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What is it like living in a passive house?

Last Post 08 May 2009 09:58 AM by SoCalScott. 7 Replies.

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Hoowood

New Member

Posts:78

27 Apr 2009 08:30 AM
What is it like living in a passive house? Answers to frequently asked questions about the construction standard of the future 1) Can a house really stay warm without a heating system? Passive houses that have been tested and are already occupied have conclusively proven: Even in our middle European climate, houses can be built with such low heating energy requirements that minimal additional heat added to incoming fresh air, is sufficient to keep the house warm and comfortable in winter. Measurements in passive home subdivisions have proven that energy requirements for heating can be accurately predicted, and that even with a great variety of occupants, calculated consumption agrees with average actual consumption. 2) Can you open windows in a passive house? Of course, occupants may open windows whenever they want; however, they won't have to. A passive house is continuously supplied with fresh air via the ventilating system. This has advantages: Unlike window ventilation, fine filters in the ventilating system keep out dirt and pollen. Air quality within the house is always excellent, even when occupants are away and/or windows are never opened. Of course, as with all houses, if windows are left open in winter for longer periods, the inside air temperature will decrease noticeably, and energy consumption for heating will increase. 3) People often express reservations about the need for a ventilation system: Are there problems with bacteria, noise and drafts? - The ventilation system in a passive house is a fresh air supply system, not an air conditioning system that recirculates inside air. Bacteria growth is only a problem in recirculating air systems (and then, only if poorly maintained). Fan and valve noises are almost completely eliminated by sound control measures (e.g., vibration isolation mounts, low air speed, acoustic lining in ducts). Jet nozzles guide incoming air along the ceiling from where it uniformly diffuses throughout the room at velocities that are barely perceptible. 4) Isn't a passive house a complicated, high-tech house? - No, a passive house is very user-friendly and the equipment is easy to operate. The ventilation system has fewer controls than a normal television. Passive house technology is so simple, there's no need to hire someone to perform annual air filter changes; you can do it yourself. The passive house technology Main cause is the oxide emission from the burning of fossil fuels. 90% of the CO² emission caused in private household is produced from the central heating and water boiler. Make an appeal to a future home owner that he is also responsible for the environment, it is usually the case that he doesn't know what important contribution he can make to reduce pollution: A one-family house with 1500sq ft heated living area, which barely meets the standards of the newest energy-saving-decree, can produce from the house heating system alone, an average emission of 2,7 tons carbon dioxide per year! The goal of the passive house technology is, to reduce the active heating to a minimum "emergency" heating, which is only needed on a few days in the year. In the case of a one-family house this would mean a capacity of approx. 2 kW, about the amount of a small fan heater. Calculated, this would mean a usage of about 1,4kW per year, per sq ft heating living area. This consumption is also a given criteria for a passive house: A passive house saves up to 80% heating energy compared to a building built to the latest energy savings.

Hoowood

New Member

Posts:78

28 Apr 2009 02:52 AM
Another important fact is the climate in passiv homes. A research in Germany resultet in a number above 4 million people (more than 200,000 are not able to get outside without breathing help or medication) having all kind of allergic problems. ICF constructions with airing or airexchange systems give you a new healtier climate at least at home. Through the controlled airing system and the use of materials like icf and a low humidity ( 55%-60% ) the mold growing factor is minor. It is shocking to read and see but who looks behind the walls especially when so many houses are empty for month and air systems are shut down until the new buyer can move in. The attached article isn´t nice but the truth was never really nice. http://www.georgiamoldhouse.com/MORE_MOLD_PICTURES.html

Hoowood

New Member

Posts:78

30 Apr 2009 07:51 AM
Living in a passive house can be described as a 365-day stay in a climatic spa. Fresh air flows in constantly, but traffic noise, insects, dust, soot, and pollen remain outside while no heat is lost. No cold building surfaces generate asymmetrical radiation temperatures. All surface areas are equally warm - even the windows. The result is simply a healthy and comfortable indoor environment. Although occupants of passive houses may open windows whenever they want, they won't have to. A passive house is continuously supplied with fresh air via the ventilating system and, because of the heat recovery, it always has a comfortable temperature. This has several advantages: unlike window ventilation, fine filters in the ventilating system keep out dirt and pollen; and air quality within the house is always excellent, even when occupants are away and/or windows are never opened. The ventilation system with heat recovery in a passive house is not an air conditioning system that recirculates inside air. Bacterial growth can be a problem in recirculation air systems with cooling, but only if they are poorly maintained. Fan and valve noises are almost completely eliminated by sound control measures like vibration isolation mounts and low air speed. Jet nozzles guide incoming air along the ceiling, from which it uniformly diffuses throughout the room at barely perceptible velocities. Does this sound like a house you'd like to live in? Welcome to the building of tomorrow!

barkri12

New Member

Posts:17

04 May 2009 01:23 AM
As global warming and fuel prices encroach upon our daily lives, renewable energy sources are gaining a lot of attention. Solar is one form of renewable energy you can incorporate into a new home without using panel systems. Mention the phrase solar power and what do you think of? Panel systems comprised of a bunch of solar cells. Maybe they are in the backyard. Maybe on the roof. Regardless, they are bulky, expensive and not much to look at when it comes to the appearance of your home. Fortunately, there is another form of solar power you can take advantage of without using panel systems. Passive solar is a concept that focuses on using the power in sunlight to heat a home. More importantly, the concept incorporates solar heating both during the day and night. If you are building a new home, you would be wise to give the concept some thought. A new home should last for a long time and passive solar heating can save you a ton of money in heating costs over that time. In many cases, it may eliminate the heating costs entirely.

Hoowood

New Member

Posts:78

06 May 2009 07:57 AM
Build Passive...how is this possible? Quite easy, simply take: ·isorast-systembuildingelements 43cm, superthickwallsystem with heat transmission coefficient 0,11W/(m²K) ·eco2 triple-glazed windows, wooden or PVC window frames with heat transmission coefficient less than 0,5W/(m²K) ·Nilan controlled airing system with thermal exchanger for always have a good & healthy climate in your home Main cause is the oxide emission from the burning of fossil fuels. 90% of the CO² emission caused in private household is produced from the central heating and water boilers. Make an appeal to a future home owner that he is also responsible for the environment, it is usually the case that he doesn't know what important contribution he can make to reduce pollution: A single family home with 1500sf heated living area, which barely meets the standards of the newest energy-saving-decree, produces from the heating system alone, an average emission of 2,7 tons carbon dioxide per year! The goal of the passive house technology is, to reduce the active heating to a minimum "emergency" heating, which is only needed on a few days in the year. In the case of a one-family house this would mean a capacity of approx. 2 kW, about the amount of a small fan heater. Calculated, this would mean a usage of about 1,39kW per year, per sf heating living area. This consumption is also a given criteria for a passive house: A passive house saves up to 80% heating energy compared to a building built to the newest energy-saving-decree 1999. Transfer these figures to an average life span of 50 years, it would mean for the environment:The average passive house would save the environment over the life span of 50 years approx. 100 ton´s of carbon dioxide! LET US BEGIN THE CLEANER FUTURE HERE....NATURE WILL BE THANKFULL

gregj

Basic Member

Posts:326

06 May 2009 05:20 PM
How can it be a passive house if it has an active ventilation system? Don't you mean a solar heated house? By definition a "passive" house does not have an "active" HVAC system. The V stands for Ventilation. What kind of hour to hour temperature variations does one have throughout the day in the sunny "heat sink" room of a solar house?

Hoowood

New Member

Posts:78

07 May 2009 01:44 AM
Posted By gregj on 05/06/2009 5:20 PM How can it be a passive house if it has an active ventilation system? Don't you mean a solar heated house? By definition a "passive" house does not have an "active" HVAC system. The V stands for Ventilation. What kind of hour to hour temperature variations does one have throughout the day in the sunny "heat sink" room of a solar house? Good question gregj What is the meaning of "passive" house. When we had this discussion in 1976 when the first "passive homes" were build. One said we name it passive when the kw/sf is below a number per Year. Here the official text. "A passive house is a building in which a comfortable interior climate can be maintained without active heating and cooling systems (Adamson 1987 and Feist 1988). The house heats and cools itself, hence "passive". For European passive construction, prerequisite to this capability is an annual heating requirement that is less than 15 kWh/(m²a) (4755 Btu/ft²/yr), not to be attained at the cost of an increase in use of energy for other purposes (e.g., electricity). Furthermore, the combined primary energy consumption of living area of a European passive house may not exceed 120 kWh/(m²a) (38039 Btu/ft²/yr) for heat, hot water and household electricity. " So first we have to get an understanding: When is a house called passive house like we have to get an idea of : "WHAT IS GREEN" Hope this explains Hoowood

SoCalScott User is Offline

New Member

Posts:91

08 May 2009 09:58 AM
Jusat for clarification....."Passive House" is different from "Pasive Solar Design". The main concept behind a Passive House is to build the envelope so well insulated and airtight as to have as much control over the indoor environment as possible then to introduce a mimimum amount of ventilation/temperature control (ground-coupled heat exchenger - which only uses a fan or blower), which is then supplemented by on-site energy generation (PV, Wind, etc.)