Through high levels of air tightness, insulation standards and a mechanical heat recovery system, Passivhaus dwellings are incredibly environmentally friendly and typically achieve a saving of 90% on heating bills compared to traditional housing. The Passivhaus standards strengths lie in the simplicity of its approach; build a house that has an excellent thermal performance, exceptional airtightness with mechanical ventilation.
This robust approach to building design minimises the heating demand of the building and some residential buildings only require a heated towel rail as means of conventional heating, this heat can then be recovered and circulated by a Mechanical Ventilation and Heat Recovery (MVHR) unit.