Passivhaus
A passivhaus is any building designed to maintain a comfortable indoor air temperature without any active heating or cooling.
To stay warm in the winter, a passivhaus relies on sunlight and good insulation. The colder the winter, the more insulation is needed.
Construction costs
[RESEARCH needed]
Passivehauses are more complex to build, requiring more labor & energy [QUANTIFICATION needed] and possibly rarer materials.
The increased environmental footprint of construction needs to be weighed against the energy saved on heating & cooling.
Same type of analysis also needs to be done for retrofitting existing buildings to be more passivhaus-like. [Case studies needed]
External links
- Passipedia - a whole wiki dedicated to designing passivhauses