Design Process
How Much Does It Cost to Build a Passive House?
*Update: Please contact our team for current pricing.
Many of our clients, when they come to the studio, ask us about the additional costs of a passive or ecological house compared to a traditional house.
The answer to the question of how much it costs to build a passive house is not straightforward, since at our studio we design custom homes and consequently can adapt the design to the client’s maximum budget. However, considering that based on a budget the client always wants to get the most value possible from the available funds, the question is understandable.
In general, if we do things properly, the additional construction costs for a passive house that consumes virtually no heating are between 3% and 8% higher compared to building a conventional house.
However, it is important to note that this cost increase during construction is due to the installation of enhanced insulation, higher-quality windows that prevent heat loss, energy efficiency systems, and energy capture through renewable sources. Therefore, over the life of the house, it will consume between 80% and 90% less energy than a conventional house.
Thus, the additional investment is typically recovered within a maximum period of approximately 5 to 10 years, and it is important to consider that from day one, your home is spending virtually zero on heating.
If this 3% to 8% increase represents too high a cost for the client, we always recommend reducing other extras, such as eliminating some square meters from the home or leaving the garden landscaping for a second phase.
The Big Question: What Are the Additional Costs of Building an Ecological or Passive House?
To determine how much it costs to build a passive house, we must understand the additional construction costs, which include:
– Extra insulation for walls, roofs, and floors
– Windows with double or triple glazing and air chambers
– Ventilation systems with heat recovery that allow air renewal in the home without heat loss
These are improvements to construction systems that will undoubtedly enhance our quality of life in the home and, of course, significantly reduce our energy consumption.
Therefore, when our clients ask us how much it costs to build a passive house compared to a conventional house, we inform them of the additional cost but also of the amount of money they will save over the useful life of the home. Two studies demonstrate that a passive house reduces heating bills by between 80% and 90% compared to a conventional house.
Energy Efficiency and Savings of a Passive House
While we have mentioned the additional costs of building a passive house, it is also necessary to mention where we will save.
The costs of a building depend on many factors, and although it is reasonable to think that a high-quality passive house will cost more than a conventional house, a large number of passive house projects are being built with conventional budgets. In fact, at our studio we offer passive houses for an average budget of €150,000, with which a home of approximately 100 m2 including three bedrooms can be built.
Therefore, to determine how much it costs to build a passive house, we must know where we can reduce costs:
– These are homes with simple, modern forms that allow parts of the structure to be prefabricated and therefore reduce construction costs.
– A simpler form also helps prevent energy loss through the envelope (facades)
– Since the insulation of walls and the home in general is greater, the interior temperature remains stable. This way, less heating is needed, which can be provided through an air exchanger with heat recovery. Thus, we avoid the installation of complex and expensive radiant heating systems or convection radiators under windows, etc.
– Finally, it is worth mentioning the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, which, while not initially an economic saving for homeowners and not the priority for most of our clients, it is important to know that with our ecological passive house we are contributing to reducing emissions globally.
Building a Passive House Is an Investment in the Future
We have previously mentioned the savings over the years in heating costs, but we must also consider the future possibilities of our home.
Today, ecology is present in all aspects of our lives, and a home that does not incorporate energy efficiency systems is no longer acceptable.
Zero-consumption ecological houses are the future, and we do not want to build a house today that will become obsolete. If we plan to sell or rent our house in the future, it will be a key aspect that it is efficient and that energy consumption is minimal.