Very good point as well!

Hi David, I`m glad you liked it and thank you for sharing your feedback! I`ll keep it in mind for the next video :)

I`m glad you liked it! :) Thank you for the feedback!

Thank you! Cheers!

Thank you! :)

Thank you, Felicia!

Thank you!

Thank you for your comment, Jim! Indeed you are right, in this video I addressed the best insulation thickness and not The readiness for high-impact events of building. This topic is of course super important and maybe we should cover it in another video. I would be curious to know what do you add to your designs to get them ready for such "worst case scenarios"?

@@AntonDobrevski Hi Anton, I have some thoughts about this, but am under no illusion that my thoughts represent a complete and proper perspective on this question - it will require input from many diverse viewpoints. Since I live in northern Vermont, the insulation-related scenarios of greatest concern to me come from extreme cold combined with service interruptions for basic utilities. One of the key questions in this regard is whether a house has a good, old-fashioned wood stove. If so, the requirement for insulation in emergency situations is reduced. Otherwise my feeling is that the core areas of a house should be able to withstand about 2 days of extreme cold (without electric power) with a very modest drop in temperature (definitions of modest here could vary significantly). Whatever that amount is would probably suffice for avoiding freezing of pipes for at least a week, although this should be checked. This is a very seat-of-the-pants answer, but I have not encountered any scientific- or engineering-based answers to this question. If you do have a wood stove, it would probably still be best to have a house that would not freeze during a week of extreme weather. Maybe that is a starting place? Of course extreme heat is in many ways a much harder question, and I have little to offer there. BTW, thermal mass obviously figures in strongly in this problem area, especially in the case of extreme heat (or - heaven-forbid - wildfire)

Thermal mass / heat storage plays a much smaller role in Passive House projects compared to standard buildings, due to the high insulation levels. Basically, the more energy-efficient the building is, the smaller the role of thermal mass is. Therefore, thermal mass is not a leading factor in the decision-making process for Passive House projects for example when choosing between concrete and timber.

I get your point. However: good insulation and ERV only reduce external loads! Internal gains are trapped inside. This is a good thing as long as you need them; otherwise the asset becomes a liability, and heats up the building beyond the comfort threshold. Rather than bypassing the ERV or opening the windows i'd prefer to store the gains in thermal mass for use in the next cold Phase.

These principles are applicable for warm and hot climates as well. ERV still helps in hot climates because it keeps the heat outside and the colder (conditioned) air inside. During the night, when outside it's cooler, we can use night cooling or HRV bypass, which helps cool down the building and make use of the lower outside temperatures. Regarding the thermal mass - in warmer climates it's more effective but still not as effective as the night cooling/HRV bypass.

I'm with you for the summer case. My concern is overheating in winter, if you combine large southfacing windows with low thermal mass as eg SIP- panels provide. Does that show in PHI simulations?

Glad you are enjoying the videos! The shown build-up consists of concrete (grey) and exterior insulation (yellow). So the window should be installed inside the insulation layer to minimise the installation thermal bridge while maximising solar gains, as shown in the video. In case of timber structures, it's recommended to install it in the center of the wall.

To avoid oversizing the system, paying too much for ducts and drying out the air inside, supply and extract should be separated in two different zones according to the cross ventilation principle. To allow the air to move freely even at closed doors, are provided transfer openings either at the doors or in the walls. These openings can be designed to avoid the transfer of noise/light. The air volumes are quite low and don't cause any drafts (with the right seizing of the openings).

Every building must have an airtight layer. By having the airtight layer, the only way for moisture to move through the wall is via vapour diffusion. In general, it is recommended to use intelligent airtightness systems which are vapour open in one direction ( e.g. allowing the structure to dry out to the inside) and vapour closed to the other side (e.g. not allowing the internal vapour get into the wall). An example is the pro clima intello plus system.

Additional filters/modules with filters can be added to the outdoor air duct of MVHR systems which can address this issue.

Thanks for the feedback. I will have it in mind.

Good point. Battery cost/maintenance is also a significant cost-factor for off-grid houses.

Doors and windows of old existing buildings should be replaced, if possible. You can find high-performance components here - database.passivehouse.com/en/components/

Tha aim of the video is to shed light on the importance of insulation thickness and the return on the investment. Walls, roofs and floors usually have different thicknesses indeed but this should be determined based on an energy model of the specific project.

Climate is one of the factors. As mentioned in the video, there are also other factors such as building size, price of insulation and energy, material type etc.

Thank you!

If it was easy, we would have probably already done it... That's why this is one of the biggest challenges that we are facing in our century.

@@AntonDobrevski I've been living off-grid with a small array of solar panels and a set of second-hand batteries for fifteen years. The only hard part is getting people who are used to living with unlimited electricity on tap to start thinking about electricity as a limited income which they need to budget just like they budget their money. We would have completed the energy transition already if people were willing to live within their means. Burning fossil fuels for energy is just stealing from our children and grandchildren, because they're the ones who are going to have to deal with the consequence of our self-indulgence and waste.

Thank you! I'm happy to see you are enjoying the videos 🙂 SIP panels can also be used for Passive House projects and we are working on a few projects using SIPs.

I’m just completing my third project using SIPs (6 1/2” R37). Thermapan SIPs has never supplied a wall panel thicker than 8 1/4” (R47) even in the far north in Canada. There must be a “Rule of diminishing returns” relating to SIP panel thickness. Passive house standards are R75 which would be a 12 1/4” inch panel

@@qualitybydesign5119 If the tinsulation thickness in the prefabricated panels is not enough, then additional external insulation can be added to achieve the desired U-value.

Thank you! I'm happy to see you are enjoying the videos. You can reach out to me at [email protected] about your project and I would be happy to help out.

Thank you! 🙂 If the roof space is heated, it is recommended to have ventilation and connect it to a Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) system. This ensures a continuous exchange of air while recovering heat, contributing to both indoor air quality and energy efficiency. If it's unheated, it is still recommended to ventilate it but in that case, it shouldn't be connected to the heat recovery system. On the other side, whether there should be a ventilated cavity in the roof buildup depends on the buildup itself.

Thank you! You should check out Zehnder. They are one of the best performing units on the market, all their units are PHI certified (i.e. have guaranteed efficiency within a working range) and that's why we use them for all our projects. Furthermore, they have ERV versions and are available in Bulgaria.

Thank you, Philip! When using the cross ventilation principle you will either need door vents, gaps under the door or dedicated transfer air grilles in the walls.

How do you calculate what the gaps under the doors should be?@@AntonDobrevski

@@vitoshabg To achieve air speeds below 1 m/s, we multiply the volume that has to pass through the door by 2.78 and this gives the area of the gap under the door in square centimeters

In a warm/hot climate like Texas, switching from double to triple glazing would barely have any effect and sometimes even no effect on the cooling bills. That's because the problem in these climates are the solar radiation loads. The g-value of triple glazing might be slightly lower compared to double glazing but this is compensated by the lower Ug value which keeps more of the heat inside. In these type of climates, strategies such as shading and airtightness would be more important for improving the energy efficiency of the building.

What about sound?

Are the new frames insulated? Do you mind sharing what brand you purchased?

@@pathfinder509 I had them done in 2014 for $6200, brand was Simonton “Pro Solar Low-E”. They were the lowest of 3 grades of vinyl windows the contractor sold. They did help a bit with sound, but energy savings were negligible over the original “builder” windows from when the house was built. House was 1800 sq ft and had 9 windows.

@@pathfinder509 I paid $6k to have 9 windows replaced in 2014. They were Simonton Pro Solar Low E windows. They were the lowest of 3 grades of windows the contractor sold. They were non-insulated, but vinyl with hollow core frames. Sound from outdoors to indoors was reduced a bit...

Thank you for the kind words 😊 Glad you are enjoying the content.

852 now. Still doesn't have that k on the end like it deserves.

The Passive House standard offers a cost-effective approach to constructing energy-efficient buildings. Despite potentially higher initial investments, the average return on investment occurs within 5 to 10 years. In some cases, building a Passive House can be even more economical than a standard structure. It's important to note that the Passive House standard is versatile and not limited to specific construction methods; for instance, some of our students are using SIPs and ICF systems for their Passive House projects.

Happy to see you are enjoying the videos. It depends on whether you want to have a heated (insulation along the pitched roof) or unheated attic (insulation on the ceiling). For unheated attics that’s not a problem as the attic will be vented with the outdoor air that will be getting in/out through the soffit and ridge vents. When you have a heated attic (where the insulation is between the trusses), then the attic space should be connected to the ventilation system of the building and the soffit and ridge vents will be used to only to ventilate the space between the insulation system and the roof tiles (sort of how a ventilated wall façade works).

@@AntonDobrevski my attic is not heated. One of my furnaces is sitting in the attic. Should I run insulation between the trusses and how many inches.

@@centerbuilder7677 If the attic is unheated and you are not planning to have any living spaces in it, then it's better to insulate the attic floor. The insulation thickness very much depends on the building location, size, design etc. and it is determined by making a complete energy model of the building in the PHPP software.

@@AntonDobrevski I’m planning on 18” of attic floor. But I was also going to insulate between the trusses. Is that not needed?

If you're planning on installing 18 inches of insulation on the attic floor, that should provide substantial insulation for your unheated attic (You can also check out my video "What's the BEST Insulation Thickness?"). This is generally the preferred method for unheated attics, as it keeps the heat in your living space below, not in the attic. Insulating between the trusses is typically done when the attic is a heated, livable space. However, if your furnace is in the attic, you might want to consider some localized insulation around it to protect it from extreme cold, which could improve its efficiency and lifespan. But broadly speaking, for an unheated attic, focusing on the attic floor insulation is usually sufficient and more cost-effective.

Glad to see you are enjoying the videos 😊

Our courses are fully online. You can check them out here - passivehouseschool.com/courses/

@@AntonDobrevski great, thank you

Thank you 😊 I'm glad you find the videos useful.

Yes, in our training, we discuss how they can be integrated into Passive House designs to enhance overall energy efficiency and comfort. You'll learn about their design, implementation, and how they contribute to the Passive House standard's rigorous energy performance criteria.