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What Is Passivhaus?

Looking to build or design a Passivhaus Home? Find out more about what Passivhaus is & our range of Passivhaus accredited products.

Passivhaus

Let’s start at the beginning, what is Passivhaus?

Passivhaus, or Passive House, is a rigorous energy efficiency standard and design approach that gives homes and buildings an extremely high efficiency and very little running costs. 

The idea is that they are built using a 'fabric-first approach' whereby the structure of the building is air tight and very well insulated and traditional types of heating systems used in typical homes are not necessary. 

This approach helps reduce the buildings' ecological footprint.  Passivhaus originated in Germany in the 1900's and has since gained popularity wordlwide.

How Do I Meet Passivhaus Standards?

The key principles of Passivhaus design include:

  • Superior Insulation - Buildings are heavily insulated to minimise heat loss
  • High-Performance Windows and Doors- The use of advanced windows and doors with low U-values to prevent heat transfer
  • Airtight Construction - Buildings are constructed to be highly airtight to minimise uncontrolled air exchange and heat loss
  • Ventilation with Heat Recovery - Mechanical ventilation systems with heat recovery (MVHR) are used to ensure a constant supply of fresh air while recovering the heat from the outgoing air
  • Thermal Bridge-Free Design - Construction details are carefully planned to eliminate thermal bridges, which are pathways that allow heat to bypass insulation
  • Passive Solar Design - Maximising the use of passive solar energy to reduce the need for additional heating or cooling


The goal of a Passivhaus is to achieve a high level of comfort while minimising energy consumption. These homes and buildings can often achieve a 90% reduction in heating and cooling energy compared to conventional buildings.
Certification as a Passivhaus requires meeting specific performance criteria, and the standards can be applied to various types of buildings, including residential, commercial, and industrial structures.

Find out about the Passivhaus Trust
How Do I Meet Passivhaus Standards?

Looking For A Passivhaus MVHR System?

The Air Shop are experts in all things ventilation, MVHR and Passivhaus!

MVHR is one of the fundamental aspects of achieving Passivhaus certification. MVHR Heat Recovery ventilation is essential to achieve healthy ventilation levels and optimal energy efficiency.

Get your 60 second quote today.

Passivhaus MVHR Quote
Looking For A Passivhaus MVHR System?

Why MVHR For Passivhaus Homes?

Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) is a crucial component of Passivhaus design for several reasons:

  • Airtight Construction - Passivhaus buildings are constructed to be highly airtight to minimize uncontrolled air exchange. While this helps in reducing energy loss, it also means that there is a need for controlled ventilation to ensure a continuous supply of fresh air.
  • Energy Efficiency - MVHR systems recover and reuse the heat from the exhaust air before it is expelled from the building. This heat recovery process significantly contributes to the energy efficiency of the building. The recovered heat is used to preheat the incoming fresh air, reducing the need for additional heating energy.
  • Good, Consistent Indoor Air Quality - Controlled ventilation with MVHR ensures a consistent and controlled supply of fresh air, which is essential for maintaining indoor air quality. This is particularly important in airtight buildings where natural ventilation may be insufficient.
  • Comfort - MVHR helps in maintaining a comfortable and healthy indoor environment by providing a constant supply of filtered and preheated fresh air. It also helps to control humidity levels, preventing issues such as condensation and mold growth.
  • Compliance - Passivhaus certification requires meeting specific energy efficiency and performance criteria. Including an MVHR system is often a necessary component to achieve the required levels of airtightness, energy efficiency, and indoor environmental quality.
  • Reduced Reliance on Traditional HVAC Systems - Passivhaus design aims to minimise the need for traditional heating and cooling systems. MVHR, by efficiently recovering and redistributing heat within the building, helps reduce reliance on external heating sources, contributing to the overall energy efficiency of the structure.

MVHR is a fundamental aspect of Passivhaus design, playing a key role in achieving the energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality goals set by the Passivhaus standard - there are specific MVHR units which are Passivhaus certified that help meet the energy consumption of heat recovery efficiency performance rates required. 

HOW MVHR WORKS
Why MVHR For Passivhaus Homes?

From £3035.00

Zehnder ComfoAir Q 450 Heat Recovery Ventilation (MVHR) Unit

PassivHaus MVHR Unit. Zehnder ComforAir Q 450 MVHR. Model Variants Available including pre-heater options

From £2376.00

Passivhaus Certified Ubbink Ubiflux Vigor 400 4/0 MVHR Unit

***SPECIAL PRICE***

The Passivhaus Certified unit provides exceptional performance with efficiency of up to 92%, constant volume airflow and integral modulating pre heater.
Suitable for properties up to 260m2: 50 - 400 m³/h @ 200Pa

From £3540.00

Zehnder ComfoAir Q 600 Heat Recovery Ventilation (MVHR) Unit

PassivHaus MVHR Unit. Zehnder ComforAir Q 600 MVHR. Model Variants Available including pre heater options.

From £2310.00

Passivhaus Certified Ubbink Ubiflux Vigor 325 2/2 MVHR Unit

***SPECIAL PRICE***

The Passivhaus Certified unit provides exceptional performance with efficiency of up to 92%, constant volume airflow and integral modulating pre heater.
Suitable for properties up to 150m2 - 50 - 325 m³/h @ 200Pa 

Building &
Construction Benefits

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Passivhaus homes and buildings offer many constructional, building and financial benefits for the home/building owner;

  • Lower energy demand
  • Lower risk of building fabric damage (less risk of having to do future repairs)
  • No performance gap in Passivhaus homes for energy consumption - 60% performance gap in standard homes (performance gap is the gap between the energy produced vs energy lost through the home)
  • Airtightness reduces risk to the building structure (condensation, rotting, etc...)
  • Higher capital value (5-7%)

(all information is backed by studies conducted by the Passivhaus Trust).

Health &
Social Benefits

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    smart meter

    Passivhaus offers many health and social benefits - protecting our health and our planet is at the heart of Passivhaus' mission!

    • Demand reduction - future proof and optimised to meet future Net Zero targets
    • Passivhaus homes result in 86% fewer lifetime emissions
    • Guaranteed effective and healthy ventilation
    • Ventilation results in better air quality (reduced airbourne infections, external pollutants, impact of external noise and more)
    • Eliminates cold homes (cold homes are result of £848 million to the NHS annually)
    • Less energy consumption make Passivhaus buildings & homes kinder to our planet

    (all information is backed by studies conducted by the Passivhaus Trust).

    Is Passivhaus A Financial Investment?

    A study undertaken in Germany found on average €585 per year was saved on overall energy consumption and the cost of running the home.

    In the UK, it will come to no surprise that energy prices are not expected to go down anytime soon, in April 2022 we saw a 54% increase, and again in October another 27% increase in energy prices.

    With no current cap on these prices enforced by the UK government they are expected to increase.

    Passivhaus could protect you from the effects of this inflation and your Passivhaus home could pay for itself very quickly!

    Your Passivhaus Questions Answered

    How Do I Meet Passivhaus Standards?

    To meet the Passivhaus standard and recieve certification , you have to meet the following 5 principles:

    • Thermal-bridge free construction
    • A mechanical ventilation system with highly efficient heat recovery
    • Airtight building fabric
    • Extremely high performance windows with insulated frames
    • Very high levels of insulation

     

    What Are The Benefits Of Passivhaus?

    Passivhaus homes and buildings offer many benefits. The main one is the high levels of energy efficiency that they offer, with close to 0 performance gap, they genergate as much energy as they consume which is a huge bonus for your wallet and you carbon footprint.

    Passivhaus homes/buildings on average recover up to 90% of the energy produced and is done through thorough air-tightness and the Heat Recovery Ventilation (MVHR).

     

    Why Do I Need MVHR?

    Passivhaus homes are built to be so airtight that they cannot naturally ventilate themselves, and stale air would become trapped inside the building without a regular airflow.

    MVHR ventilation is a requirement for Passivhaus as it provides the continuous airflow and removes excess moisture (preventing mould and condensation issues), odours and stale air and replaces with fresh filtered air. The 'heat recovery' aspect of MVHR contributes to the energy efficiency aspect of Passivhaus homes/buildings.

    Can I Have MY MVHR Designed With Passivhaus?

    Yes, The Air Shop can design a Passivhaus MVHR system. We do design services including all the airflow calculations, parts list, unit and ducting selection and can also supply the parts.

    If you'd like to talk to our team about designing your system visit our MVHR design services page.

     

    Is Passivhaus Suitable For Retrofit?

    Yes, Passivhaus can be applied to retrofit projects. It is a fabric-first approach so it would have to comply with all the aspects of Passivhaus down to the insulation, windows, etc...

    A lot of people build to Passivhaus standards without the aim to achieving certification, in which case you can apply as many principles to achieve high energy efficiency and other benefits as possible if you can't strip your home completely back.

     

    Are There Examples Of Passivhaus In The UK?

    There are many Passivhaus homes and building around the UK, the Passivhaus Trust website showcases some of the projects that have been completed for different sections under residential and commercial sectors.

    • Passivhaus Certified MVHR Units
    • The Benefits Of Passivhaus
    • Passivhaus Trust Cost breakdown

    Considering A Passivhaus Project?

    Expert Advice On Passivhaus MVHR

    If you are looking at building to Passivhaus standards and need help or advice on MVHR, our ventilation experts are on hand to guide you on all things Passivahus, MVHR and #IndoorAirQuality.

    Contact Our Team
    Considering A Passivhaus Project?
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