PassivHaus (Passive House)

The Passivhaus (Passive House) standard is one that we should all aspire to when choosing materials for building homes in the twenty-first century.

What is a Passivhaus?

Passivhaus is voluntary benchmark for energy efficiency which exceeds the national legal average. It is a building standard which is attempting to construct a higher standard of ecological sustainability and produce properties which need very little energy for heating or cooling.

The definition of a low-energy Passivhaus is one which has an annual energy consumption of 30-70 kWh/m²a. Approximately 80% less heating energy compared to a traditional new-build according to the German heat conservation mandate of 1995.

With over 30,000 properties constructed to Passivhaus standards it is the quickest growing energy performance standard.

The windows are a vital component when building a property to Passivhaus standards. Passivhaus windows, reduce heat loss and increase the amount of heat taken by the sun. They have been expertly designed to minimise thermal loss while maximising thermal gain.

Passive House Certified Windows and Doors

Internorm is number 1 in Passivhaus windows and the only window manufacturer in Europe with nine Passivhaus certified components. That means that nine window and door systems have been certified by the “Passivhausinstitut Dr. Wolfgang Feist”.

Tips to help reach Passive House building standards:

  • Good thermal protection of the facade through appropriate insulation (U < 0.15 W/m2K)
  • Super glazing and super window frames, that means U value < 0.80 W/m2K and g value around 50%
  • Avoid thermal bridges
  • South facing of large windows to use the sun as source of energy
  • Passive pre-warming of fresh air – air can be warmed up through earth heat exchanger
  • Heat recovery from used air through counterflow heat exchanger
  • Water heating possible through renewable energies
  • Energy saving appliances in the household
  • Skilled installation – in order for Passivhaus certified windows and doors to meet the Passive House standards they need to have been installed correctly

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