Guide · Costs
How much does a passive house cost in Romania (2026)
In short: a turnkey passive house in Romania costs about 1,200–1,600 € per square metre, without land. Compared with the same house built to nZEB, the legal minimum, the difference is at most ±5%, and a well-designed passive house can even cost less.
- Turnkey price
- c. 1,200–1,600 €/m²
- Versus nZEB
- ±5%, often cheaper
- 120 m² house
- c. 144,000–192,000 €
- Heating
- ≤ 15 kWh/(m²·a)
Comparison
Where it costs more and where it costs less
The same house, built once to nZEB and once to the Passive House standard. Some items cost more, others cost less or disappear.
| Item | Versus nZEB | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | more | Triple glazing and well-insulated frames, fitted within the insulation layer. |
| Insulation | slightly more | Thicker layers on walls, roof and slab. The labour stays almost the same. |
| Heat-recovery ventilation | more | Required in a passive house. It brings in fresh air without losing the heat. |
| PHPP design and checks | more | The energy model, the details and the airtightness test cost little next to the value of the house. |
| Heating system | much less | A small heat pump: no gas boiler, and no radiators or underfloor heating throughout the house. |
| Gas connection and chimney | gone | The house does not need gas for heating. |
| Solar panels | less | The house uses less energy, so fewer panels give the same coverage. |
| Shape of the house | less | A compact volume has less external wall, fewer corners and fewer expensive details. |
Indicative prices for October 2026: construction only, without land, design, permits and utility connections. They vary by region (Bucharest-Ilfov is usually dearer), finishes and site.
How
How to build a passive house for the cost of an nZEB house
- 1
PHPP from the first sketch
Shape, orientation and windows are chosen on the numbers before they cost anything, so every euro goes where it works.
- 2
Compact shape, south-facing windows
Less envelope to insulate and free solar gains in winter, with shading in summer.
- 3
Systems sized on the real demand
A house that loses very little heat needs a small heat pump and simple distribution.
- 4
Details solved before tendering
The builder prices what is drawn: no surprises and no extras on site.
- 5
Airtightness checked during the works
An airtightness test before the finishes finds leaks while they are still cheap to fix.
Watch out
What makes a passive house expensive
- A design drawn without an energy calculation and then "fixed" with extra insulation and equipment.
- A complicated shape: many corners, cantilevers, setbacks and very large north-facing windows.
- A build team with no experience of airtightness and thermal bridges, fixing on site what should have been solved in the design.
- Premium finishes. They have nothing to do with the standard, but they end up in the price per square metre.
Running costs
What it costs once you move in
- The standard allows at most 15 kWh/(m²·a) for heating. For a 120 m² house that means at most about 1,800 kWh of heat a year.
- With a heat pump, that is about 600 kWh of electricity a year for heating, around 50 kWh a month.
- With solar panels, the house can produce more energy than it uses over the year, like our Limburg project.
Common questions about cost
How much does a 100 m² passive house cost in Romania?
About 120,000–160,000 € turnkey as a guide, without land, design and permits. The final price depends on shape, finishes, region and site.
Is a passive house more expensive than an nZEB house?
Not necessarily. The same house built to the Passive House standard usually costs within ±5% of the nZEB version and can even cost less, because the heating system becomes much smaller and simpler.
Where does the extra money go?
Into better windows, thicker insulation, heat-recovery ventilation and PHPP design. Money is saved on the heating system, the gas connection and chimney, and the solar panels.
Can an old house be renovated to Passive House level?
Yes. The retrofit standard is called EnerPHit. One example is a 1965 house in Limburg (Netherlands) that we worked on, now at about 10 kWh/(m²·a).
Want to know what your house would cost?
Send us your sketch or design. We will tell you which standard is worth it and where money can be saved before tendering.
Updated 24 October 2026.