Passive House certified homes are built to the world’s most stringent energy standards and boast a reduction of annual heating and cooling energy consumption by an average of 80% – 90%, according to Aurimas Sabulis, managing director of Intus Windows (http://www.intuswindows.com/), a worldwide leader in the manufacture of energy efficient window products. According to Sabulis, his company recommends that designers use ArchiCAD to ensure that the homes they design will use as little energy as possible, while offering unparalleled comfort conditions and superior air quality – the hallmarks of a passive house design.

“ArchiCAD is architectural, BIM CAD software for Macintosh and Windows developed by the Hungarian company Graphisoft,” says Sabulis. “ArchiCAD offers computer aided solutions for handling all common aspects of aesthetics and engineering during the whole design process of the built environment — buildings, interiors, urban areas, and more. The software is the preferred method for designing a passive house.”

Though super insulated, and virtually air-tight, Sabulis says that a Passive House can claim superior air quality and comfort levels relative to traditionally built homes because all ventilation air is filtered of airborne pollutants, rather than being accidentally admitted through random pathways in building crevices. Additionally, he says that the extremely low amount of conditioned air required for a passive house means there is no longer the constant background sound of a forced air system at work.

“ArchiCAD, when used to its fullest extent, can simplify the process of designing a passive house,” Sabulis explains. “Of course, the use of Intus energy-efficient windows is also crucial to a successful passive house design.”

For example, Intus triple pane uPVC windows contribute to the air quality of the passive house. In one recent design, Sabulis says that these windows boasted an Air Infiltration Rate of