Passive House explained in 90 seconds. Does your house have a heater in the basement or maybe a fireplace? Probably also a central air conditioner or maybe a window unit. Did you ever wonder if it was necessary? In 1991 a physicist and Austria, Dr. Feist, built the first passive house. Here's what he did. 1. Proper insulation. It's just like wearing the right winter jacket. It also does an 80-heater. 2. No air leakages. There should be no holes small or large to let hot air out of the house. 3. No thermal bridges. A thermal bridge is like a road for heating energy in which warmth can travel right through your walls. As a matter of fact, most of our houses have thermal highways in our walls where heat can easily travel to the outside. Plus, the house needs proper windows most of the time with triple-pain glass. It needs to be oriented properly so the sun can heat it in the winter and shade is provided in the summer. And it uses an HRV, a device that provides the inside with fresh air without letting the heat out. At all these things up and it turns out your house doesn't need a heater or air conditioner. So where does the heat come from? A passive house needs 90% less energy and that can easily be supplied by your body heat, the sun, your appliances, light bulbs and even your TV. This saves you a lot of money on your heating bill and helps preserve the environment.