Finnhus

Passive Houses are buildings in which a comfortable indoor climate can be achieved in winter as well as in summer with an extremely low energy input. The quality criteria for Passive Houses are mainly being defined by the Passivhaus Institut Darmstadt (PHI), Dr. Wolfgang Feist. The following substantial criteria apply to residential buildings:

Annual heating requirement ≤ 15 kWh/(m²a)
Primary energy consumption ≤ 120 kWh/(m²a)
Air-tightness for building envelope n50 ≤ 0,6 /h

Verification procedure is the Passiv House Planning Package (PHPP).

You can find more details about requirements and verification procedures for Passive Houses as well as about quality assurance and certification in “Passive House criteria for residential buildings”. (pdf-Document, only in german 122kB).

The Passive House standard has already proved itself in numerous projects. However, design and realization of Passive Houses is still demanding for all parties involved. In order to realize a Passive House successfully and economically, a quality assurance is indispensable. For this purpose Passive Houses can be certified as “Quality Approved Passive House” by the Passivhaus Institut, the Passivhaus Dienstleistung GmbH or other persons who have been authorized by the Passivhaus Institut.

It is already in the planning phase that the foundations for a reliable Passive House are being laid. At this stage, approximately between preconstruction and final planning, the preliminary test for the certification takes place: Passive-House-relevant points in the design, construction, building services and energy balances of the building are examined, and if necessary suggestions for improvements are worked out. Upon completion of the building the air-tightness of the building envelope is tested.

If the Passive House criteria as specified by the PHI are fulfilled, the certificate



is issued. More than 550 dwellings (single-family, two-family, row and multi-family houses, other residential accommodations), office buildings and public buildings have already undergone a certification process and obtained the certificate "Quality Approved Passive House - Dr. Wolfgang Feist”. With success: the very positive feedback confirms the high comfort and the low energy costs. You can find a documentation of these projects in our Passive House database - certified Passive Houses are marked with the PHI Logo.

Visit www.passiv.de, the homepage of the PHI. There you can find all information about Passive House criteria for components suitable for Passive Houses (e.g. windows, glazing, entry doors, ventilation systems, construction systems) and their certification.