Passive house plans — up to 15 kWh/m² a year, eight times below the norms

The core criterion of the passive standard is a radical cut in energy use for heating, cooling and hot water. Under European requirements a passive house uses no more than 15 kWh per m² a year for heating. That is eight times less than current norms in Ukraine and most of Eastern Europe.

Why Passive House pays off during construction

There is a myth that a passive house is too expensive. But sound design returns the investment during the build itself:

• Savings on connections: the house barely needs external heat, so there is no overpaying for high-power gas lines or extra kilowatts — a minimal connection limit is enough.
• Cheaper plant: instead of costly boiler cascades, hundreds of metres of pipe and massive radiators — compact, low-power equipment.
• No classic boiler room: modern plant needs no separate 6-10 m² room. That area becomes a wardrobe, pantry or bathroom.
• Simple climate control: heating and cooling run through underfloor heating or the supply-and-exhaust ventilation itself.

Mathematical precision: the PHPP calculation

Every project to this standard goes through a mandatory calculation in the PHPP (Passive House Planning Package). It is a mathematical model of the future house: it accounts for the region's climate data, the thickness and conductivity of every wall layer, the building geometry and even the heat from appliances and occupants. The calculation rules out engineering errors and guarantees the built house meets the stated figures.

Passive houses in the Ukrainian climate

The Passive House standard is demanding in Ukraine because of the wide temperature swing (from -20 °C in winter to +35 °C in summer), but fully achievable with meticulous design.

Siting by the compass

Orientation is calculated to the degree. The main glazing of living rooms faces south to collect free solar energy in winter. To the north, windows are minimal or absent, and the north zone goes to buffer rooms: stairs, bathrooms, wardrobes.

Balancing the window openings

Large south windows are a strong source of free heat in winter but can turn the house into a greenhouse in summer. Since cooling is markedly more expensive than heating, we use two levels of protection:

• Passive shading: a precise roof overhang, balcony slabs or fixed canopies (pergolas). In winter the low sun reaches the rooms; in summer, with the sun overhead, these elements shade the glass.
• Active shading: automatic external blinds driven by sun sensors block the heat before it crosses the window plane.

Airtightness and heat recovery

A passive house is a flawlessly airtight envelope (verified by a mandatory Blower Door test). Fresh air without heat loss comes from supply-and-exhaust ventilation with a heat recovery unit rated 75%+: warm stale air heats the fresh incoming air without mixing with it.

The next step — an active house

If a passive house minimises consumption, the active house goes further: with solar stations, solar thermal and heat pumps it produces more energy over a year than it uses, delivers a premium microclimate with CO₂ control and is built from low-impact materials.

Related sections

Active houses · simple (energy-saving) · energy audit of existing buildings · full catalogue

Choose a passive plan

The head of AkvilonPro's energy-efficiency department, Pavlo Biryukovich, is a Certified Passive House Designer and Certified Passive House Tradesperson in the Passive House Institute register.

Choose a ready-made passive plan or order a design to the Passive House standard with a full PHPP calculation — get in touch.