Portuguese couple's passive house withstood storm Kristin unscathed

During storm Kristin, which cut power, water and communications across the Leiria region in January 2026, a self-taught enthusiast and his family kept their home fully operational thanks to a passive-house design with solar panels, battery storage and an anti-seismic floating foundation. Pedro Oliveira built the house in Milagres around thermal insulation, orientation and airtight windows rather than costly technology. The Passivhaus Portugal association says such buildings resist power and water cuts mainly through their passive characteristics, not extra equipment, and argues Portugal's building stock urgently needs upgrading to face increasingly frequent extreme weather events.