Article written by Álvaro Vega, regional director of PlanRadar in Spain.
As a sustainable alternative to the standard constructions we know as the norm today, "passive houses" are in fashion. Passive houses or passivhaus are efficient buildings that aim to reduce energy demand as much as possible and developers and end users are increasingly looking to them as a sustainable solution.
Passive houses are different to traditional homes because they reduce their energy demand as much as possible. These buildings are generally more efficient, and the houses' resources are significantly reduced. All technical details that could potentially create a less energy-demanding building are considered.
The first criterion is the materials used. Natural materials are preferred to ensure that the construction process is sustainable. Secondly, thermal insulation is the best way to guarantee a stable temperature. Other elements considered during passivhaus construction are the house's orientation, renewable energy use and cross ventilation. In short, the aim is to create homes that require less energy without affecting the occupants' comfort. Processes are therefore optimised, and the material quality is prioritised to ensure a modern construction that works for its habitants.
An increasingly appealing trend
Passive houses or passivhaus have been gaining popularity in many European countries because of their short- and long-term benefits. Reducing energy consumption is a debate that remains on the agenda among homeowners and developers, and passive houses help solve this problem.
Moreover, they are considered eco-friendly, as they comply with energy standards that guarantee household energy savings. Many developers and investors already see passive houses as an investment in real estate assets that will increase their market value in the coming years. They are environmentally valuable developments and use renewable energies as their energy source, which is why they provide an incentive to save energy in the real estate sector.
Existing houses can be made more sustainable by working on the characteristics mentioned above, and improving their insulation capacity and the resources they can access. However, the best approach for the passive house market and the environment is creating new homes that meet these criteria and are based on digitalised construction systems and tools that save construction time, improve building efficiency and eliminate unnecessary materials, like the one offered by PlanRadar.
When construction projects take passive house sustainability criteria into account, the property value goes up and the real estate market's sustainability offer improves. European governments are now focusing on this issue, so it is logical to assume that passive houses are a growing market trend.
Traditional buildings need non-renewable materials and energy to be able to build and use them. The construction process itself generates a lot of polluting waste, and the result is less efficient than passive houses. In addition, developers and builders have had to contend with increasing material costs, mainly due to the scarcity of these materials.
As a result, the buildings that we have seen dominate the market up until now are less environmentally beneficial and are becoming more expensive due to the continual increase in resource costs. In addition, once completed, they require higher energy demands to achieve optimal temperature conditions and resources for their occupants.
With this in mind, many European governments are committed to promoting these projects by giving grants to users who want to invest in improving their homes' efficiency, whether they are new builds or renovation projects.
How much does a passive house cost?
One of the main benefits of a passivhaus is the household energy savings that can be made without giving up the comfort of a traditional house. If we look in more detail, to qualify as a passive house, it must have a primary energy demand of less than 120 kWh per year per square metre. This energy demand has to cover the costs of hot and domestic water, lighting and air conditioning, household appliance consumption and refrigeration.
It is, therefore, reasonable to think that the annual consumption would remain at less than €10 per square metre. Knowing that traditional houses' average energy consumption is around 5000 kWh of electricity per year in Spain, the savings are substantial, even considering the investment required to build a passive house.