Table of Contents

Passive House buildings in different climates


Passive House: A method focused on performance outcome rather than a specific construction style.

There is extensive practical experience with constructing Passive House buildings. The Passive House and EnerPHit standards were first introduced in Germany and are most firmly established in Central Europe. However, it would be a significant misconception to simply adopt the identical building design internationally. Building traditions and construction methods vary widely across the world, as do climatic conditions. The essence of the Passive House method is its focus on performance outcome: delivering high thermal comfort and indoor air quality with minimal energy use for heating and cooling. To achieve this outcome, every Passive House newbuild or retrofit must be designed to the specific climate and contruction context of its location.

Introduction
Technical and economic aspects
Passive House Buildings
Certified Passive House Components

The links in this chart lead to the articles Passipedia provides to the corresponding climate zones:
climate zonesinvestigated region,
country or city
cold climates Yekaterinburg
Sweden
warm climatesSouth-West Europe
New Zealand
hot, dry climates Las Vegas
hot, humid climates Dubai
subtropical, mild climates
tropical climates

 **The principle remains the same - the details have to be adapted.**  This statement can be taken as the general rule governing the design of Passive Houses in all climates around the globe. This maps shows you, which places on earth - apart from Central-Europe with its cool-temperate climate - have already been investigated by the Passive House Institute with a focus on the construction of Passive Houses.

Tool & Literature

Tool: PHPP climate data tool
Tool: Climate data tool for the Southern Hemisphere
Literature: Passive Houses for different climate zones

Climate-specific strategies

Summer comfort
Passive House in the Global South
Passive Houses in tropical climates"
Detailed and general remarks on hot and humid climates


See also

Built examples
PHI publications: Climate studies
Videos of Passive House around the worlds
World map of certified buildings
The international criteria for Passive House and EnerPHit buildings in different languages