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This study analyzed the applicability of the Passive House standard to office buildings in northern China from an indoor environment perspective. The case building has been auto-monitored continuously since 2017 and a survey for instantaneous and retrospective appraisal of indoor environmental conditions was administered in 2021 during the summer, winter and months in between, referred to as ‘transition months’. The results show that indoor environment quality was good, with high satisfaction levels and ultra-low energy consumption; overheating and the need for window opening were observed. The prevalence of sick building syndrome was reduced compared to conventional buildings. This work further determined how comfort parameters such as perceived thermal comfort, indoor air quality and acoustics could affect end-users’ appraisal. Findings show that indoor thermal comfort design parameters, particularly in summer, are critical factors affecting users' satisfaction in Passive Houses. We further examined the feasibility of the PMV-PPD index for predicting occupants’ perceived comfort and suggested deriving the preferred thermal comfort design parameters for the Chinese market, using long-term data and measurements. These findings provide insights into the localization of Passive Houses in China, thereby improving the acceptance of Passive Houses in what is expected to be a fast growing market.

Passive houses, called nearly zero energy buildings in China, are developing rapidly. These constructions in China are mainly located in cold climate zones. Due to highly efficient energy-saving technology, Passive houses can decrease space heating demand (SHD) by 70%–90% compared to local conventional buildings. However, this energy-saving rate is still a theoretical result and needs to be verified by real data. There is a lack of studies evaluating the performance of residential Passive houses through monitored data in China. This article selects a newly built multi-storey residential Passive house building in Qingdao to accurately quantify its energy performance. Through energy consumption monitoring throughout winter, the average SHD of this building at an occupancy rate of 47% was found to be 28 kWh/(m2·a) and the primary energy consumption was 96.7 kWh/(m2·a), while maintaining a high level of indoor comfort. Compared with local conventional Green Buildings, the SHD of the case building was reduced by 86.3% and the total energy consumption was reduced by 69.2%. The results demonstrate that Passive houses have a great energy-saving potential and provide evidence supporting the use of Passive houses as an option for sustainable building in northern China.