Passive house construction is growing in popularity year on year here in the UK. The main draw of these builds is the savings you make in energy. The purpose of passive is to be as energy efficient as possible compared to your average build, reducing the carbon footprint and bills. Yes…bills! 

One of the most common questions we are asked when a client wants to build a passive house is do they require heating? It’s a good question. And being as they pride themselves on being as energy efficient as possible, you’d think they could get away with as little to no heating. And that coupled with a low air rate and heat recovery system only strengthens the case. 

Also, passive houses are designed for thermal comfort. This means a passive house is geared towards regulating temperature to ensure they are comfortable all year round.  

So, is it required? In short, yes, a passive house must have a heating element. However, the amount of heating required is very little, and far lower than your typical new build.  

Methods of heating 

The MVHR (mechanical ventilation & heat recovery) system can be used as a sole heating source. This is done by heating the supply of air pumped into the living areas, but this isn’t advised. The main reason is that you cannot control which room receives the heat and which has regular fresh air. Also, the way they are designed means neither the heat pumps nor boiler are capable of supplying a steady supply of low power required for heating. 

The best solution is to use traditional gas. But because the house is much more air tight, it allows you to get away with less and smaller radiators throughout the home than you traditionally need. This way you use less energy, retain more heat for longer periods, and therefore reduce the cost of heating an entire home.