Passive house in Cherasco, Italy
Passive house is regarded as a very energy efficient building.
In such buildings conventional fuels or electricity are considered only as auxiliary sources of energy. They are used mainly to satisfy peak demand of energy, e.g. at bitter frost. The heating systems in such houses are mainly based on the so-called “passive heat sources”, such as metabolic heat emitted by the residents, heat radiated by the household facilities (refrigerator, vacuum cleaner, washing machine, etc.), energy from sun shine, heat recovered from the ventilation system, etc. However, these sources are of small capacity. Therefore in order to secure the thermal comfort inside the building and minimise heat losses, all walls must be perfectly insulated.In Cherasco, Italy, on April 2005 the first passive house with a total useable surface of 240 m2 was constructed and put into service. The total investment costs amounted to 300,000 €.
The yearly energy consumption for maintenance of the required internal temperature (in the winter time 200C, and in the summer time 240C) constitutes only 15 kWh/m2.
The yearly heating costs for this building come to only about 350 €.
For the thermal insulation and effective heating of the building the following measures have been applied:
- Above-average insulation (Rockwool thermal insulation materials were used)
- 30 cm roof insulation;
- 24 cm walls insulation;
- 10 cm foundation insulation;
- Three-chamber energy-saving windows, filled with argon and covered with a low permeability anti-reflection layer;
- Tight construction (infiltration 0.6/h);
- Reduction of thermal bridges, especially between floor and foundation, and between window and wall;
Heat recovery system from ventilation with the use of heat pump, efficiency 85%;
A proper thermal insulation of the building and its tightness prevent heat losses and minimise the heating costs as well.
Therefore, if you spend too much for heating of your own home, maybe the passive house is the house of your dreams?
Polish