Passive house

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Passive house (German: Passivhaus) is a voluntary standard for energy efficiency in a building, which reduces the building's ecological footprint.^[1] Conforming to these standards results in ultra-low energy buildings that require little energy for space heating or cooling.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} A similar standard, MINERGIE-P, is used in Switzerland.^[7] Standards are available for residential properties and several office buildings, schools, kindergartens and a supermarket have also been constructed to the standard. The design is not an attachment or supplement to architectural design, but a design process that integrates with architectural design.^[8] Although it is generally applied to new buildings, it has also been used for refurbishments.

In 2008, estimates of the number of passive house buildings around the world ranged from 15,000 to 20,000 structures.^[9][10] In 2016, there were approximately 60,000 such certified structures of all types worldwide.^[11] The vast majority of passive structures have been built in German-speaking countries and Scandinavia.^[9]