Built with the environment in mind.

That’s every Elcom Home.

Sydney’s Passive House Specialists

Do you want a home that…

  • is comfortable to live in year-round, while using minimal artificial heating and cooling components
  • costs very little to run
  • is healthier to live in, free of mould and dust
  • dramatically reduces your environmental footprint

Elcom Homes are one of Sydney’s leading design and construct building companies, and our principal, Louie Elias, is now a Passive House-certified tradesperson. Building with Passive House techniques means you can have your dream house on your dream block, and enjoy all the benefits of a high-performance, eco-smart home – without any compromise in design.

Inspiring New Designs

Construction starts with a conversation.

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Whether you want to knock down and rebuild your existing home or design a now home in the Sydney area, Elcom will be there for you every step of the way

Improving your environment from the inside out

Passive House (or Passivhaus) is a construction technique that uses a combination of high performing insulation, high-performance glazing, an airtight building envelope, and a heat recovery ventilation system to regulate the home’s internal temperature naturally. Passive Houses are highly energy-efficient, ecologically sound, and very affordable to live in.

  • Passive Houses are more comfortable to live in than standard homes, and much cheaper to run.
  • They maintain a relatively constant comfortable internal temperature year-round (even on very hot or very cold days), which translates to energy savings of between 75-90% compared with a standard house (source: https://passipedia.org/basics/what_is_a_passive_house).
  • Because they are highly insulated, Passive Houses are quieter to live in (which is great if you’re living near a busy road or under a flight path).
  • Passive Houses have superior interior air quality, as clean, filtered, temperature-controlled fresh air is continuously circulated through the home. Allergens such as pollen, pollution, dust, and mould are virtually eliminated.

Passive Houses incorporate five key design and construction elements, which work together to deliver superior thermal performance. These are:

  • Insulation: The walls, floor, and ceiling are wrapped in a continuous ‘blanket’ of insulation. This minimises heat gain in summer and heat loss in winter.
  • High-quality glazing: To reduce heat transfer, windows are fitted with double glazing or low-emissivity glass.
  • Eliminate thermal bridges: Areas of the building shell that conduct heat or cold more quickly than the rest of the structure (such as where metal framing connects interior and exterior wall linings) can compromise your insulation performance. A passive house will be built to eliminate these thermal bridges.
  • Air-tightness: Passive Houses are built to be airtight: there are no draughts or air leakage. This helps maintain that constant indoor temperature.
  • Heat recovery ventilation: The airflow in and out of a passive house is controlled with a heat recovery ventilation (HRV) system, which removes the stale air and replaces it with a constant supply of fresh, temperature-controlled, filtered air.

Your Elcom Passive House will deliver high energy efficiency and comfort levels no matter where you build it and regardless of its architectural style. That’s because Passive Houses operate using a combination of insulation and air-tight construction rather than relying on design strategies such as orientation and solar access.

At Elcom Homes, we will work with you to design and build a Passive House home that suits your family, lifestyle, and individuality – a home that looks just as beautiful as it is to live in.

No. Building a Passive House requires specialist knowledge and skills and must be designed and built by certified tradespeople. The building method is completely different from current Australian practices in terms of sealing against uncontrolled air leakage and optimising insulation. Passive Houses must also meet a range of stringent criteria and quality controls.

Louie Elias has completed the Passive House Tradesperson Course at the Smart Plus Academy, run by one of Australia’s leading Passive House experts, Daniel Kress. As a certified Passive House Tradesperson, Louie is ready to design and construct a Passive House that will transform the way you and your family live, now and into the future.

At Elcom Homes, we consider it a privilege to help you build a brighter future for your family and the planet. As Sydney’s Passive House specialists, we pride ourselves on delivering quality workmanship and uncompromised attention to detail. Our certified Passive House expert will work closely with you to design and build an eco-smart, energy-efficient house that’s perfectly tailored to meet your architectural tastes and lifestyle.

Elcom Homes will involve you in all aspects of the build, from design and approval to construction and handover. Our Passive Houses come with an impressive selection of standard inclusions and are finished to the highest standards.

To find out more about building a Passive House with Elcom Homes, contact us for a consultation.

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