QUESTIONS
A passive house is a building which has the following characteristics:
- annual consumption of energy for heating per m2 ≤ 15 [ kW h ].
- mechanical ventilation with heat recovery of more than 80%.
- - most of the windows face south and have thermal conductivity U ≤ 0,8 [W / m2K ].
- airtightness, with air changes at about 0,6 -h.
A house having these characteristics is called passive, because it receives passively the solar energy coming through the windows, the heat given off by the household appliances and the occupants and uses it for creating the inner climate.
Such a house provides:
- over 90% saving of energy.
- wholesome inner climate all year - round.
- independence of the energy market – gas, oil, coal, etc.
А passive house uses an outer energy source to maintain its inner climate. The “zero house” does not use any additional energy source, and a “plus house” is equipped with a photovoltaic installation which supplies the necessary energy all year round while the extra produced electricity is sold to the electrical distribution. Such a house simply pays itself off.
Zero and plus houses are passive houses with a higher level of energy balance.
The choice of one of these three types of a house depends on the economic benefit and the opportunity for initial investment of the client.
In response to this question I will quote d-r Wolfgang Setzler:
„Everyone who nowadays decides to build a new house in the traditional way with a common heating system is either:
- a pessimist who is not open to new technology
- a conservative, living by the motto “it has always been built like that”
- or a man who simply cannot calculate”
The sum of the initial investment and the constant expenses for a passive house for a period of 25 years is twice less compared to that of a traditional house at the current prices of energy.
Everyone would like to own a Mercedes but no one would accept it if it’s produced somewhere outdoors by random people . This is true evenmore for the biggest investment in one’s lifetime – the home.
We set ourselves the purpose of designing a system for construction, which will make it possible that the house is manufactured in a factory, under supervision and not by random workers.
Moreover the house should meet the future requirements for comfort, wholesome inner climate, energy efficiency and independence of the energy market.
Our modular system is different from the similar systems in western Europe as well as the popular in our country “prefab houses”.
The main materials that we apply are: metal construction, polyurethane, solid mineral wool, tiling (stone, ceramic tiles, granitogres, etc.), interior casing of gypsum - board and gypsum-phaser. The wall combines the high thermal - insulating qualities of polyurethane and acoustic insulation and fire-resistance of mineral wool. The combination of the two materials made it possible to reach a 22 - 26 cm thickness of the walls.
Due to the modular structure of the separate components – thermal walls, panels, volumetric modules etc., they can be fully manufactured in a factory and applied multiple times in various ways. The single elements are crafted and assembled with engineering precision.
The modular elements like: facade module, thermal wall, volumetric modules for bathroom and WC, roof panels and the method of their production are patented or with a pending application for a patent.
Yes, you can order and purchase block-modules (bathroom and WC), facade and roof modular panels.
Basically this is possible. Decisive are the specifications of the house and the economic benefit.
Polyurethane is the best material for thermal insulation with coefficient of thermal conductivity almost twice smaller compared to that of other insulation materials - λ=0,021[W/mK].
Obtaining a certificate for a passive house validates its documentary compliance with the effective standards in western Europe. Currently, such a certificate can only be issued by western institutes against certain payment, and the certifying institution does not provide any guarantees. In western Europe a certificate is necessary for receiving a low-interest loan or a subsidy from the government. ( For example in Germany everyone who decides to build a passive house has the right to receive a loan of 50 000 Euros with a 3,5% interest or a single-time subsidy of 8750 Euros). Оbtaining a certificate for a passive house at this moment in Bulgaria brings no benefit because the government does not support in any way its owner. The construction company bears the responsibility and provides the guarantee for reaching the parameters of the passive house.
The excavation works, casting of concrete and similar construction works are usually carried out by another firm.
Everything else, starting from the planning up to the full completion of the house is performed by qualified teams equipped with special technology, which observe the specific requirements for achieving the necessary high-quality.
A tepidarium is a room with surrounding walls, floor and roof which have a temperature of 37 °С. In such a premise the human body does not emit heat to compensate the termperature difference with the surrounding air and in this way all the inner energy is used for relaxation and recovery.
It means accumulating solar heat during the day or the cold during the night and making use of them when it is necessary, hence - dephased.
The passive way of heating or cooling means taking advantage of the available energy, i.e. it is not produced. This is opposite to the way air-conditioners function - producing cold when it is hot outside and heating when it is cold. Obviously such a method is ineffective.
Everywhere in the country. Provided there are normal roads for trucks and autocrane to pass.