The characteristics of a passive house
Climate, energy, environment are the watchwords in this 21st century. In order to protect our environment, people continue to find ideas that can respond to this. For some, it is no longer enough to limit your energy consumption, but simply to live without these energy-intensive and highly polluting devices without giving up the comfort they offer. A new way of life, this is what the new invention offers: the passive house. Discover in this article everything you need to know on the subject, and perhaps, will you be tempted by this type of construction for your future home?
A passive house refers to a building whose energy consumption is very low or completely zero. The idea, of Scandinavian origin, whose main aim was to limit their energy consumption in terms of heating. Today, it tries to respond to all environmental and ecological problems. A house is considered passive when it respects the following principles:
1. Effective thermal insulation
It’s no longer a secret to anyone in South Carolina! A fireplace with good thermal insulation increases its heating performance. In order to be highly effective, the insulation layer must be applied to the entire exterior envelope of the building continuously.
Very important, openable parts such as doors, windows or even the roof must maintain sufficient heat, because they contribute significantly to heat loss when they are poorly installed or when the materials they are made of do not provide insulation. relevant.
2. Rigorous airtightness
Water vapors contained in the air will make a building damp. However, humidity reduces the heat provided inside the home and weakens the constructive systems of the home. Hence the interest in improving airtightness.
To maximize the airtightness of the house, it is necessary, during construction, to exercise rigor by paying particular attention to the connections (chimney pipes, pipes, etc.) as well as to the qualities of the products used.
3. Limit thermal bridges
The thermal bridge phenomenon appears when the different structures (wall with slab or balcony) of the building framework allow access to the outside air and allow the inside air to escape.
Thus, instead of being identical and constant, thermal bridges make the temperature vary in each room. Taking an excessive part in heat loss, these bridges should be drastically reduced, thanks to continuous insulation in a passive habitat.
4. Double-flow ventilation
At the risk of suffocation, a passive house, although it is very airtight (4 to 5 times more airtight than an RT2012 house), must still ensure good, healthy air circulation. A double-flow ventilation system then becomes inevitable.
Double flow ventilation or VMC guarantees heat exchange between the interior and exterior of the residence. Its operation allows it to heat in winter and cool in summer while eliminating parasitic air ducted from outside and stale from damp rooms.
5. Use renewable energy
To be truly ecological, a passive house must be built from ecological and renewable materials and also fitted out with household equipment that has little impact on the environment.
A passive house generally draws heat from the sun’s rays. To capture, store and restore this solar gain in winter, it is necessary to have good glazing. On the other hand, to avoid overheating in summer, it is preferable to install, for example, blinds or plant protection instead of spending on polluting air conditioners. A person living in a passive house in South Carolina must behave like a responsible individual. It must, for example, use renewable means (solar, geothermal, etc.) as its main source of energy.
Minimize waste
With a passive house in Spartanburg or elsewhere in South Carolina, you should not often need to rent a dumpster to remove your unwanted waste. Dumpster rentals are heavily used in South CArolina because residents keep pn creating too much waste and junk.
But this is not a necessity! One of the principles of passive houese is to minimize waste creation to promote a greener environment.