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They're using the term passive house to mean the 'new wave' passive house, which is more about super-insulating a nearly airtight envelope. Usually a heat-recovery ventilator is added to recover interior heat when cycling in outside air. While thermal mass can be an element in this design it's not a major factor like in a 'passive solar' house.

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>which is more about super-insulating a nearly airtight envelope

That last part is the problem. Insulation is a huge part in any passive home, but heating the air means keeping things airtight. Which means terrible air quality and living conditions.

You still exchange the air with the outside, you just do it through a heat recovery ventilation system.

An introduction: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passive_house

I am fully aware of what they are, we stopped building them for a reason. They are hell to live in. You get the bare minimum air exchange as required by code. Try being in such a building for a day. Properly constructed passive buildings use thermal mass to maintain comfortable temperatures while allowing proper ventilation.

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