The advantages of passive housing

By Cameron McNeill
July 09, 2019

The total cost of homeownership includes much more than qualifying for monthly mortgage payments, property taxes and homeowners’ insurance. Other costs to budget for include utilities such as electricity, water, and gas, which can add hundreds of dollars more on top of other monthly housing expenses. However, new building codes and technologies such as Passive Housing are being introduced to decrease these costs for homeowners and provide more ecologically friendly homes.

Passive House (Passivhaus) is an internationally renowned building standard in the design and construction of energy-efficient homes. The concept was first developed in Germany in the 1980’s and has since grown to become a building standard on a global scale. To meet the Passive Housing standards requires maximized energy efficiency to provide optimal indoor thermal and living conditions, all while producing significant cost-savings.

The benefits

One of the main benefits of Passive Housing is the energy cost savings. These homes must adhere to strict building criteria, consuming up to 90 per cent less heating and cooling energy when compared to conventional buildings. This results in energy cost savings of approximately 60 to 80 per cent overall. Through its meticulous design, and moving away from glass enclosed structures, passive homes utilize the surrounding environment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with typical home functions such as heating, cooling and lighting.

Superior acoustic insulation and temperature controls

Typically, passive design requires walls that are six inches thicker than standard building codes, along with triple-glazed windows. This not only serves as a thermal insulation, providing more heat retention and consistent temperature control, but also acts as an additional acoustical buffer. This allows for quieter living standards while maintaining comfortable living temperatures, all with reduced heating and cooling costs.

Higher air quality

Advantages of Passive Housing also includes a higher quality of air due to the insulation standards and tightly sealed building envelope. The heat recovery ventilation (HRV) systems continually push stale air out to supply fresh air, providing pollen-free and dust-free air, an added bonus for those with allergies.

Passive Housing standards can potentially reduce a homeowner’s heating expenses by up to 90 per cent. MLA Canada’s project, Skagen by Eighth Avenue Development Group, will be constructed using Passive House standards, meaning all townhomes offer long-term cost savings, exceptional indoor air quality and durability.

Ideally, Passive House standards can continue to be adopted locally, as it represents one of the best opportunities to be sensitive to the environment without significant additional costs for construction or to the homebuyer.

Related reading

Award-winning housing: Choices in gentle densification

About Cameron McNeill

Cameron McNeill is co-president of MLA Canada, a comprehensive real estate service provider in Canada. Partnering with residential developers, MLA Canada offers an unmatched level of expertise in advisory services, market intelligence, project marketing, sales, customer care and administration.

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