New Green Savings is an opportunity to build the right passive houses

The only solution for designing a true passive house today is to utilize an optimization program during the design phase that meets strict international criteria of the passive house standard. This way, you can avoid hidden thermal bridges or even construction errors in a timely manner. Optimize a passive house well from the beginning and do not thoughtlessly increase only the amount of insulation; it's not just about grants but about your entire life – advise experts from the Passive House Center.

In order to receive a support of 400,000 CZK for the construction of a passive house according to the newly launched grant program, your new home must have a specific heat demand for heating of a maximum of 20 kWh/(m2.year) according to the Czech regulation. How can you easily achieve such values, finding the optimal path to reach the passive house standard without unnecessary additional costs?

“The Czech regulation will not assist you in your effort to build the highest quality passive house – it is merely an evaluative tool. To design and construct an economically optimized building, you cannot do without a sophisticated design system,” warns Jan Bárta, director of the non-profit educational organization Passive House Center. “The data obtained from the regulation primarily serves to compare individual buildings in the same climatic conditions, and may not always correspond to the actual operation of the building. A true passive house must be designed as a whole, taking into account the house's orientation, its internal layout, window placement, and many other factors.”

The independent association Passive House Center therefore recommends planning passive houses not only for the New Green Savings program with the help of the internationally tested and continually improved methodology of the PHPP (Passive House Planning Package), developed by the passive house specialist, the German Passivhaus Institute. This program works with real climatic data and also takes into account various other factors – for example, the specific characteristics of the surrounding area of the building, which can influence its subsequent operation.

Planning the construction of a passive house with the PHPP program thus compels designers and construction companies to high-quality and careful work. Strict adherence to all recommended criteria leads to the optimization of construction from both technical and, with a responsible approach, economic perspectives, as demonstrated by thousands of examples not only from abroad.

Ultimately, planning with the PHPP program leads to a more comprehensive design that ensures that the construction will not unnecessarily become more expensive and that the passive house will function as intended upon completion.

The Passive House Center is an independent organization focused on energy-efficient construction and supports the quality of passive houses. Since 2005, it has provided consultancy to investors and experts from the construction industry and also educates them. In addition, it brings together verified architects, designers, construction companies, manufacturers of building materials and components, and other professionals interested in passive houses. The Passive House Center thus represents the largest professional platform in the Czech Republic, stimulating and moderating expert discussion in the field of passive standard building construction among both experts and the general public.