What is a Passive House building?

Passive House buildings reduce heating and refrigeration needs by 75%. The little supplementary energy they require can easily be covered with renewable energies, making them very low-cost buildings in terms of energy for both their owners and the planet as a whole.

This standard does not require the use of any specific product, material or architectural style, but concerns itself with optimising existing resources through passive techniques such as: having a good form factor to reduce the surface area in exposed to the exterior to reduce air conditioning needs; correct orientation of windows to take advantage of the heat of the sun when they are closed and natural ventilation when they are open; and installing shading devices to prevent overheating in summer.