Passive House (PassivHaus) in Australia
Updated 5 October 2026
Passive House is a building-performance standard, rather than a promise that every home will need no heating or cooling. The design, climate, construction quality and operation all influence the outcome.
The video below preserves a 2024 introduction. Its broad temperature, energy-saving and health statements should not be treated as guarantees for a particular home. The current design notes below replace the earlier transcript on this page.
Passive House or PassivHaus - It's a great option for your home.
Current design notes
Certified Passive House, also called Passivhaus, requires modelling, detailed design, construction quality, testing and independent assessment against the applicable criteria.
Insulation, airtightness, reduced thermal bridges, high-performance windows and controlled ventilation work as one system. Heating and cooling may still be needed; equipment and ventilation should be designed for the project rather than assumed unnecessary.
A home using passive-design principles is not automatically a certified Passive House. The EnerPHit retrofit standard is a distinct pathway for existing buildings, with its own criteria.
Plan the verification pathway early
If certification is part of your brief, agree the required modelling, specialist input, testing and certifier involvement before the plan is fixed. General design intentions do not establish a measured result.
Audrey has trained in Passive House design. That past training does not represent current designer certification, and Whisker does not describe every sustainable project as certified.
Comfort-led choices for your home
Our sustainable architecture approach considers orientation, shading, the building envelope, ventilation, materials and the amount of space you need. Beaconsfield Hillside Home illustrates a passive-solar family-home brief; it is not presented as a certified Passive House.
For a renovation, explore our renovation service and extension service. The Home Masterplan Report helps compare scope, layout and early budget before detailed design.
