Page 72 - European Energy Innovation - winter 2018 publication
P. 72
72 Winter 2018 European Energy Innovation
GERMANY ENERGY
Energy efficient buildings
technology in Germany
By Dr.-Ing. Benjamin Krick (pictured), Passive House Institute Darmstadt, Germany
Under the influence of the Climate protection Components available today
oil crisis of the 1970s, more Climate protection was the primary In 1991, when the world's first Passive
than 40 years ago, the first goal of Dr. Wolfgang Feist when House was built under the scientific
laws regarding thermal he developed the Passive House direction of Dr. Feist in Darmstadt,
protection in buildings were issued Standard for extremely energy this was all just theory. Practical
in Germany. The main aim was to efficient buildings in the early 1990s. implementation was a challenge,
ensure the general energy supply by The Passive House Standard was mainly because the energy-efficient
using fossil resources sparingly. Since devised to drastically reduce the components available on the market
then, the laws have been updated heat loss of a building and thereby today did not exist at that time. For
and gradually tightened. Regrettably, minimise its energy demand. The example, the windows were made in
legal requirements have become less simple physics: If a building is handwork and thermally improved
and less ambitious in Germany since thermally insulated very well, to on-site with polyurethane foam
the mid-1990s. the point that the little additional insulating shells. Another novelty was
heat required can be provided via the triple glazing of the windows,
Low energy demand the supply air of the ventilation which was used for the first time in
As of 2019, all EU Member States system, then a central heating and this Passive House pilot project. As of
are bound to implement the distribution system in its classical today, investment costs for Passive
European Building Directive EPBD. In form can be omitted. The possibility House and standard windows, for
Germany however, the nearly zero of omitting the classical heating example, are becoming more and
energy standard defined is below and distribution system starts with more similar.
the necessary for effective climate a heat load of maximum 10 W/m²,
protection and below the level that which corresponds to a heating Applied worldwide
would be economically reasonable. demand of 15 kWh/(m²a); the best- What started out in the early 1990s
Both are at the expense of the known characteristic value of Passive in Darmstadt is spreading with
climate and future generations. Houses. increasing momentum throughout
Figure 1: Primary energy demand and mean U-values according to the German legal framework compared to the
passive house.
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