You may have heard the term "Passive House" and wondered what it means. Is it a house that just sits there passively? A house without active systems? The reality is both simpler and more impressive.
Passive House Defined: A voluntary building standard focused on reducing energy consumption by 75-90% compared to typical construction, while providing superior indoor comfort and air quality.
The Five Principles of Passive House
Passive House design is built on five core principles:
- Superior Insulation: Continuous, thermal-bridge-free insulation enveloping the entire building
- Airtight Construction: Tested to 0.6 ACH50 or less (dramatically tighter than code)
- High-Performance Windows: Triple-pane windows optimized for the local climate
- Thermal Bridge-Free Design: Eliminating weak points where heat escapes
- Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery: Fresh, filtered air without energy waste
Passive House in Texas
The Passive House standard originated in Germany, where cold winters are the primary challenge. In Texas, we face the opposite: brutal summer cooling loads with mild winters.
This requires adapting the approach:
- Window orientation: Strategic shading and glazing selection to reduce solar heat gain
- ERV vs HRV: Energy Recovery Ventilators (which handle moisture) instead of Heat Recovery Ventilators
- Dehumidification: Managing Texas humidity is critical for comfort
- Cooling-dominated design: Optimizing for A/C efficiency rather than heating
Passive House vs. Net-Zero vs. DOE Zero Energy Ready
These standards overlap but have different focuses:
- Passive House: Focuses on the building envelope and energy demand reduction
- Net-Zero: Energy produced equals energy consumed (requires renewables)
- DOE Zero Energy Ready: Built efficient enough to achieve net-zero with solar
Austin Touchstone Builders is a Certified Passive House Builder and DOE Zero Energy Ready Partner. We incorporate Passive House principles into all our homes while adapting them for Texas conditions.
Is Passive House Right for You?
Full Passive House certification requires third-party verification and can add cost. However, the principles of Passive House—superinsulation, airtightness, and mechanical ventilation—deliver benefits in any climate.
Whether you pursue certification or simply want a high-performance home built to Passive House principles, we can help you achieve exceptional comfort and efficiency.
Build with Passive House Principles
As a certified Passive House builder, we can help you achieve exceptional energy performance.
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