![]() Let's consider an example, using my own 2,100 ft2 Net Zero Energy home. If cooling (air conditioning) is required, the annual cooling energy demand must also not exceed 15 kWh / m2.The Annual Space Heat Demand must be no more than 15 kWh / m2 of usable floor space.An instantaneous Heating load of no more than 10 Watts / m2 of usable floor space OR.There is, of course, a comprehensive list of the enclosure and mechanical requirements for a Passive House building, but the primary requirements of interest to mechanical contractors are as follows: The important part of the program for mechanical professionals is to get comfortable with the Passive House performance metrics or requirements. However, the software is recognized by the Ontario Building Code and the British Columbia Building Code for determining energy code compliance. The results won't necessarily give you the same results as say a simulation done using Natural Resources Canada's HOT 2000 Energy Simulation software or, perhaps more importantly, outputs from common heat loss and heat gain that are compliant with the CSA F280 CAN/CSA F280-12 Standard Determining the Required Capacity of Residential Space Heating and Cooling Appliances. Much like the R-2000 program, Passive House has its own proprietary energy simulation software and energy targets based on that energy model. It does mean you will have to be respectful of the nature of the loads in a Passive House building (the Passive House concept is of interest to architects in commercial, institutional and residential projects) and be flexible in your approach to meeting the total indoor environmental control and comfort of occupants. This is not to say that HVAC contractors and manufacturers need to be worried that they won't get a call to provide goods or services in Passive Houses. Indeed, one of the underlying objectives of the standard is to build enclosures efficiently enough to avoid the need for conventional heating and cooling systems. Originating in Germany in the late 1980's and building on the earlier Canadian research and experience, the Passive House program is perhaps the most rigorous energy-efficiency standard in the building industry today. VanEE Gold Series 2400E ECM PASSIVE HOUSE PROGRAM HISTORY I am intrigued to see a similar passion and enthusiasm exhibited by proponents of the Passive House program that has been introduced to North America over the last decade or so. I recall the passion and enthusiasm of the builders, energy professionals and manufacturers who participated in those early days. The research, and the R-2000 program that came out of it in 1982, drove the early development of HRVs, insulated sheathing and window glazing options. ![]() That program was the result of millions of dollars of Canadian research that demonstrated how to optimize energy performance in cold weather housing. My start in the industry happened to coincide with the early days of the R-2000 Housing program.
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