Passive House - Vivacitas Homes

We will design your house to be zero energy.

Buildings that require almost zero energy for cooling and heating is not an option anymore, it is a requirement that defines our future way of life. Since we are certified passive house designers, we at Vivacitas Homes design all our buildings following the Passive House Institute standard. This means slightly bigger initial investment in comparison with a traditional way of designing, which will lead to greater comfort and less resources for maintenance.

Designing such a house, can be challenging. Almost every single element in the house is crucial for the passiveness of your home. Designing almost zero energy home depends on the atmospheric conditions surrounding the house, such as orientation, shading, surrounding buildings, terrain condition, prevailing winds, seismic activity etc.

All these details are place on a lengthy program called PHPP, and the results are evaluated by the PASSIVE HOUSE INSTITUTE, in order for the house to be certified.

In our video presentation bellow, you can see some of the key elements that are required following the Passive House Standard.

Insulation

This is a must for every building no matter what. The colder the climate where the house is located, the thicker and better the insulation layer should be.

Windows

In our buildings we incorporate windows with the best U-values, based on the climate and the budget of the client.

Air tightness

It is needed in order to prevent moisture entering and damaging the external walls. Depending on the climate the airtight layer can be on the inside or the outside of the external wall.

Ventilation Systems

In every house we incorporate HRV (Heat Recovery Ventilation) Units, in order for the house to have a constant flow of fresh air. Alternatively depending on the climate, we can add an additional unit to the system to heat or cool the house.

Thermal Bridges

Reducing the amount of thermal bridges can result in preserving better and for a longer period the stored energy in the building.

Renewable Energy

Alternatively we can install PV Panels gathering sun’s energy, to reduce the total consumption of electricity of your house through the electrical grid.