Passivhaus vs. high performance home: what’s the difference?
Everyday, more and more people are wanting to build healthier, energy-efficient homes (how good!)
But terms like ‘high performance’, ‘passivhaus’ and ‘passivhaus principles’ are often used interchangeably to describe buildings that exceed the Australian standard of construction.
Not only is that confusing, but it’s also incorrect.
What is a high performance home?
A high performance (or high performing) home is built to be healthier, more comfortable, more durable, and more energy-efficient than a home built to the Australian standards.
The kicker? There’s no official certification or universal checklist.
It’s up to the builder, designer, and sometimes even the client to define what ‘high performance’ means, and how it's measured.
What is a Passivhaus home?
Passivhaus (sometimes also written as Passive House) is a global building standard that originated in Germany.
It follows 5 key principles: airtightness, high performance windows, minimal thermal bridges, high quality insulation, and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. Learn more about them here.
Because a third-party certifier tests the home’s performance, having a ‘Certified Passivhaus’ is a guarantee your home meets the strict and universal performance targets for comfort, energy use, and air quality.
While you don’t need to get the house certified, it can only be called Passivhaus under certain conditions.
What’s the difference between a high performance home and a Passivhaus?
Because there’s no regulation to define what a high performance home is or isn’t, we have to look at what a Passivhaus is or isn’t.
Basically you have to ask yourself: does the house meet the Passivhaus Standard or not?
If is does, it’s a Passivhaus (so long as it’s certified or can be proven in a court of law). If it doesn’t, it could be considered a high performance house.
Regardless of how ‘high’ performing a high performing home may be, building a Passivhaus (and opting for certification) gives you the ultimate peace of mind knowing that, without a doubt, your home meets the highest performance criteria.
No questions asked.
Barriers to Passivhaus
It’s hard to endorse Passivhaus without also acknowledging certain barriers to entry. Namely, cost.
While it’s theoretically possible to build a Passivhaus with most budgets, the reality isn’t that straightforward.
At Amity Builders, we’re firm believers that everyone deserves access to a healthy, comfortable and durable home.
And if that’s only financially feasible with slightly lower performance standards than Passivhaus, then we’d rather that over building to the Australian standards any day.
This opinion can ruffle some feathers but privilege shouldn’t be a prerequisite to having a good living environment.
I want a high performing house—where do I start?
So you’ve had a think, crunched some numbers, and decided you’d be stoked to live in a high performing home with your family. And you should be!
But how can you be sure you get the quality of house you want?
When choosing your builder and designer, it’s important to do your homework and ask specific questions so you know what you’re signing up for.
Whether your designer or builder is a Certified Passive House Designer or Tradesperson or not, the questions below can help you understand how they define and deliver ‘high performance’.
Want a high performing home? Ask your designer and builder these questions:
How do you define a ‘high performing home’?
What tools or modelling software do you use? (e.g. PHPP)
How do you track performance during construction?
Do you perform blower door tests?/How do you verify airtightness or identify air leaks?
What level of airtightness do you aim for?
Hi, we’re Amity Builders
We’re a passionate bunch who are tired of seeing homeowners around Australia settle for subpar living conditions. We combine our love for building, building science, and building relationships to create healthy, comfortable, and energy efficient living experiences for people. We’d love to get to know you!
