Passive builds

The house that heats itself.

Passive is our take on the international passive house standard — homes so well-insulated and sealed they hold their temperature naturally. Warm all winter. Cool all summer. A power bill you’ll barely notice.

75–90%: Less heating energy
Year-round: Comfortable temp
~0: Drafts

Warm modern tiny home interior with kitchen and living area

Warm modern SHS Passive interior — proof of the specifics that make Passive work

Under the hood

What’s actually different?

Passive isn’t magic. It’s a set of specific upgrades — dialled up on insulation, sealing, glazing, and ventilation.

2–3×
the insulation
Thicker walls, ceilings, floors
Walls and ceilings get 2–3× the insulation of a code-compliant build. Cold stays outside longer. Warmth stays inside longer.
5–10×
tighter seal
Air-tight construction
Every joint, junction and penetration sealed carefully. Passive aims for around 0.6 air changes per hour vs 4–10 for a typical NZ home. No drafts.
≤0.80
W/m²K U-value
High-performance windows
Double or triple-glazed with insulated frames and warm-edge spacers. Each pane, gap and frame tuned to slow heat transfer.
HRV
Fresh air, no heat loss
Heat recovery ventilation
Passive homes are so sealed they need mechanical ventilation. Heat recovery brings fresh air in while recycling the warmth on its way out.

In your day-to-day

What does that mean for me?

Those upgrades add up to a home that feels fundamentally different to live in. Here’s what people notice first.

Warm in winter

Cold floors and shivering out of bed become a memory.

Bright open tiny home interior with kitchen and living area

Cool in summer

The insulation works both ways. No aircon marathon.

Quiet as anything

Thicker insulation blocks sound as well as heat.

Modern tiny home landed on a customer site

Power bill barely there

Heat pump barely runs. Rising prices are someone else's problem.

The payoff

75%

to 90% less heating energy

Published NZ research shows Passive-standard homes cut heating energy by 75–90% versus a standard code-compliant build. That works out to around $1,000–$2,500 in annual power savings for a typical NZ home — depending on the climate and how the home is used.

Over 20 years

$20,000 – $50,000 back in your pocket.

In your pocket instead of your power company’s. Power prices only go up from here — Passive locks in low running costs from day one.

Upfront, Passive costs more to build. Over the lifetime of the home, the running-cost savings compound. If you’re planning to live in the home long-term, Passive is a no-brainer.

Where you can get it

Available on tiny homes and transportable homes.

Passive is offered on our tiny homes and transportable homes, where the added insulation and sealing translate directly into running-cost savings. Cabins are Economy only.