PASSIVE HOUSE

What is the Passive House International Design and Construction Standard? 
Passive House is the leading low energy building standard allowing up to 90% reduction for heating & cooling and up to 75% reduction for the total energy consumption. The standard allows for all building types and accommodates every climate zone. Comfort and a healthy indoor environment are the leading topics of the PHI construction standard based on five design principles:
(1) Climate specific continuous insulation. 
(2) Minimizing thermal bridges. 
(3) High-efficiency windows & exterior shading.
(4) Airtight building envelope. 
(5) Continuous fresh air ventilation with heat recovery (HRV).
Passive House design criteria are performance based:
Max heating demand (annual heating consumption): 4.75 kBtu/sq.ft.yr or
Max heating load (heating system capacity): 3.17 Btu/hr.sq.ft.]
Max cooling demand (annual heating consumption): 4.75 kBtu/sq.ft.yr
Building airtightness: ACH50 (Air Change per Hour @50Pa) < 0.6 V/h
For more information on PARAVANT Architects first Passive House in Los Angeles please click here.