Experience ultimate comfort and energy savings with a certified passive home build
If you're intrigued by the concept of passive homes, maybe you've even done some research and you love the idea of living in one, but you're unsure about what to do next, we invite you to contact Valhalla Living for a friendly chat. We're here to guide you with knowledge and options, and demystify the process, so you can understand the benefits of choosing a passive home.
Valhalla Living specialises in designing and building homes to passive house standards, tailored to suit the unique New Zealand climate and building industry. With Valhalla Living, you get a certified passive home that is sustainable, energy-efficient and tailored to your needs. Please get in touch to start your journey towards your dream passive home.
- Expertise in building energy-efficient, passive homes with meticulous attention to detail.
- Comprehensive project management for a smooth, hassle-free design and build process.
- Customised, innovative designs for comfortable and sustainable homes.
Understanding the concept of passive house design
How do passive houses work? Unlike traditional New Zealand houses, which lose heat energy through walls, floors, and roofs, passive houses are designed to minimise temperature loss. The combination of passive heating and heat recovery ventilation provides almost all the warmth needed, making them incredibly energy-efficient. This ensures a beautifully comfortable living experience all year round, while saving in energy bills.
The benefits of a passive house
Owners of passive houses enjoy many benefits including:
- Drastically reduced energy use: Our homes use 90-95% less heating and cooling energy, resulting in overall energy savings of 60-80% compared to other buildings compliant with the NZ Building Code.
- Exceptional thermal comfort and air quality: Our homes maintain a consistent temperature of at least 20°C throughout the year, providing a dry, warm, healthy, and comfortable environment.
- Reduced carbon footprint: Our homes consume minimal energy and fossil fuel, thereby lowering your carbon footprint.
Certification of a passive house
Five fundamental construction requirements are thermal bridge-free construction, insulation, airtightness, advanced window technology, and heat recovery ventilation.
To obtain certification, the Passive House Institute outlines strict criteria, including:
- Detailed drawings and technical data submission
- Pressure tests e.g. blower door testing, and onsite other checks
- Compliance with the Building Act and local authority regulations
Valhalla Living is a member of the Passive House Institute of NZ and can ensure all passive houses built by us achieve passive house certification.
Passive house expertise you can trust: Valhalla Living's owner lives in his own self-built passive home
The number of builders in New Zealand with the knowledge, experience and expertise to design and construct a passive house is relatively small. Kim Feldborg (Owner/operator of Valhalla Living) is one of them. Kim has designed and built his own passive house in Kinloch, and is passionate about all aspects of building and living in an energy-efficient passive house. At regular intervals throughout the year, Kim opens his house to the general public to share knowledge with people who are interested in the benefits of passive houses and the technology behind them. Valhalla Living builds passive houses within the greater Taupo region.
Contact us to have a chat about building processes and the advantages of passive housing. We also offer options to build energy efficient homes (without the passive house certification) and to make energy efficient renovations so you have a home that has less impact on the environment, is more cost effective with power, and is healthier and more comfortable to live in.
Generally, passive homes may have a higher upfront cost compared to traditional homes due to the use of high-performance materials and technologies. However, these initial costs are often offset by long-term savings on energy bills and maintenance. Give us a call and we can have a chat about your budget and what you want to achieve.
Passive homes in the Taupo region perform exceptionally well, maintaining consistent indoor temperatures and energy efficiency despite the area's varied climate, thanks to high insulation, airtight construction, and strategic use of natural elements.
Existing homes can be retrofitted to improve their energy efficiency and bring them closer to passive house standards. While it may not always be possible to achieve full passive house certification, significant energy savings and comfort improvements can still be realised through retrofitting.