FAQ

You can open your windows and doors any time you like. It would be a sad state of affairs if you couldn’t open your house on a beautiful day. A Passivhaus just means that you don’t need to rely on opening windows for clean, fresh air. When you choose to close your windows and doors, your house will enjoy fresh, filtered, tempered air through the heat recovery ventilation unit regardless of what’s happening outside.

At Passivhaus Design & Construct, our key staff are certified passive house designers and builders who specialise in passive house methodology and practice. We know that we can design a building to meet Passive House Certification anywhere in Australia. Our process ensures that we do it within your budget. If we do not believe it can be done within budget, we won’t take on the project at all; we do not want to disappoint.

Yes. This is one occasion where we would strongly recommend you don’t experiment with DIY. The criteria to achieve Passive House Certification is extremely strict. The home needs to be planned from the beginning using the Passivhaus software and we highly recommend you use designers and tradespeople trained in passive house design and construction to achieve the desired result.

The number of Australian manufacturers of passive house materials is growing rapidly. There is an ever-increasing number of Australian certified suppliers who work specifically with passive house designers and tradespeople to maximise the use of local materials. At Passivhaus Design and Construct, we use Australian products and services wherever viable.

If there was no airflow, then yes, absolutely! All Passivhauses are built with this in mind. The continuous ventilation system ensures fresh, filtered outdoor is delivered 24/7. The well-sealed building envelope prevents unwanted moisture entering which along with balancing humidity ensures the conditions for mould growth do not exist in your home.

‘Thermal bridge’ is a term you’ll hear a lot in passive house building. It occurs when one component has a higher thermal conductivity, making it the path of least resistance for heat transfer. Basically, a thermal bridge is like a mini highway between the interior and exterior of your home where heat gets in and out. Cold spots inside buildings can lead to mould growth. There are a number of methods to minimise thermal bridges, and this forms one of the five fundamental principles of Passivhaus.

The Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery (MVHR) system should not be audible in standard operating mode. Our designers will ensure that the unit is situated far from living areas and bedrooms and will lay pipes and valves accordingly. There are also silencers that can be used to ensure your ventilation system is imperceptible.

No. Keeping cool in summer is essential in Australia, and we have you covered. Your Passivhaus is designed to keep you warm in winter and cool in summer. The heat ventilation system works in reverse during the summer months, sending the heat from the incoming air back out through the exhaust channel, thereby pre-cooling the air before it enters the rooms. The extra insulation ensures that your home absorbs heat much more slowly than a standard house. Passivhaus also uses house orientation, window size and strategic shading, to help keep your home pleasantly cool during the Australian summer. A small air conditioner is installed in all projects to mitigate for heat waves.