The number of new passive houses in the Czech Republic grew by about one third last year

Prague – The number of newly completed passive houses, which are homes with very low energy consumption, increased by about a third last year in the Czech Republic to 1,600. In total, there are about 8,800 of them. Most of them are single-family houses. This was stated by Tomáš Vanický, director of the Passive House Center. The share of new passive houses in the total number of newly built single-family houses rose by 2.5 percent to 8.3 percent last year. According to the Czech Statistical Office, 19,248 single-family houses were completed in the Czech Republic last year, an increase of 0.1 percent year-on-year.

"Thanks to the continuous support of the State Environmental Fund for sustainable measures leading to climate change preparedness, houses with very low energy needs are enjoying increasing interest. In the past year alone, more than 1,500 applications were submitted for the support of passive houses and homes with very low energy needs," Vanický stated.

According to him, not all builders of passive houses apply for state support. Based on available information, the center estimates that about 1,600 new builds moving towards the passive energy standard were started last year. "This increase is due both to stricter legislation concerning buildings with nearly zero energy consumption and to people's determination to invest more in healthy living with low operating costs," Vanický further stated.

For a passive house, key elements include heat recovery, known as recuperation, where a system of pipes exchanges air while keeping the heat inside. The first house known as passive was built in 1990 in Darmstadt, Germany.

According to him, the Passive House Center has recorded increased interest in the construction of elementary and kindergarten schools, as well as public libraries, fire stations, employment offices, and other public buildings. An example of passive standard constructions includes a kindergarten in Moravské Budějovice and Semily, the Karel Malich Elementary Art School in Holice, an elementary school in Židlochovice, a senior citizens' home in Modřice in South Moravia, hospitals in Olomouc and Šternberk, or a public library in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm.