In his latest “Tips, Traps and a Little Science” column, MICHAEL DRAGE, founder of Reimagined Habitat, Passive House and energy efficient home designers, introduces the concept of the Passive House.

PASSIVE House is a German building standard that now has global acceptance and is growing exponentially in Australia. 

When followed, this methodology will provide some of the most efficient homes in the world. The science behind it is particularly applicable to this region.

The origin is a research assignment from the German government to create a building methodology to reduce the heating and cooling requirements of homes by 70 per cent. Why? To reduce reliance on the grid and help reduce climate change effects of homes.

The research team then used general building physics principles to work up a system and some targets to achieve a standard, which they termed “Passive House”. 

To me, this standard should have a different name, as it applies to any building type – homes, offices, schools, sporting facilities, anything. In fact, in some jurisdictions in Europe it is the standard for all civic buildings. 

Understanding the building physics and how to practically work this into your build is the important part.

The graphic below gives an idea, but the principles required to reach the standards are:

• Continuous insulation a round the whole house.
• High-quality windows.
• Airtightness.
• Continuous ventilation.
• Design – solar optimisation for the seasons.
• Reducing thermal bridging through design.

For a 90-second video and some other explanatory videos, please check out the resources page on our website reimaginedhabitat.com.au/resources

Over the next months we’ll delve into the different elements of the science and help you understand what the key drivers are to making an energy efficient home.

As an FYI, we have four certified Passive House designers in our team, making us one of the largest cohorts in Australia. If you’d like to discuss, please call me on 0419 391282. For any questions, comments or queries, please email us at info@reimaginedhabitat.com.au 

Thank you to all who contacted me regarding last month’s topic on “dressing your home”. This one seems to have generated the most interest of all – or maybe the cold weather is focusing you all on keeping warm. Keep your questions coming in, we love helping people upgrade or build better homes! As always, if you would like to discuss, please call me on 0419 391282. For any questions, comments or queries, please email us at info@reimaginedhabitat.com.au or visit reimaginedhabitat.com.au