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basics:affordability

Affordability

Passive Houses not only save money over the long term, especially in light of rising energy costs, but are surprisingly affordable to begin with.

Passive Houses do not require heating and cooling systems on conventional scales, meaning that the money that would have gone towards larger heating and cooling systems can be spent instead on better windows, thicker insulation and a ventilation system – hallmarks of Passive House design. Add to this the long-term energy savings Passive Houses bring and it becomes clear that Passive Houses are a good investment. Especially in the face of dwindling energy resources and rising energy costs, the Passive House Standard demonstrates sustainable affordability.

Even so, Passive Houses do cost more upfront than their conventional counterparts. On average, someone building a Passive House in Germany might expect to spend anywhere from 3 to 8% more, and this cost differential is likely more in countries where Passive House components are not yet readily available. As the number of Passive House suitable components on the market increases, however, prices in these other countries will drop. Financial support for Passive Houses, as currently available in a number of countries, further reduces their cost. In this light then, building a Passive House nowadays is even more affordable over the long term than building a conventional home.

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basics/affordability.txt · Last modified: 2023/11/24 18:14 by jgrovesmith