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The Passive House Austria and Germany
Thanks to excellent insulation, a passive house’s energy requirements are extremely low. The idea is to design a building with the principle of the thermos in mind. Should it be necessary, a small heat pump can complement the heating and hot water needs of the house; energy consumption must not exceed 15 kWh per m² and per year. It is important that there be no thermal contact points, and that the building be airtight. Passive houses are equipped with a double-flow ventilation system: the cooler incoming air is heated by the warm air that is leaving the building. In Vorarlberg, Austria, social housing is built using passive house principles. The first three-storey passive building that was built dates back to 1995. In early 2007, a new law came into effect which compels builders of social housing to build in compliance with passive-house norms. It is the only province, and perhaps the only region in the world, where such a law has been passed. The city of Darmstadt, in Germany, created an experimental neighbourhood called K6 in which car traffic is prohibited. Residents benefit from a lot of public green spaces. In this neighbourhood, there are already 72 passive homes, and some 50 others are currently being built. The other dwellings in the neighbourhood are low-energy homes. There currently exist 10,000 passive houses in the world, 8,000 of which are found in Germany, and 1,500 in Austria. The investments that are required for passive houses are greater than those for a conventional house due to the cost of extra insulation. A detached passive home will cost somewhere between 8 and 10 % more, and 3 to 4 % more for multi-level dwellings. Darmstadt is home to the Passive House Institute. This organization conducts energy audits for buildings, develops building materials that lead to energy savings, and organizes training seminars for architects and developers on how to reduce energy consumption in buildings. It is also possible to renovate older homes along passive building principles. This is known as a “Factor 10” approach, as the goal is to divide by 10 the energy used for heating.
For more information:
A website: - The Passive House Institute website: http://www.passiv.de/index_PHI.html A pamphlet which presents the passive house concept: What is a passive building?
The report on the passive house is available on DVD: Licence 1 (for personal use): $ 23 (Canada) / 15 € (other countries) Licence 2 (for public projections): $ 80 (Canada) / 50 € (other countries) Other uses (exhibitions, festivals, TV broadcasts, etc.): please contact us.
This report is also available in French on the same DVD / Ce reportage est également disponible en français sur le même DVD
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