Certainty that the agreed-upon energy standard will actually be achieved
Passive House Building Certification Criteria
For a building to be certified as a Passive House, it must meet the following main criteria:
- Space Heat Demand max. 15 kWh/m2a OR Heating load max. 10 W/m2
- Space Cooling Demand max. 15 kWh/m2a OR Cooling load max. 10 W/m2
- Pressurization Test Result at 50 Pa with air change rates being limited to n50 = 0.6/h
- Total Primary Energy Renewable demand max. 60 kWh/m2a
- Maximum 10% of the time throughout the whole year the inside temperature can be above 25°C
Why should you certify your Passive House?
ADVANTAGES FOR THE OWNER
ADVANTAGES FOR THE DESIGNER
The Certification Process
This involves an initial design review of the project, ideally before a building permit application is submitted. All drawings, specifications, calculations and other documentation are reviewed to ensure they meet the requirements of the Passive House standard. A short report is then issued, highlighting any issues that put certification at risk. This enables the project team to address these issues before specifications are fixed. With all the improvements implemented, the final design should also be assessed. After the final assessment is passed, the construction of the project can begin.
When the project is fully built and commissioned, the post construction documentation is reviewed. If the project meets the all requirements, a certificate is issued. If the project does not meet all the requirements, a short report describing the shortcomings will be issued. If the shortcomings can be resolved, the project can be resubmitted for another assessment.
How long does it take to certify a Passive House building?
The design stage review can take between 1-3 months, depending on whether the correct documentation is submitted. The post-construction review takes around 2 weeks.