''Los edificios construidos con estándar Passivhaus gastan un 80% menos en calefacción y refrigeración y tienen gran confort climático y acústico''
''Buildings built to Passivhaus standard spend 80% less on heating and cooling and have high climatic and acoustic comfort''
Micheel Wassouf presented at the University of Navarra this protocol which has accredited more than 20,000 buildings in several countries.
"A building with Passivhaus energy certification reduces by around 80% the heating and cooling invoice compared to a conventional one, and at the same time has a high climatic and acoustic comfort". This was stated at the University of Navarra by Micheel Wassouf, architect of Energiehaus and partner founder of the Spanish platform of the Passivhaus standard, on the occasion of a course he gave at the Master's Degree in design and management Environmental Buildings (MDGAE).
He explained that protocol consists of certain construction solutions, based on the application of passive concepts and combined with a high level of insulation Degree , high air tightness, insulated windows and controlled ventilation that recovers up to 90% of the energy from ventilation.
"The first prototypes with the Passivhaus standard were built in Germany in 1990. 20 years later, we have the experience of more than 20,000 buildings in several countries. There are large cities that have integrated it into the local rules and regulations , such as Frankfurt, Heidelberg or Hannover," he said.
Wassouf said that Passivhaus was introduced in Spain in 2008 and so far three buildings have been certificate , a single-family house in the Roncal Valley (Navarra), another in Andalusia and a third in the Basque Country. In addition, two other houses are currently in the process of certification in Junguitu (Álava).
"Public administrations are also beginning to take an interest in it. In Vitoria, a tender has been called for the refurbishment of a public building with this standard," he added.
Contribution to achieving almost zero energy
With respect to the extra cost involved in building with Passivhaus, the expert indicated that it only amounts to 5-10% more compared to carrying out the work with other materials. "It is recovered in a few years, through savings in energy consumption. In addition, it ensures great climatic comfort for users," he said.
Finally, he stressed that Passivhaus provides passive solutions that, combined with the use of renewable energies, make it possible to comply with the European Parliament's directive requiring new buildings to achieve a near-zero energy balance by 2020. "According to the highest U.S. public authority in this field, Passivhaus is the most demanding protocol for certify near-zero energy buildings," he said.