Stay in a passive house
Whether you're a Passivhaus geek or just want to see for yourself what a super-insulated home is like, there are plenty of passive house holiday lets available
If you’re already thinking about where to go on your next holiday, what about a stay in a Passive house? It could be a great chance to see what super-insulated life is like and might give you inspiration for your own build. Houses built to meet the Passivhaus standards, are designed to be exceptionally well insulated and built not to leak air into the outside, making them cheaper to keep warm (or cool) and more comfortable than traditional homes.
The International Passive House Association has a webpage listing Passive houses around the world that offer accommodation.
Image credit: Topsails, Whitstable (Photo: Kilian O’Sullivan)
Some are hotels, such as the Casa del Castell in Catalonia; some are AirBnB rentals (such as the ones pictured above and below); others B&Bs, like this Passive House B&B in Malvern.
There are properties listed in Australia, Austria, Belgium, China, France, Germany, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the US and UK.
Unsurprisingly, given that Germany is the home of the Passive house, most of the accommodation listings are there.
The International Passive House Association is a great source of information about Passive House building and has a database of about 5,700 Passive Houses around the world, which is a brilliant source of build inspiration. Don’t forget, there are also quite a few Grand Designs properties you can stay in too, which can give you even more ideas for what to do with your own home.
