One of the main tenants that the Passive House idea was built on was the need for unusually high amounts of insulation in building assemblies. To achieve this, the SURE HOUSE is employing four main strategies in its construction that set it apart from a typical home. The combination of these criteria require a building with an exceptionally efficient envelope designed to reduce energy loss to such a point that a minimal amount of energy is required to heat or cool the space. Air Tightness: 0.6 Air Changes per Hour at pressure (50 pascals) Specific Cooling Demand: < 15 kWh/m²a or 4.75 kBtu/ft²-yrģ. Specific Heating Demand: < 15 kWh/m²a or 4.75 kBtu/ft²-yr The standard has three main requirements in order to maintain simplicity:ġ. This standard, created in Germany in the 1980s, has been growing in popularity in the United States over the past decade and has been shown to reduce home energy use by up to 90%. While the term “passive” is used often in the sustainable building industry, for instance when describing the utilization of passive solar gains for heat, in this instance a Passive House describes a building that has been designed from its very inception to reduce heating and cooling energy demand to the point that conventional HVAC systems are unnecessary. That is why we are striving to achieve the most stringent energy efficient building standard in existence today – the Passive House standard. As you know, Sustainability is paramount to the goal of the SURE HOUSE.

Building envelope energy efficiency