To put this in perspective, a 100 m² passive house requires only 1,500 kWh of energy per year. This is roughly 8 to 10 times less than the consumption of a conventional modern building, significantly reducing utility bills.

2. Building Envelope Airtightness

A Passive House functions like a thermos. Air leakage through the building shell must not exceed 0.6 times the house volume per hour at 50 Pascals of pressure. This is verified using a specialized Blower-Door test.

Using thermal imaging during the test allows for the precise localization of hidden installation defects and thermal weak points during the construction phase.

3. Ventilation with Heat Recovery

Since the building is airtight, fresh air is supplied mechanically. To minimize energy loss, a heat recovery ventilator (HRV) is used to extract heat from the exhaust air and transfer it to the incoming fresh air. Passive House standards require a heat recovery efficiency of at least 75%.

4. Thermal Bridge-Free Design

Any structural element (balcony slabs, concrete beams) with high thermal conductivity causes energy loss and condensation. We use the "red pencil" method during the design stage to ensure a continuous insulation layer around the entire building volume.

5. High-Performance Windows and Insulation

Windows in a Passive House are advanced engineering systems featuring triple glazing and inert gas filling. Orienting large windows to the south allows the building to utilize solar radiation as a free heat source during winter.

6. Energy-Efficient Household Appliances

In a Passive House, every watt counts. Using A+++ rated appliances and LED lighting reduces internal heat loads and the overall electrical consumption of the building.

7. Renewable Energy for Hot Water (DHW)

Integrating solar thermal collectors or heat pumps for water heating allows the house to meet its domestic hot water needs almost for free during most of the year.

See also:

• Which windows to choose for a Passive House?
• More about Passive House technologies