This home is well above the minimum building code in New Zealand.  This house has been designed and built using the same key principles as a Passive House (Passivhaus) and built with the same objectives.

Put simply it is a high-performing healthy home providing year-round thermal comfort with minimal heating and cooling costs. It is common practice in many European countries and the States.  It utilises building science and energy modelling in the design stage to manage and predict how your house will perform.

This home is non-certified but through energy modelling, we were confident it would meet the international low energy standard, and the proof is in the pudding – after three years living in this home we can attest to the comfort of the entire home, the superior air quality and low heating and cooling bills.

A holistic design and build methodology where air tightness and insulation only allows air movement across the building envelope through the mechanical heat recovery ventilation system. This system provides continuous warmed fresh filtered air throughout the home utilising the heat from the stale air being expelled, without contamination or uncontrolled heat loss/gain, or humidity.

This achieves a more constant temperature year-round, for minimal heating and cooling costs. There are no draughts or condensation. Allergens are also managed through high grade filters.

Key principles namely, high levels of insulation, airtightness, high-performing windows, managed thermal bridging and an MHRV system, all work in unison to create a healthy comfortable and energy-efficient home.

A true passive house is a Certified Passive House or a Low Energy Passive House, both certified by the International Passive House Association (iPHA), but the same principles can be applied to any design resulting in a high-performing home.  The difference is the level of testing, validation, and the precise energy demands required for certification.

The cost to build a home with these key principles is higher than a minimum code built house.  However, one of the aims of this show home is to demonstrate that with a known budget and discussions on the family’s individual priorities a healthy home with high levels of comfort and energy efficiency is possible. It is proof that a family with a realistic, yet modest budget can still achieve a high-performing home.