Guide to Passive House Certifications and Why Acoustics Matter

If you are working on a project, you may have heard about a passive house certificate. A building with rigorous energy efficiency standards can get a passive house certification, but effective acoustic management is often overlooked.

Including acoustic solutions in your next project offers a holistic approach to energy efficiency and sound control.

What Is a Passive House Certification?

A passive house certificate is awarded when a building meets strict efficiency standards while needing minimal indoor heating or cooling. This efficiency can be achieved by including energy recovery ventilators (ERVs) and heat recovery ventilators (HRVs) for fresh air while saving energy.

More benchmarks of a passive house certification include:

• Powerful insulation to reduce heat transfer and loss.
• Tight construction to decrease air leaks while maintaining consistent indoor temperatures.
• Thermal bridge-free construction to minimize heat escaping.
• Efficient windows and doors for added insulation.

Complement the above with acoustic control by:

• Eliminating acoustic bridging where sound can escape through walls or ceilings.
• Increasing insulation to prevent excess noise vibration transfer.
• Reducing or removing air leaks to contain sound in one area.
• Sealing doors for added sound absorption and soundproofing.

Acoustic Requirements and How to Get Certified

Achieving a passive house certification with acoustics requires stringent energy-efficient and sound insulation solutions, such as:

• Controlling impact sounds from floors.
• Managing HVAC vibrations.
• Treating doors to minimize outside noise.
• Soundproofing ceilings and walls with barriers.

Importance of Acoustics in Passive House Certification

Passive house certification ensures efficiency, and adding acoustic control offers additional advantages. Some benefits of a passive house certification with acoustics are:

• Increased occupant well-being.
• Higher productivity levels.
• Enhanced building value.

Soundproof Cow’s Effective Acoustic Solutions

At Soundproof Cow, we take the complexities out of acoustics, providing effective solutions for any passive house certification project.

Walls

Walls contribute to a lot of noise transfer. Fabric-wrapped acoustic panels and perforated acoustic wood panels blend decor with acoustic absorption. Our Quiet Batt^® Soundproofing Insulation and soundproof barriers can dampen unwanted noise and are easy to install.

In spaces like auditoriums where echo is a challenge, installing Echo Absorber™ acoustic cotton panels and acoustic fiberglass panels makes speech clearer and reduces reverberation.

Ceilings

Soundproof Cow’s ceiling acoustic solutions control noise and improve sound quality within the space. Ceiling acoustic panels and hanging baffles can be mounted or hung from the ceiling, absorbing sound energy. Our Udderly Quiet^® Acoustic Cloud is customizable to the decor and hangs like clouds, minimizing echo and vibration.

The isoTRAX^® Soundproofing System isolates sounds like HVAC noise traveling through walls and ceilings and can be used for new and retrofit projects.

Floors

Our flooring underlayments, like the PROFLEX™ 90, are ideal for multistory projects and can be easily installed underneath flooring systems.

Doors

Doors need effective noise reduction, especially in offices and educational institutions. Our door seals and sweeps are designed to block sound from traveling while providing superior insulation, enhancing passive house certification requirements.

Let Us Discuss Your Passive House Certification Goals

If you want to combine energy efficiency and acoustic control in your next project, turn to Soundproof Cow. Our experts can help you choose the right noise reduction and sound quality solutions. Contact us online today to get started.