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Passive House basics

Passive House is a building standard defined by results: comfort, healthy indoor air, and very low energy use. The name means a passively comfortable interior, not passive solar design. Any architecture and ordinary materials can meet it, and PHI publishes its criteria openly; the name isn't trademarked.

Comfort comes first. Every surface in the room is warm, so there's no chill from the windows, no draft along the floor, and the whole room is usable to the corners. Fresh, filtered air comes in continuously. The energy savings follow from the same measures.

Five measures work together: continuous insulation, thermal-bridge-free details, an airtight enclosure, good windows with shading, and ventilation with heat recovery. They cut heat loss so far that a small system can heat the building. Each design is modeled in PHI's Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) against published criteria, and can be independently certified.

The physics is the same in every climate; the design changes with it. In a cold climate the work is keeping heat in. In a hot, humid one it's keeping heat and moisture out.

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Writing on Passive House basics 9

Articles · June 24, 2026
Who Should Take the CPHD Course?
If you want to make great buildings, this course was built for you. The Certified Passive House Designer (CPHD) course is the premier core…
Articles · November 19, 2024
Why Passive House is Here to Stay
When Dr. Wolfgang Feist completed the first Passive House in Darmstadt, Germany, in 1991, he laid the foundation for a movement that would change…
Articles · June 10, 2024
Your Summer Reading List – Passive House Edition
Summer is here, and your bookshelf is calling. Whether you’re looking for a book to unwind with at the beach, kill a few hours…
Articles · November 9, 2023
The Weekend View: A 3D Passive House Tour
With Open Days upon us, we hope you’ll take some time this weekend to check out one of our many participating locations opening their…
Articles · November 3, 2023
The Weekend View: Building Passive—A Video
How much cellulose insulation does it take to insulate a Colorado Passive House? About a truckload, but that’s not the only thing it takes…
Articles · May 6, 2015
What is Passive House?
Passive House is a building standard. It is a voluntary international building standard developed by the Passive House Institute (PHI), located in Darmstadt, Germany…

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