What is a passive house in Quebec?
- coraliefortin076
- Sep 1
- 8 min read
Are you planning to build a house, a cottage, or a garage and want to make a wise choice that's economical, comfortable, and environmentally friendly? The passive house concept is attracting increasing interest in Quebec, and for good reason.
Designed to consume minimal energy while providing exceptional thermal comfort, the passive house is a concrete response to today's energy and climate challenges.
At Plan Maison Québec, we support numerous clients each year in the design of innovative and high-performance residential plans. Our local expertise allows us to integrate the principles of passive housing into your projects, taking into account Quebec's climate realities and your specific needs.
In this article, we explain in detail what a passive house is, why it's particularly relevant in our province, its advantages and challenges, and how Plan Maison Québec can help you realize your project with this cutting-edge construction approach.
What is a passive house: definition and basic principles
A passive house refers to a building with a high-performance envelope, whose heating needs are minimized through a combination of design, insulation, airtightness, and ventilation. The goal is to create a comfortable, healthy, and energy-efficient home with significantly reduced heat consumption.
The concept was born from a desire to optimize the energy efficiency of residential buildings and is increasingly being applied in demanding climates, such as Quebec's.
In the Quebec context, a passive house must withstand harsh winters and marked seasonal variations. This requires a rigorous approach: bioclimatic design, reinforced insulation, strict air control, heat recovery, elimination of thermal bridges, and efficient fenestration. The goal is for solar gains, internal heat (occupants, appliances), and ventilation with heat recovery to be nearly sufficient to maintain indoor comfort, with minimal additional heating.
The Passivhaus / Passive House standard (or its North American variants such as PHIUS) sets criteria to ensure true passive performance. For example, according to this standard, the maximum heating requirement must not exceed approximately 15 kWh/m²/year (this threshold varies depending on local variations and adaptations).
For renovations, a customized version called EnerPHit exists to bring an existing building closer to passive standards.
At Plan Maison Québec, the integration of passive house principles into the design process (house, cottage, garage) allows us to offer our clients buildings that combine comfort, durability, and energy savings, while respecting the local constraints of the Quebec climate.
Why build a passive house in Quebec?
Dramatic reduction in energy costs
One of the main motivations for building a passive house is to drastically reduce heating and energy bills. A typical house in Quebec can consume tens of thousands of kilowatt-hours per year just to heat the home. By applying passive house principles, the goal is to achieve savings of around 70 to 90% on heating needs.
The "Maison des Sources" project in the Eastern Townships is a good illustration of this potential: although construction cost approximately 15% more than a comparable conventional house, its total annual costs were reduced to approximately $802 per year, or about 80% less than a new house according to the standard code.
Given Quebec's context—"clean" electricity is primarily generated by hydroelectricity—the environmental gain is even more significant, as the energy consumed comes from a source with a low carbon footprint.
Comfort, health and air quality
Beyond savings, passive houses offer a superior level of comfort. High-performance insulation and airtightness reduce drafts and temperature variations between rooms, and provide a stable indoor climate all year round.
The dual-flow ventilation system (or heat recovery) ensures constant air renewal while recovering thermal energy. This helps maintain excellent indoor air quality, limits humidity and mold, and removes pollutants.
Furthermore, a passive house can remain frost-free even during extended absences, without excessive energy consumption.
Sustainability and long-term value
Building according to passive house principles means investing in sustainability: quality materials, careful design to eliminate thermal leaks, less stress on mechanical systems (since they are small and simple), and performance that doesn't easily degrade over time.
On the market, high-performance homes are increasingly attracting buyers who are sensitive to energy efficiency. It is often claimed that these homes resell more quickly and at a premium—which adds a wealth of value to the investment.
Finally, in the context of climate concerns, efficient building helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions, an argument that is gaining traction with governments, grant programs, and funding agencies.
Challenges and limitations to be aware of
Initial additional cost and precise budget
One of the most frequently cited obstacles is the higher construction cost. Additional costs are often estimated at around 10 to 25%, depending on the level of requirements, the materials chosen, the architectural complexity, and the specialized labor required.
However, this additional cost is justified in several cases: reduced heating requirements (and therefore equipment requirements), increased durability, and added value to the property. In some innovative projects, the cost difference tends to diminish as more efficient techniques and materials are adopted.
It is essential to plan a rigorous budget from the design stage, anticipate the costs of modeling, certification, and leak testing, and allow for contingencies.
Demanding design and local integration
For a passive house to truly function, every detail counts. The building's orientation, window layout, thermal bridge control, insulation continuity, and the balance of south-facing glazed surfaces relative to other facades—all of this must be considered from the planning phase. A minor design error can compromise efficiency.
In Quebec, the extreme climate requires additional precautions (snow, wind, frost, condensation). It's not enough to apply a standard model; it must be adapted to local constraints.
Another challenge concerns glazing: high-performance triple-glazed windows are essential, but are more expensive, require meticulously sealed frames, and require increased attention to installation details to prevent air leaks or condensation.
In renovations, achieving passive house standards is often very difficult due to structural constraints, existing material constraints, poorly insulated foundations, or existing walls. The adapted EnerPHit version alleviates these constraints, but remains demanding.
Certification, verification and necessary expertise
To ensure that a building is truly passive, energy modeling tools (such as PHPP software) and tests such as the blower door test are used to measure airtightness. This is a technical process that requires specialized skills.
Obtaining certification (Passivhaus, PHI, PHIUS) involves rigorous monitoring, inspections, and interim checks. This adds cost and rigor to the project.
Furthermore, some high-performance materials (specialized insulation, membranes, high-performance openings) may be more expensive or less accessible locally, requiring extensive coordination between suppliers and contractors.
Shape and design constraints
Passive houses often favor simple and compact shapes to minimize the surface area of the building envelope relative to its volume (low S/V ratio). Overly convoluted plans, highly contoured facades, poorly placed openings, or complex volumes can complicate the creation of a high-performance building envelope.
There may be architectural or aesthetic constraints if the client or municipality desires highly contoured facades, numerous openings, or a highly "creative" design. Integrating these requirements while respecting passive constraints requires great design precision.
Design and construction stages with Plan Maison Québec
1. Site analysis and optimal orientation
From the land selection or site study stage, it's essential to analyze sunlight, prevailing winds, shade from neighboring trees or buildings, and the ideal building location. Bioclimatic orientation (main facade facing south, glazed surfaces oriented toward solar gain) is a pillar of the passive solar concept.
At Plan Maison Québec, we integrate this analysis from the very beginning of the project to guide design decisions (volume, position, dimensions) to maximize solar gain without causing summer overheating.
2. Energy modeling and simulation
Once the basic configuration is established, energy modeling is performed using a suitable tool (often PHPP or equivalent software). This allows for the assessment of heating requirements, solar gains, losses, and ventilation, and the testing of various options (insulation, windows, orientation).
This step is crucial because it allows the viability of the plan to be validated or components (thickness, materials, glass surfaces) to be adjusted before construction even begins. A good design from the outset reduces the risk of future cost overruns.
3. Selection of materials and construction techniques
Following the modeling, high-performance materials are selected: high-density insulation, waterproofing membranes, well-placed vapor barriers, and structural materials compatible with the thick insulation. Windows and doors must be very high-performance (triple glazing, thermally broken frames, minimal penetration).
Joint details (walls-floor, walls-roof, corners) must be carefully designed to avoid thermal bridges. Waterproofing pre-filters, careful sealing systems, breathable membranes, compatible cladding—everything must be coordinated.
4. Airtightness and infiltration control
Airtightness is a cornerstone of any passive house. A high-performance building can suffer if air leaks are poorly controlled. Blower door tests are performed at various stages of construction to detect and correct leaks before the final completion.
The Plan Maison Québec team plans these tests and integrates corrections into the construction process to ensure the building meets the expected performance requirements.
5. Installation of ventilation with heat recovery
Dual-flow ventilation (HRV) or a suitable version is essential for renewing air without losing accumulated heat. The system must be precisely sized and calibrated, with well-insulated ducts and a well-balanced distribution network.
This system can also include advanced heat exchangers, air preheating options, or integration with radiant floor heating, as appropriate. The quality of the installation is essential to ensure that performance expectations are met.
6. Quality control, validation and monitoring
Before completion, final tests are performed (blower door, system verification). If certifications are sought (Passivhaus, PHIUS), an external audit may be required. Then, during the occupancy period, monitoring ensures that actual energy consumption matches forecasts.
At Plan Maison Québec, we offer our clients support for the building's energy validation and the preparation of documentation needed for certification or post-construction monitoring.
Comparison: passive house vs. standard new house / “green” house
When a client considers a high-performance home, they often compare three options: a new "conventional" house that meets the code, a green house (LEED, Novoclimat, etc.), or a passive house. Here are some points of comparison:
Initial costs: A passive house costs (on average) 10 to 25% more than a code-compliant house, but the difference tends to decrease with experience and the maturity of the techniques.
Energy consumption: A passive house consumes much less than a standard green house (whose objectives may be less restrictive).
Return on investment: Heating and energy savings help offset the additional cost over the long term.
Environmental impact: A passive house offers a better carbon footprint, especially in a context where electricity is clean (like in Quebec).
Design complexity: A passive house imposes stricter constraints on shape, orientation, volume, and openings—which sometimes limits architectural freedom compared to a more flexible green house.
Certification and credibility: Passivhaus certification or its equivalent provides a strong external guarantee of performance that few less stringent certifications can offer.
For Plan Maison Québec clients, these comparisons are essential for making an informed choice. We support our clients in this process with simulations, comparative scenarios, and personalized recommendations.
Practical advice for a successful passive house project with Plan Maison Québec
Start early: integrating passive principles from the site selection or basic plan phase is much more effective than attempting to incorporate them after the fact.
Work with specialized professionals: architects, engineers, and energy design firms who understand passive constraints. At Plan Maison Québec, we provide this expertise from the start.
Simplify geometry: simple, compact shapes with few complex corners facilitate the continuity of the envelope and minimize thermal leaks.
Control coordination among stakeholders: so that waterproofing, insulation, joints, membranes, openings, and ventilation systems are well coordinated.
Regularly test the airtightness (blower doors) at several stages of construction.
Build in budgetary margins for contingencies and for necessary tests, certifications, or corrections.
Follow up after occupancy to verify actual consumption, adjust systems and ensure expected performance is realized in reality.
Conclusion : Miser sur la maison passive avec Plan Maison Québec
La construction d’une maison passive au Québec représente plus qu’un simple projet résidentiel : c’est une démarche ambitieuse pour allier confort, économie, durabilité et qualité de vie. En composant avec des hivers rigoureux, des variations saisonnières et des contraintes thermiques, réussir une maison passive ici exige rigueur, expertise, et une conception soignée dès le début.
Avec Plan Maison Québec, vous avez un partenaire capable d’intégrer les principes passifs dans vos plans de maison, de chalet ou de garage, en tenant compte des réalités locales, des exigences du code et des contraintes climatiques québécoises. Nous accompagnons nos clients de l’analyse du site jusqu’au suivi post‑construction pour que votre maison passive devienne réalité — performante, durable et confortable.
Prêt à franchir le pas vers une habitation hautement performante ?
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