Heating and energy included in the rent
The quality of passivehouses in Germany is now so high and the technology so well understood and tested that the first large blocks of flats to be rented out without additional charge for heating, warm water or electricity have gone on the market in Frankfurt. Tenants are of course snapping up the apartments as soon as they are made available.This is a new competitive element on the German housing market and developers are striving to produce building qualities allowing flats to be rented out at flat rates. These buildings receive no public economic support.
Passivehouses in general are extremely popular in Germany because of their low running costs and extreme living comfort and they now command a price premium over houses of lesser quality making the original additional investment to reach the passivehouse standard profitable.