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The passive house turns 30 - pioneering work paves the way for energy efficiency worldwide

The passive house celebrates its 30th birthday! The pioneering project of building physicist Prof. Wolfgang Feist, which started as an experiment, can take great credit: When climate protection was only on the agenda of very few, it paved the way for energy efficiency in buildings. Today, the Passive House Standard is being implemented around the globe, including in impressive lighthouse projects. Other reasons to celebrate: the 25th anniversary of the Passive House Institute and the anniversary edition of the International Passive House Conference.

"I am of course happy about this development: from the first experimental residential building to the worldwide projects and quarters in the Passive House Standard," explains Passive House pioneer Prof. Wolfgang Feist. However, he makes it clear: "Without a much greater commitment from governments, however, progress in the better energy design of buildings will be slow." Yet the physicist has demonstrated a viable solution for high energy efficiency with the construction of the world's first passive house.

Priority Climate protection
It was already clear in the 1970s, says Feist in the interview, that fossil energy resources are limited. In addition, the extraction and use of this energy caused excessively high CO₂ emissions. Together with the Swedish engineer Bo Adamson, he searched for solutions that would allow houses without conventional heating systems to be built in the Central European climate. The biggest motivation: climate protection.

Stop heat loss
One thing was clear: the typical but unnecessary heat loss in buildings must be greatly reduced. Among other things, through good thermal insulation on the walls, the roof and the ground. And an additional, third pane in the windows. If the building is also built to be almost airtight and thermal bridges are avoided, then the interior rooms will automatically remain pleasantly warm for a long time with the support of passive heat sources such as solar radiation. In summer, passive houses are pleasantly cool.

Smiled at by many
Finally, Prof. Wolfgang Feist determined characteristic values for better building: This is how the Passive House Standard came into being. Feist determined that this should be freely available to all interested parties. The Feist family built the pilot project "Passive House" in a community with three other families, as a complex of four identical terraced houses. The state of Hesse supported the research project. Nevertheless, it was smiled at by many.

Research since day 1
On a site that the city of Darmstadt had designated for "experimental building", the excavators rolled in in autumn 1990. In the spring of 1991, exactly 30 years ago, the building families celebrated the topping-out ceremony together with the public. And in autumn 1991 they moved into their new home. Since day one, intensive research has been carried out on the world's first passive house; among other things, a measurement project of the International Energy Agency (IEA) is currently underway.

Social justice
30 years after the first passive house was built, schools, daycare centres, gymnasiums, supermarkets, indoor swimming pools, museums, hotels and entire neighbourhoods are now built to the passive house standard as a matter of course. Today it is well known that Passive Houses require very little energy for heating and cooling. This makes them an important building block for effective climate protection. And for social justice. The high living comfort is a big plus. Increasingly, municipalities and states are stipulating consistent energy efficiency in the Passive House Standard in their building regulations. (Passive House resolutions).

Energy efficiency a must
In view of the climate crisis, it is clear that energy-efficient construction is needed. The Federal Constitutional Court in Karlsruhe has just declared the German Climate Protection Act unconstitutional in parts: the government must regulate more clearly how emissions are to be effectively reduced after 2030, according to the ruling.

approach tipping points
Energy-efficient buildings are fundamental to a widespread renewable energy supply and therefore an important part of the solution. "When tipping points are reached, there is no vaccine to stop the horror. We must act now to keep the future on this planet livable. The building sector must do more to mitigate climate change. Many national building standards still allow too much energy consumption," warns Feist.

25 years of the Passive House Institute
Manufacturers and tradesmen have also grasped the potential of energy-efficient construction and renovation as an opportunity. The Passive House Institute's component database now counts over 1200 certified components. The Technical University of Innsbruck recognised its importance for research and teaching at an early stage: Building physicist Wolfgang Feist taught energy-efficient construction there for over ten years. As a result, the number of experts is also growing. Every year many of them meet at the International Passive House Conference. This is also an anniversary, taking place for the 25th time this year. Shortly before the first conference in 1996 Wolfgang Feist had founded the Passive House Institute. That celebrates now its 25-year old existence. Another reason to celebrate.

Passive houses
The passive house concept drastically reduces the heat loss through walls, windows and roof that is typical for buildings. Thanks to the five principles - good insulation, triple-glazed windows, avoidance of thermal bridges, an airtight building envelope and a ventilation system with heat recovery - a passive house requires very little energy. Passive houses can therefore do without a classic heating system. The houses are called "passive" because most of the heat requirement is covered by "passive" sources such as solar radiation and waste heat from people and technical equipment.

In a passive house, the heat is retained for a very long time because it escapes only very slowly. Therefore, active heating is only required on very cold days. Overall, only little energy is needed to provide this residual heat. In summer (as well as in warm climates), a passive house also has an advantage: then, among other things, the good insulation keeps the heat out. Active cooling is therefore not usually necessary in residential buildings. Due to the low energy costs, the ancillary costs are calculable - a basis for affordable living and social housing. A passive house consumes around 90 percent less heating than an existing building and 75 percent less than an average new building.

Passive House and NZEB
The Passive House Standard meets the European Union's requirements for Nearly Zero Energy Buildings. According to the European Buildings Directive EPBD, member states must specify the requirements for so-called Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEB) in their national building regulations. The EU directive has been in force for public and private buildings since January 2021.

Pioneering project
The world's first passive house was built more than 28 years ago in Darmstadt-Kranichstein by four private builders, including Dr. Wolfgang Feist. Since the families moved in in 1991, the terraced houses have been regarded as a pioneering project for the passive house standard. The pioneer passive house now uses renewable energy with its new photovoltaic system and was awarded the Passive House Plus certificate.

Passive house and renewable energy
The passive house standard can be combined well with the generation of renewable energy directly on the building. Since April 2015, the new building classes "Plus" and "Premium" have been available for this supply concept.

Passive House Institute
The Passive House Institute, based in Darmstadt, is an independent research institute for the highly efficient use of energy in buildings. Founded by Wolfgang Feist, the institute occupies a leading international position in research and development on energy-efficient construction. Prof. Wolfgang Feist received, among others, the DBU Environmental Prize in 2001 for the development of the passive house concept.

Source: PM of the Passive House Institute from 27.5.2021

Keywords:
DE-News, Climate protection