Welcome to Passipedia!
The Passive House resource
Welcome to Passipedia, the Passive House resource! Passipedia constitutes a vast array of cutting edge, scientifically sound, Passive House relevant articles. On Passipedia, basic Passive House information and insights are available for all to see, whereas members of the International Passive House Association (iPHA) receive special access to the more in depth sections. Growing daily, Passipedia is the tool with which new Passive House findings from around the world are being presented, as well as where the highlights of more than 20 years of research on Passive Houses are being posted, often for the first time ever in English. iPHA is constantly working to add to the information available on Passipedia, so please keep visiting in the future to find the latest articles and watch Passipedia grow!
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Upcoming events:
4 - 5 May 2012: 16th International Passive House Conference
The platform for energy efficient building. The 16th International Passive House Conference will take place on 4 and 5 May 2012 in Hanover, Germany. For more information and a review of the 15th International Passive House Conference, held in Innsbruck, Austria on 27 and 28 May 2011, please visit the Conference website
9 - 11 November 2012: International Passive House Days
By opening Passive Houses to the public, the Passive House Days provide a chance for enthusiasts and newcomers alike to experience Passive Houses in all their variety, along with the comfort they offer, first hand. Read more
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Members of iPHA Affiliate organisations, as listed below, will automatically become full iPHA members at no extra cost.
Current iPHA Affiliates
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| IG Passivhaus Deutschland, Germany | Passivhaus Trust, United Kingdom | Passive House Association of Ireland (PHAI) | Passzívházépítok Országos Szövetsége (PAOSZ), Hungary | IG Passivhus Sverige, Sweden | Passive House Institute New Zealand (PHINZ) |
New articles for members
Passive House retail establishments
Combustion heat in the Passive House
Insulation measures for the external envelope
Prospects for the modernisation of existing buildings using highly efficient components
Article of the month
Insulation measures for the external envelope
Modernisation of the building envelope without insulation (“cosmetic refurbishment”) is not efficient. The first column in the graphic below shows the costs arising from energy losses through an uninsulated exterior wall over a 20-year period. The other four columns give the overall costs (i.e. additional investment plus energy costs) for an insulated exterior wall, each based on different levels of insulation (compound insulation system, EIFS) for the same period of time [AKKP24]. Depending on the type of building component, these figures may be even more extreme. In the case of a roof, the U-value of an uninsulated roof is even higher and the difference in investment costs for increased insulation levels is even less significant, as additional costs are practically limited to the additional insulation material [Kah / Feist 2008].
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| Figure 1: Cosmetic refurbishment: low budget – low quality …. | |
On the other hand, the question that arises in connection with step-by-step modernisation is how to realise the connection details between refurbished and un-refurbished buildings components. If, for example, the exterior wall is to be renovated first, the existing roof overhang will usually be too short for a 30 cm insulation layer. Alternatively, if the roof is to be refurbished first, the new roof overhang should be extended to allow for future insulation of the exterior wall. Solutions to both these problems will be presented in the following article.