Thermal Bridge

Thermal bridge simply means that there is a weakness within your home structure that enables heat loss. That “weakness” only exists because the home is poorly insulated and constructed. The “bridge” is a passage/pathway for heat to escape and bring in cold air (absence of heat) through the building envelope. The envelope includes elements like:  walls, roof, and ceilings. Of special concern are conditions such as edges, corners, connections and penetrations that are responsible for the greatest loss of heat and where thermal bridging often occurs.

How do you eliminate or reduce thermal bridging?

For starters, if you are living in a Passive Home, you are guaranteed thermal bridge free construction. There is a high level of thermal insulation. In addition, construction details are engineered to eliminate poor construction where thermal bridging often occurs.

Why does this phenomenon occur? It is a natural process, heat wants to travel where there is an absence of heat. To compensate for this loss, more energy consumption is required to replace the energy which escaped your house, this leads higher heating cost.  

Eliminating thermal bridges improves comfortability by eliminating cold spots inside your home. With Passive House,  your home will be comfortable year round.

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About Passive House

Do you want to live comfortably without any cold drafts? What about breathing clean and fresh air inside of your home? Or better yet, cozy and consistent temperatures throughout the year, with the guarantee that you will have lower utility bills?

If  your answer is yes to all, then Passive House should be your ideal home.

A Passive house has very low energy consumption and extremely high-levels of comfort. In fact, you may be able to say goodbye to all of your heating and cooling systems.  

Based on the design and construction of the home, Passive houses uses the sun’s energy as well as the energy our own body produces to heat the home. 

Below is what you will expect from a Passive House:

1. Exceptionally high level of thermal insulation

2. Airtight construction which creates draft-free rooms

3. Comfortable ventilation with a highly efficient heat-recovery system

4. Super energy-efficient windows

5. Continuous fresh air in all rooms

6. Thermal bridge free construction to eliminate the loss of heat

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What makes Passive House even more unique, is that it can adapt to any local climate.  In hotter climates, passive houses focuses on shading and window ventilation, which will help keep the house cool. When it is cold, passive houses focuses on getting energy and heat from the sun. The best part is that, the heat stays inside and doesn't leave the home. You can also get heat from body occupants, and household appliances.

The first Passive House was built in Darmstadt, Germany, in 1991, and now, many countries are realizing how convenient  and efficient passive homes are. As of 2010, more than 15,000 buildings in Europe has been built or remodeled to the passive house standard. So far, passive houses have been constructed in Europe, North and South America, Africa and Asia.

Most importantly, apart from fresh air throughout the day and the high level of comfort, Passive House is an investment. It is slightly more expensive to build, but a lot less expensive to maintain. In a conventional home, you are concerned about the quality of construction and the high utility bills. Building a Passive House, on the other hand, ensures high comfort levels, clean air, and you’ll save between 75% and 90% on energy. A home built to Passive House standards is an exceptionally well built and engineered home, it will protect the value of your property for years to come.