Position Paper - Passivhaus as an alternative means of compliance to Future Homes Standard

Published: March 2024

This position paper responds to the The Future Homes and Building Standards: 2023 Consultation.The Passivhaus Trust has modelled and compared outputs from SAP 10 and the beta HEM (Home Energy Model) with PHPP (the Passivhaus Planning Package).

The building modelling shows that certified Passivhaus Classic will have lower space heating demands, lower carbon emissions and will cost less to run than both Option 1 and Option 2 of the FHS.

Based on this evidence, the Passivhaus Trust recommends that new all-electric dwellings certified to meet the Passivhaus standard should be deemed to satisfy the Future Homes Standard, and PHPP should be accepted as alternative modelling software to demonstrate compliance.