2023 Net Zero vs Passive House explained + BC Energy Step Code

This video is a conversational guide to understanding the differences and similarities to the common approaches to building high performance homes.

Both Prescriptive and Performance standards have their place, but they take different paths to achieving their results.

Passive House Certification Criteria:
Heating Demand Limit 15 kWh/ m2 per year
Heating Load Limit 10 W/m2
Cooling Load Limit 10 W/m2
Air Tightness Result 0.6 Air Changes / Hour (Pressurization)


0:00 Introductions
0:29 Passive House has become a symbol
1:02 Performance Standard vs Prescriptive Standard
1:25 BC Energy Step Code Explained
1:58 Air Changes per Hour
2:30 What it means to be Net Zero
3:17 Passive House is a Performance Based Standard
3:58 Energy Demand vs Energy Load
4:58 Passive House Air Changes per Hour Target
5:35 Why create an Air-barrier
6:40 Net Zero is a Prescriptive Standard
7:15 Passive House tends to prefer simple elegant designs
7:42 Typical House designs add complexity to energy performance
8:45 The challenges we saw with a prescriptive standard
12:07 Where prescriptive standards break down
13:24 Net Zero in action
14:40 You can build a solar farm to compensate for inefficient home
15:30 The technicality of Net Zero between house design
16:08 Passive house can be Net Zero
17:02 The bottom line for us as a company
18:00 We can do Net Zero homes now