Passive House Energy Independence

Passive house concept and the European trend A "passive house is a dwelling without heating system, heat is supplied by the ventilation system of housing.

A passive house standard outer jacket contains a highly insulated thermal windows thermo wood joinery and a ventilation system integrated which eliminates foul air in the building and it passes through a heat exchanger which recovers part of the heat transferring a the fresh air coming out of the housing.

A passive house can be built anywhere in the world because the concept is very simple but at the same time, intelligent. According to Passivhaus Institut in Germany there are several thousand passive houses built in Europe, especially Germany (3500), Austria (1000), Switzerland and Sweden.

What is a passive?

A "passive house is a dwelling in a separate heating system almost is not necessary or not necessary at all. Heat is provided by a special ventilation system, mounted in the housing. A passive house offers very comfortable living and healthy, both winter and summer. In a passive house is missing quite damp and cool summer in the interior is very nice. Those who suffer from various allergies (currently, dust, asthma, etc..) Can smoothly keep windows closed in spring or autumn, because housing is fed with filtered air prosperous.

A passive house standard outer jacket contains a very good insulator (usually less than 20 cm of expanded polystyrene of high density 30kg/mc), carpentry wood windows (or PVC) with double glazing windows thermo Lowe of 3 sheets and a system of integrated ventilation, which eliminates foul air in the building and it passes through a heat exchanger which recovers part of the heat transferring to a fresh air coming out of the housing.

In conclusion, passive house is defined by two basic elements: a jacket of the building very well heat and lack of heating. May be true that a home built in passive Romania requires no heating system? According to calculations made by Passivhaus Institute passive house needs only 10-15 kWh/m2 per year, equivalent to a maximum 1.5 cubic meters of natural gas or 1.5 gallons of fuel oil per 1 sqm of surface heating on the year.

For a standard housing, these figures are at least eight times higher. As mentioned above, the second element of a home is the lack of a passive heating system classic, being replaced by a simple but intelligent ventilation, whose costs do not rise much above the cost of heating a modern classic.

A passive house is always equipped with a mechanical ventilation system very effectively to maintain optimal air quality in housing, record without significant loss of heat. Thus we get much lower loss of energy when ventilated house (less warm air outwards) and more interior comfort (less cold air entering the house).

For most of the year that lead to maintaining a constant temperature inside delightful house, without the need for a heating plant. During winters with extreme low temperatures (-350C) requires an active heating (electric oil heater, etc.).

But one faorte little power so even in conditions of extreme minimum temperatures in passive house temperature will comfortable one. Usually, the investment used to implement an effective classical heating in a dwelling classic will be used for better thermal insulation and sealing of windows, and better ventilation of the passive house.

Conclusion German and Austrian specialists is that a passive house does not need installation of heating, but only a very good thermal insulation and a ventilation system with heat exchanger.