The Difference Between Passively Designed and Passive House
The distinction between a passively designed home (sometimes called passive solar design) and a passive certified house can be confusing, read on to explore the difference between the two using a bad hockey analogy and hear why we never aspired for Booken House to be a certified passive house.
I want to make sure we’ve got something straight here… our home, Booken House, is passively designed; however, it is NOT an official certified passive house.
Wait… whaaaat?
I know, I know, this is kinda confusing, especially given how much I bang on about the marvels of passive house design.
So, let me break it down for you.
Passive Design in Booken House
Our home integrates cost-effective passive design principles that leverage nature's free resources (think sun and breezes) to slash our bills, enhance comfort year-round, minimise environmental impact, and improve our lifestyle.
These principles, rooted in simple science, include orientation, cross-ventilation, thermal mass, zoning, shading, and insulation (and if you fancy integrating these into your new home, then our Simple Sustainable Build Workshop is your go-to guide - click here).
However, as incredible as it is to live in a home designed this way, you can always do more.
The Olympics of Sustainable Design
In the world of sustainably designed homes, I liken Booken House to playing hockey for the local squad.
I mean, playing for your local team is bluddy rewarding, but we all know it's not the Olympics, right?
And that’s okay, because the Olympics aren’t accessible to everyone.
Certified passive homes are the pinnacle of sustainable design - they're the Olympics.
They are technical, smart, and usually quite lovely in an architectural way, and they incorporate complexities like air tightness and balanced ventilation and recovery systems, all while adhering to stringent performance criteria.
Living in a Passively Designed vs. Certified Passive Home
Life in a passively designed home like ours differs from that in a certified passive home; for example, a certified passive house will require less active management and is often shut off from the outdoors to maintain stable internal temperatures.
And even though a certified passive house may perform more efficiently than our home (it’s the Olympics remember), Booken House performs great… like really, REALLY great, and there is always honour in playing for the local squad.
Breaking Down Barriers
Many moons ago, when I started learning about sustainable design, I felt really excited about the potential for passive design to change the building and design industry forever, and quite frankly, I couldn’t understand why everyone wasn’t rushing out and building their homes using these simple, powerful principles.
However, I soon discovered that good design can be very difficult for us everyday folk to access. Therefore, we miss the opportunity to incorporate smart, inexpensive principles into our new builds due to perceived complexity and lack of affordability.
Because let’s face it, when you are neck-deep planning a build or reno, it’s a freakin' overwhelming time (or is that just me?), so it’s easier not to pick up our stick and ball in the first place.
North glazing capturing winter sun
A Call to Arms for Passive Design
The way I see it, passive design needs a new PR guy, it’s gotten tangled up in a niche with some bad dudes like elitism and inaccessibility, and it’s time to break up the party.
It’s okay—actually, it’s more than okay—to just ‘Do what we can, where we are, with what we have.’
And if we all just line up for the local team of passive design, that is, do simple things like orientate our homes better, add a bit more insulation, and include some shading... then collectively, we make a huge difference.
And that’s how real change occurs.
Oh, and sorry... I might have got a bit carried away with my hockey analogies.
Ready to get serious about designing your own affordable, planet-friendly home? Our Simple Sustainable Build Workshops teach you exactly how to design or renovate a low-impact home — in ANY style or location, without breaking the bank.
