There are several misconceptions surrounding Passive building, so to put you in the picture officially, here are some common ones:

You can’t open windows in a Passivhaus

WRONG!  The number one question we get asked.  You can absolutely open your windows at any time of day or night, in fact it is encouraged, especially at night to purge any excess heat during the hotter months.  The amount and size of openings are modelling into the PHPP package as part of the overall energy balancing, but you can open large sliding doors to bring the outside in, you just have to consider the British weather!  

You are really restricted with the house design by meeting Passivhaus standards / You have to have a German-style house / Passivhauses are ugly

WRONG!  A Certified Passivhaus comes in every single shape, size, form and visual style.  Whether you want to have a traditionally styled house such as a mock-Georgian with render and stonework, a mock-Victorian with face brickwork and fancy detailing, or an uber-modern house with cladding, render, brick, stone or zinc finishes, the choice is completely yours.  The visual look of the house is considered during the PHPP modelling purely for the thermal efficiency of the wall or roof construction buildup. It is up to you and your designer to create the aesthetics.  Take a look at the Passive House Institute’s list of certified buildings and you will see the wide variety of homes that have been built around the world.

Passivhaus is expensive / too complicated

WRONG! In the early years it possibly was a lot more expensive as suppliers were not familiar with products and manufacturers didn’t realise their products could be used.  Achieving a Passivhaus standard is all about making the energy of the building balance so that it uses the least amount of energy possible.  Yes, it is complex, but that’s why you hire a good “Design Team” (Designer/Consultant, Structural Engineer, Main Contractor) who are fully conversant with how to achieve the standards, and then it should take all the complexities out of the build before you have even broken ground.  As for costs, it is now been calculated that building to Passivhaus standards is only a fraction more at the start but the energy savings over a 20-year period cover the increase several times over.

Passivhaus buildings are only residential houses

WRONG!  Passive buildings come in literally every shape and size, and include schools and universities, office buildings, leisure centres, government offices and even hospitals.  The principles of Passivhaus are to make the building itself use very little energy.

An airtight house is stuffy / unhealthy / too hot

WRONG!  The backbone of a Passivhaus is the mechanical ventilation system that recovers the heat which is generated inside.  This brings filtered fresh air into the space and circulates it around the house 24/7, then bacteria and moisture are removed from bathrooms and kitchens to the outside after the heat within the extract air has been captured and used to heat the incoming air.  This results in the optimum indoor air quality circulating around the house at 21° all day and night.

Passivhauses are only for cold climates / warm climates

WRONG!  The fundamentals of a Passivhaus start with the climate zone that the building will be in.  The Designer works this into the PHPP model which loads the average temperatures for that particular location.  Passivhauses are being constructed around the world in every climate possible.

A Passivhaus can only be built using specialist materials and construction methods

WRONG!  Passive houses can be constructed using any material and construction method.  Whilst traditional masonry building (brick and block) can be used, it does need a lot of insulation to make up for the air permeability of masonry products.  Rather than have thicker walls, many Passivhaus Designers look to use the MMCs (the Modern Methods of Construction) such as SIPs (Structural Insulated Panels), ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms), Hemp Blocks, Closed Panel Systems, CLT (Cross Laminated Timber), I-beams (Larssen Trusses) as well as standard timber framing for the overall construction, but you can build in any method your builder feels comfortable in working with.

Passivhauses heat themselves

WRONG!  As above, the MVHR system is the backbone of every Passivhaus which works to keep the interior temperature at a constant 21° 24/7.  In the winter, the system works harder to bring in cold air and heat it up so most Passivhauses have a couple of small radiators that top up the heat for short periods as a back up. Using solar energy to run the house, a couple of well-placed electric radiators are positioned to keep the 21° temperature constant and costed into the solar energy system.  In 2025, most Passivhaus owners report that their annual energy bills are less than £500 each year!

I can’t have a fireplace if I have a Passivhaus

WRONG!  You can have a lovely roaring fire in a Passivhaus, the point is that you don’t need it.  The air inside circulates at 21° all day and night, this is the optimum temperature for comfortable living, so adding heat from a fire will likely mean opening the windows.  IF you do really want to have a fire, there are various options you can discuss with your Designer.

So now you know!!