Passivhaus or Passive House? Efficiency, low carbon, or Comfort and Security?

What should we call these buildings and how should we market them? Thoughts from the New Zealand Passivhaus conference

I am in New Zealand, a guest of the Passive House Institute New Zealand (PHINZ), doing a keynote at their conference in Wellington, where I saw the most beautiful rainbow while out on a run yesterday morning. I was excited to see that they devoted a major block of time to discuss communication and a serious discussion about branding.

Many years ago, a talented Toronto architect published his most recent house renovation in article titled "Our Latest Passive House" which had giant windows facing south and a few feet behind the glass, a big stone trombe wall. I emailed him a link to the Passive House Institute website and he responded, "gee, I had no idea!" Fifteen years later, many people still get passive solar design confused with Passive House, which is a terrible name- it's not passive, and it's not a house. It doesn't work as a noun or an adjective.

Rachel Rose suggests a "passive house home" and I am sorry, that's just weird. That's what I have always thought was my mission: to communicate to the public the benefits of Passivhaus, which I do in the original German- it is a brand, not a description. Rose pointed out how confused everyone is about the name.

In the UK, the Passivhaus Trust wants it both ways, with Passive House under Passivhaus.

In Canada, they wanted a brand but didn't have the nerve to go full passivhaus, so they mashed the two words together into Passivehouse. Also wishy-washy.

In Australia, they have made the switch fully over to Passivhaus. Alexia Lidas told us that it instantly ended any confusion with passive solar design.

In New Zealand, Elrond Burrell asked if they should change the name of their association; every hand in the room went up.

Once you get past the problematic name, the next communication challenge is explaining the benefits of Passivhaus. This is increasingly a tough sell in a world where the electrify everything and fabric fifth crowds is preaching heatpumpification instead of insulation.

 Australian architect Alex Slater showed a series of simple images that explained everything in sequence: insulation (black), airtightness (green), thermal bridging (red), fresh air (blue), and windows (yellow). Yes, we can reduce carbon emissions by living in hemp tents heated and cooled by solar-powered heat pumps. But we also need comfort, health, quiet, security, and resilience.

This is how we have to communicate the benefits of Passivhaus. If you thought it was difficult to get people to care about energy efficiency with Passivhaus, where at least they would eventually save money, it is infinitely tougher to get them to care about carbon. We have to connect on the emotional level.

Jess Berenston-Shaw tells us that "decisions result from mindsets and emotions. Logic comes later." She is not the only one; I have often quoted my old canoe instructor Seth Godin:

And Zig Ziglar, the world's greatest salesman, said, “People don’t buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons.” Ziglar also said something that particularly resonates with me:

Many people fear that tomorrow is not going to be better than today; between climate and politics, everything seems to be getting worse.

That’s why Passivhaus needs simple, straightforward, and positive messages that connect emotionally. Passivhaus can't promise happiness or prosperity, but it certainly can help deliver health, security and comfort.

It was wonderful to see that so many people in the New Zealand passivhaus community get this.

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I have written about this many times:

How Do You Sell the Idea of Passive House?

The hot design trend of 2024: Comfort

What's in a Name? I Am Going to Use Passivhaus, Not Passive House