Looking for a house that genuinely makes life easier and more comfortable?

Are you are thinking of building a new house? Would you like it to be healthy, low maintenance and cost effective to run? If your answer is yes, then consider a Passive House. Today on the 101.5FM Morning Magazine show I introduce the basics.

I have never heard of Passive House. Can you tell us what it is?

Absolutely. The Passive House standard was invented in Germany about 30 years ago. It is a particular way of designing and constructing houses that is scientifically proven to make them much more comfortable and vastly more energy efficient. And by comfortable I mean the air in the house is filtered, clean and healthy, and always a comfortable temperature.

So what’s it like in a Passive House?

A passive house has a heap of benefits that make life easier and more comfortable. As I just mentioned the air is filtered and fresh, preventing pollen, dirt and pollutants from coming inside, so if you suffer from allergies or hay fever, you can breathe comfortably. This is very different to standard ducted or split system air conditioning that is simply recirculates the same air – there is no fresh air at all. In addition, because less dirt comes in, the surfaces don’t get so dirty and dusty. And there are no insects, spider webs or mould, so you can spend less time cleaning.

Another benefit is that the air always stays at a comfortable temperature, at around 20-23 degrees. And this is because the house has a lot more insulation and double glazed windows. All this insulation makes the house very quiet and calm.

The important thing to note is that to make a Passive House work properly, you need to keep the windows shut when the outside temperatures are too cold or hot. But you can open it up whenever the temperature is pleasant, like it is during a large part of the year here in South East Queensland. Living in a Passive House is the same as living in a typical house, but much more healthy and comfortable, much less cleaning, and much lower energy bills!

This sounds great, so why do so few people know about Passive House?

There’s a lot to know about designing and building a Passive House. And with anything new and different, a lack of knowledge unfortunately leads to misconceptions and scepticism, which slows uptake. But over the last few years a lot of Passive House buildings have been constructed in Australia.

So keep an eye out because you will hear more about Passive House

NEED MORE INFORMATION?

Listen to the 101.5FM radio show episode HERE

In Podcast Season 2. Passive House I explain how Passive House works, the costs and benefits, and the consultants who can help.