A wonderful option for environmentally-conscious homeowners, passive houses are 90% more energy efficient than any normal home. Through clever design, these houses allow homeowners to dramatically slash their energy consumption. If you are planning to build a house, then you can’t do better than passive design for sustainability, cost-effectiveness and comfort.

“Passive (housing) is the radical notion that you can reliably and consistently design a building that works for humans. It’s a comfort standard and a methodology.”

– Bronwyn Barry, Passive House Designer

How does passive housing design work?

Passive houses are designed in such a way that they can maintain a comfortable interior climate throughout without the use of heating or air conditioning. Many building techniques are employed to achieve this such as heavy insulation, airtight construction and efficient ventilation. A house can only be officially recognized as a passive structure if it consumes less than 15 kilowatt-hours for heating and cooling each year.

What are the benefits of passive housing?

Passive houses usually cost 8-10% more up-front to build. However, the initial investment
does pay off handsomely over time, with homeowners making colossal savings on their energy bills. What’s more, passive houses contribute to healthy living. Reports have found that passive house owners enjoy improved air quality, reduced mould and (depending on where they live) tax rebates.

Find out more about passive houses

If you are interested in building a passive house or making your current house more
sustainable, we recommend that you take a look at this informative infographic guide from the team at EZ Living Interiors. This informative graphic includes a simple overview of passive housing requirements and shines a light on the many advantages of passive housing.

This infographic looks at how a passive house can save money and the environment.