5. How to foster Passive House

TRANSCRIPT

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The Passive House standard is a great solution for climate change. But how can we move forward from words to meaningful actions? Let‘s get some inspiration!

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Authorities can lead the way by building a convincing and vibrant pilot project. This will grant citizens the experience of energy-efficient homes, schools and offices… and destroy old prejudices! For instance, did you know that you can open windows in Passive House buildings? You can also foster energy-efficient building by acknowledging the Passive House standard as an NZEB solution and accept PHPP simulation as a proof of quality and for code compliance. Don‘t forget to request third party quality assurance to ensure energy-efficiency targets are met!

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Wise subsidies and better loan rates also help to stimulate the market. Investments in energy efficiency are very well positioned to be profitable over the entire lifecycle of the projects. However, it is very important to support high energy efficiency measures only. Anything else will foster buildings of intermediate performance that will still consume quite a bit of energy over the decades to come. If you build energy-efficient buildings correctly from the start, it will only incur marginal investment costs that can be recovered over time from increased energy savings. But if you don‘t put the optimal insulation thickness in correctly now, you will have to wait until the end of the components life time to cost effectively improve the building envelope and further reduce the energy demand. So do it right or rather wait for the right time to retrofit.

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A reduction of energy consumption by 50% sounds deceptively large, but we won‘t achieve the reduction target for 2050 that way. Instead, the energy consumption will remain at 50% of today‘s level untill 2070, when the next refurbishment cycle will probably begin. The Passive House standard will in the long term yield the much better result and avoid the lock-in of intermediate quality.

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To finance energy-efficiency related investment costs, you can draw from the proKlima fund strategy. Every euro of financial support helps trigger 12.7€ in investments and thus saves a lot of CO2 emissions! The construction sector is the main beneficiary of spending on energy efficient buildings. Extra tax payments from increased turnover of these local businesses can cover expenses for incentives. Combined with qualification programmes, many people can find new jobs.

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Last but not least, spread the Passive House knowledge around you! All participants involved in the process should receive appropriate training. Keep in mind that it is all about quality! Thanks to some financial support, building professionals can be trained at universities, vocational schools and specialised training centers. Don‘t forget city planners! They should allow for buildings to enjoy sufficient solar gains and leave room for renewable energy integration. In addition, why not dedicate municipal land to Passive House construction? Municipality-owned land may be sold only on condition that Passive House buildings be built. Users should also be well informed before they build a house and when they finally move into their Passive House! There are many ways to convey information, be it through fairs, exhibitions, open doors or even entertaining competitions!

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It is also better to convince people, rather than just making it mandatory! That‘s the best way to reach a sustainable energy-efficient future.