Predicted energy usage seldom reflect actual consumption, whether in the case of typical stock or notionally low energy buildings. But how well does passive house turn theory into reality?

In the current policy vacuum, many questions have been raised about the future of sustainable construction. Despite this uncertainty, there is a steady growth of interest in the AECB Silver Standard, writes architect Mark Siddall.

Issue 3 of Passive House Plus included Bridging the Building Performance Gap, an article by passive house designer Mark Siddall of LEAP: Low Energy Architectural Practice. Figure two in that article included a ground-breaking analysis of the monitored energy consumption of 228 certified passive house dwellings. The below references were used to develop figure two.