From a Passive to An Active House

Abstract

This paper presents a study on how the energy concept for passive houses is interpreted and used in the daily life of householders. It examines the gradual process by which householders both adapt to and shape passive house technology in their material and social context, thus creating a comfortable home. The theoretical concept of domestication was used in order to understand this process. The empirical material was based on qualitative interviews with residents of passive houses in Sweden. Two rounds of interviews were conducted with 22 informants from 16 households and 21 informants from 15 households. The results show that from a user perspective, the passive house is an active house. An active house has event-based heating. The indoor temperature changes in relation to the household's daily routines and rhythms, their everyday activities and use of appliances. Event-based heating creates different conditions for individual households and alters the meaning of many daily chores. Another result shows that domestication of the passive house concept is a dynamic and long-term process, where the view of indoor temperature and use of technologies change over time. Examining the domestication of passive houses leads to a more informed design process and an opportunity to educate new residents.