Passivhaus Certification
What it means for components, buildings, and your specification
What is Passivhaus?
Passivhaus is a performance-based building standard focused on dramatically reducing energy demand for heating and cooling. Developed in Germany in the early 1990s by Wolfgang Feist, it sets measurable targets for airtightness, thermal performance, and overall energy use.
Unlike rating systems such as BREEAM that score across multiple categories, Passivhaus is pass or fail. A building either meets the standard or it does not. This binary approach has made it one of the most rigorous and trusted energy performance standards globally.
The performance criteria
Passivhaus sets five core performance requirements. Every certified building must meet all of them - there is no trading off one against another.
Heating demand ≤ 15 kWh/m²a
The building must need no more than 15 kWh per square metre per year for space heating.
Airtightness ≤ 0.6 ACH
At 50 Pa pressure difference, air changes per hour must not exceed 0.6. Tested with a blower door.
Primary energy ≤ 120 kWh/m²a
Total primary energy demand - including heating, cooling, hot water, and electricity - must stay below 120 kWh/m²a.
No thermal bridges
Continuous insulation envelope with no gaps or weak points that could create condensation or heat loss.
By the numbers. The 15 kWh/m²/year heating demand is so low that many Passivhaus buildings do not need a conventional heating system at all - a small post-heater on the ventilation supply air is often sufficient.
Passivhaus-certified components
The Passive House Institute (PHI) certifies individual building components - not just whole buildings. A certified component has been independently tested and verified to perform at the level needed for a Passivhaus project.
Certification is available for windows, doors, ventilation units, insulation systems, and other building envelope components. Each certified product is listed in the PHI Component Database with its verified performance data.
| Topic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Windows and doors | tested for installed U-value, solar heat gain, airtightness, and thermal bridge performance |
| Ventilation units (MVHR) | tested for heat recovery efficiency, electrical efficiency, and sound levels |
| Insulation systems | verified thermal conductivity and system performance including fixings and junctions |
| Opaque building envelope systems | complete wall, roof, or floor assemblies tested as systems |
| Airtightness products | tapes, membranes, and seals verified for long-term durability |
Why specify certified components?
Using Passivhaus-certified components is not mandatory for Passivhaus certification - the building just needs to meet the performance targets. However, certified components significantly reduce design risk and simplify the energy modelling process.
| Topic | Detail |
|---|---|
| Verified performance | the manufacturer's claims have been independently tested by PHI, removing guesswork from your energy model |
| PHPP compatibility | certified component data plugs directly into the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP), the standard design tool for Passivhaus projects |
| Reduced thermal bridging risk | certified systems include junction details and fixing strategies that have been assessed for thermal bridge impact |
| Client and certifier confidence | using certified components demonstrates due diligence and simplifies the certification audit |
Tip. On Matera, look for the Passivhaus certification badge on supplier profiles and material listings. You can filter by certification to find components with verified Passivhaus performance data.
Passivhaus building classes
Since 2015, PHI offers three certification classes for buildings, reflecting different levels of renewable energy generation relative to energy demand.
ClassicCore standard
Meets all Passivhaus performance criteria. The established baseline for ultra-low energy buildings.
PlusEnergy positive
Classic criteria plus on-site renewable energy generation of ≥ 60 kWh/m²a. Energy surplus building.
PremiumMaximum performance
Generates ≥ 120 kWh/m²a renewables on site. The highest Passivhaus classification available.
EnerPHit: Passivhaus for retrofits
Achieving full Passivhaus standard in existing buildings is often impractical due to structural constraints, heritage considerations, or disproportionate cost. EnerPHit is an adapted standard specifically designed for retrofit projects.
EnerPHit relaxes certain targets - the heating demand limit is 25 kWh/m²/year instead of 15, and the airtightness target is 1.0 n50 instead of 0.6. These adjusted targets are still vastly better than typical UK retrofit performance while being achievable within the constraints of existing building fabric.
Useful links
EPD programme operators
Official certification body
Visit the official website for criteria, application process, and certified product databases.
