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There are a number of ideas about sustainable design for housing. There is the idea of the zero energy building and there is also the idea of the passive house. This post will briefly review these two ideas and also relate it to the field of green interior design.
The zero energy building is a house that needs no external input of energy, especially energy derived directly or indirectly from fossil fuels. The idea is to harness the power of the sun, wind or geothermal energy from the ground to power the house. This has been achieved very successfully; so much so that the three letter acronym ZEB (zero energy building) is commonly used. You can buy off the shelf technology and computer software to design zero energy buildings. They make great use of passive solar heat gain combined with thermal mass to stabilize internal temperature. The software provides accurate simulation of how a house will fare at different orientations to the sun, with different climate conditions and numerous other variables.
Countries in the developed world are making better use of this technology all the time in the great fight to reduce carbon emissions and to try and halt global warming. The slight irony here is that millions in the developing world already live in zero energy accommodation such as huts, tents, caves etc. where they have no green electricity to fend off the vicissitudes of the weather.
The Passive House is slightly different and has become quite poular in Scandinavia and Germany. Rather than focus on renewable energy sources to power the house, the idea behind the passive house is attempting perfect insulation. Passive Houses use extra thick wall spaces, making doors and windows air tight and using the superinsulation so that the heat generated from the inhabitants and electrical appliances is enough to heat the house. A passive house is like a giant sleeping bag that traps all the heat. In milder weather natural ventilation systems can be used to cycle the air in a passive house. In colder weather a small filament driven by energy from a photovoltaic panel on the roof provides heating and ventilation.
Passive Houses work very efficiently in colder climes. Much of the technology has to be altered to deal with keeping a house cool in hot and humid climates. Energy recovery ventilation replaces heat recovery ventilation. There are only a few certified passive houses in hot countries.
Both the zero energy house and the passive house are impressive solutions to our dependence on non-renewable fuels. 40% of total fossil fuel consumption in the USA and the European Union is on housing. Tackling this is an impressive start. This dovetails nicely with green interior design which seeks to make homes more energy efficient and healthier. Taking a holistic approach can maximize the gains to be made with sustainable architecture.
What, however, remains a problem is the embedded cost of the technologies involved. There is the cost of mining minerals, the carbon cost of transportation of the raw material and the parts and then the final products to the site. There is the water cost all along the line from raw material to finished product. Solar panels, turbines, uPVC windows and a whole host of other manufactured items do not sadly grow on trees. Some of this can be off-set by giving back to nature in terms of trees and protecting biodiversity but we still are bound by an addiction to metal ores, minerals, semi conductors and other natural resources that are finite. There is still a long way to go to make the perfect sustainable house.
Click on the pictures or links below to find out more about these books on sustainable houses, low tech houses and green interior design.
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Tags: passive house, passivhaus, zero energy building, superinsulation, thermal energy transfer, ventilation, sustainable house, low tech house, solar panels