Many Spanish homes are not energy efficient, which leads not only to more difficulties in managing energy costs, but also a greater expense for our pocket and, of course, a negative impact on the environment.
That is why, in recent years, have begun to build homes with better energy efficiency that consume much less energy. This is the case of the passive house or passivhaus.
What are passivhaus or passive houses?
Passive houses or passivhaus are a type of housing that achieve energy savings of between 70% and 90% compared to conventional housing, while maintaining ideal atmospheric conditions.
This type of housing has excellent thermal insulation in its exterior walls, thermal bridge break -which prevents heat loss through the windows-, mechanical ventilation that allows heat recovery and doors and windows of the best possible quality to ensure excellent thermal insulation throughout the house.
Passive houses are not a novelty, as they began to be built almost 30 years ago, although it is true that it is in recent years when this type of property has gained special prominence due to the growing concern for environmental conservation.
Advantages of passivhaus or passive houses
Passive houses are an example of environmental sustainability that, undoubtedly, have many advantages. Some of the most important are the following:
- Lower energy costs: these houses are built in such a way that heat or cold is not lost through the weak points of the houses such as doors and windows. In addition, they are also built to make the most of natural light. All this means that we will need less energy to illuminate, heat or cool the home, since it is better lit and thermally insulated.
- Greater money savings: as they are more efficient, the utility bills will be lower, which will mean a significant saving of money.
- They have many health benefits: thanks to the intelligent renewal of air, the incidence of sunlight and the construction of these homes with natural materials and less pollutants, these properties have significant health benefits. In this way, these houses prevent and reduce respiratory diseases such as asthma, among others.
Undoubtedly, the passivhaus is the future if we want to take care of the environment and reduce our footprint on the planet. However, this way of building can not only be applied to private homes. In fact, more and more hotels, office buildings and public buildings are joining this way of building to take advantage of all its benefits.