Page 44 - 2014 SDCA Project

PASSIVE HOUSE

The 3 Metrics for Achieving the Standard

Air infiltration
The Passive House standard for air infiltration can be no greater

than 0.6 air changes per hour (ACH) at 50 pascals (Pa), which
means the house is virtually airtight when blower-door tested. The

IRC’s 2012 code (the most recent adopted for Georgia) has
significantly reduced allowable air infiltration, but still only limits it
to 3 ACH at 50Pa, which is 5 times greater than allowed per the

Passive House standard.

Btu consumption
The annual energy use for heating and cooling cannot exceed
4.8KBtu per sq. ft. annually. The average new home built to

current code consumes nearly 10 times that amount. Energy Star
has requirements for appliances and mechanical systems that can

still amount to nearly eight times the Passive House requisite.

Total Energy usage
The maximum total energy use of the house, which includes

heating, cooling, dehumidification and electricity, cannot exceed
11.1 kWh per sq. ft. While there are no specific energy use

standards for code-built and Energy Star homes, estimates put their
usage around 30 kWh and 20 kWh, respectively.

42 SDCA