ᐅ Passive House with Mechanical Ventilation and Heat Recovery plus a Post-Heating Coil – A Bad Idea?!
Created on: 14 Mar 2026 14:04
G
Georg86Hey everyone,
Since my last post, a lot has changed. We have now purchased a plot of land in our desired residential area – which was a huge stroke of luck. We are already quite far along with the planning regarding the floor plan (external architect), permits/planning permission, etc.
The house won’t be very large, but it suits our needs.
Now, here’s the question.
We want a very energy-efficient building (it doesn’t have to be labeled Passive House, but it should be close). There are quite a few things to consider here. Our heating concept would be a controlled ventilation system with reheat coils at the ventilation outlets, as well as electric underfloor heating in selected areas. Domestic hot water would be provided by a small heat pump.
One builder basically only constructs houses like this, and I know about 20 houses planned this way.
The second (also a very reliable) builder thinks this is a terrible idea and says it causes a very dry indoor climate. He says it leads to dry mucous membranes and long-term health issues—he’s had bad experiences with it. He recommends infrared heating instead. I really hate infrared though; it annoys me because it feels like sitting by a campfire—we have these heaters at work.
My question to you:
Are you familiar with this concept, and what do you think about it?
Unfortunately, we can only build a small technical room (no basement), so it doesn’t look like a hydronic heating system will be possible.
Since my last post, a lot has changed. We have now purchased a plot of land in our desired residential area – which was a huge stroke of luck. We are already quite far along with the planning regarding the floor plan (external architect), permits/planning permission, etc.
The house won’t be very large, but it suits our needs.
Now, here’s the question.
We want a very energy-efficient building (it doesn’t have to be labeled Passive House, but it should be close). There are quite a few things to consider here. Our heating concept would be a controlled ventilation system with reheat coils at the ventilation outlets, as well as electric underfloor heating in selected areas. Domestic hot water would be provided by a small heat pump.
One builder basically only constructs houses like this, and I know about 20 houses planned this way.
The second (also a very reliable) builder thinks this is a terrible idea and says it causes a very dry indoor climate. He says it leads to dry mucous membranes and long-term health issues—he’s had bad experiences with it. He recommends infrared heating instead. I really hate infrared though; it annoys me because it feels like sitting by a campfire—we have these heaters at work.
My question to you:
Are you familiar with this concept, and what do you think about it?
Unfortunately, we can only build a small technical room (no basement), so it doesn’t look like a hydronic heating system will be possible.
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