A passive house is all about benefits, not only in terms of huge savings, but also a positive impact on the environment. Innovative ventilation systems play a significant role here, which we will discuss in the following article!
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What is a passive house system?
The passive house system is a very modern construction concept, in which the primary goal is to maximize efficiency while minimizing the impact on the environment. A passive house is characterized by a very low demand for energy for heating and cooling. Therefore, a passive building uses technologies and materials that are appropriately adapted to this purpose.
What makes this house stand out is its excellent thermal insulation, which means that there are no leaks in such a building. This is due to thick layers of insulation on the walls, roofs and floors. The same can be said about the windows with triple glazing and frames that limit thermal bridges. Thanks to this comprehensive insulation, the interior is always warm, a truly pleasant microclimate for every household member. Not only in winter, when it is freezing outside, but also in summer, when the house does not overheat. Such a building is always airtight, which applies to the whole, all rooms.
Equally important is airtightness, which is ensured by special membranes and sealing tapes, which are necessary to eliminate any leaks. A mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery, or recuperation, provides not only fresh air, but also heat recovery from exhaust air. Equally important, a feature of a passive house is the use of solar energy through the appropriate location of the building and the use of photovoltaic panels. Therefore, photovoltaics are of great importance in such a house, because renewable sources rule here.
What should characterize a passive house system?
In the previous paragraph we described in general terms what a passive house system is, and now we will go further by listing the most important aspects of this issue.
- Heat recovery in a modernly designed building is not possible without precisely executed thermal insulation. The materials used for this purpose must have a high R-value to effectively delay heat flow.
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The house must be extremely airtight. Thanks to membranes and sealing tapes, there is no risk of leaks. Draughts are eliminated, and thus energy losses. - Equally important are high-quality windows with excellent thermal insulation. It is best if they are large to optimally use solar energy.
- However, it is also necessary to position the building appropriately so that the windows receive plenty of sunlight, which is why the southern exposure is ideal, while the north is the worst in this context.
- A passive house cannot be without a recuperator, i.e. a ventilation system with heat recovery. A recuperator is a guarantee of a constant supply of air, the demand for which is very high. This increases energy efficiency, while preventing the risk of moisture.
- Let's remember to use ecological building materials that have a low impact on the environment.
- In such facilities, renewable energy is of course used, with photovoltaics at the forefront, but also with other modern devices, such as heat pumps . It is this topic that we will expand on in the last paragraph.
Passive house with ventilation, photovoltaics and heat pump
Without a doubt, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery is a key element of a passive house, because it allows you to recover heat from the air that is exhausted from the building. There is no need to add how much it reduces heating costs. But that's not all, because another advantage of this system is high air quality. Heat recovery units ensure that there are always appropriate conditions for the health of household members. Taking this into account, we especially recommend the Vasco 225 COMPACT LE 225 11VE00059 heat recovery unit - a complete ventilation unit with heat recovery. Very high maximum efficiency of 225 m3/h (150Pa compression) and heat recovery at the level of 89%. And in addition, automatic air flow control for constant balance maintenance (Constant Flow), cross-counterflow exchanger, two-function by-pass: summer night ventilation and additional heating on warm days in spring and autumn, ISO ePM1 55% air filter for supply.
Photovoltaics are no less important in such a house, thanks to which we gain free energy from the sun. Just mount it in the right place, where the exposure of rays is the greatest, to enjoy huge savings. A 6kW photovoltaic set with a PV panel from Ja Solar, a Huawei inverter and a hermetic switchboard dedicated to DC will work perfectly.
For a passive house to be complete and provide the best results, a heat pump is also a must. This device generates heat circulation between areas with different temperatures. By extracting heat from the air or ground, they can then transfer it to the home heating system. If you want to invest in good equipment, it is worth choosing the Atlantic split Extensa AI Duo R32 air heat pump - 6 kW, 1-phase, 230 V with a 190l domestic hot water heater, with the option of control using the Cozytouch app. Its solid hydraulic concept and intuitive and user-friendly interface are impressive.
Without a doubt, innovative ventilation systems for passive houses impress with their efficiency and reliability. When designing such a modern house, these solutions cannot be missing!