Passive house or low-energy construction. What is the home of the future?
Today, there are many passive and new low-energy buildings that provide the owner with a higher level of comfort and durability of the materials. What is the future of trends of homes?
The modern home is nowadays equipped with the most advanced technology combined with natural wooden elements that make life easier and provide the highest level of comfort. More and more new buildings are low-energy or passive, with a strong emphasis on the choice of materials in both construction and interior design. It used to be thought that hiring an interior designer was a waste of money, or a luxury that many did not want or could not afford. More and more people are opting for interior designers and architects to assist with construction and equipment, with increasing attention to modern technology, layout and durability of materials.
What is the difference between low-energy and passive construction?
More and more houses are being built in accordance with the standard for passive or low-energy construction, which means that appropriate materials and joinery are used in the construction, which does not allow for heat loss. The passive house is built to maximise the outside light and warmth of the sun for an ideal indoor temperature. We do not ventilate a passive house by opening the windows. Rather a controlled ventilation system is used for this purpose, which also uses heat from the exhaust air. Passive construction also requires suitable joinery, which is not only wooden, but can also use other materials, such as aluminium. Passive houses show a lot of glazing on western and southern sides, so it is important to install at least triple-pane windows that offer sufficient sealing.
The Directive 2010/31 / eu of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 May 2010 on the energy performance of buildings stipulated in 2010 that, by 31 December 2020 at the latest, all new buildings would have to be constructed as near-zero energy. In Slovenia, almost zero-energy buildings are described by Article 330 of the Energy Act, which defined the requirement that all new buildings must be almost zero-energy. For the purposes of this Act, the term "near-zero energy building" means a building with very high energy efficiency or a very small amount of energy required for operation, with the required energy being largely produced from on-site or nearby renewable energy sources. This means an architectural design with heat protection in mind and frequent mechanical ventilation of the building by recuperation, so that the heat is less than 25 kWh / m2mK and that primary energy usage for heating, cooling, DHW and building lighting is limited (75/80 kWh / m2a for type ESS / VSS). At least half of our energy needs must be covered by renewable energy sources.
What to choose - low-energy or passive construction?
Debates over whether passive or low-energy construction is better are frequent. And the dilemma is merely a seeming one. A passive house is a well-known marketing label for an otherwise technically sophisticated construction concept that is built to make good use of solar energy and to greatly reduce heat losses. It is an optimised energy-efficient design of the building, where solar energy gains through glass surfaces and internal heat gains from living in the house cover most of the heat demand for heating and minimise costs.
What is a sNes or near-zero energy building?
According to PURES 2010, which requires that at least 25% of renewable energy is used in the total energy required for the operation of all systems in a building, which means that the term sNES refers to a highly energy-efficient building, that by law requires a very small amount of energy for its operation. Low energy buildings have a common umbrella objective of decarbonising the building sector. You can also apply for a subsidy for a near-zero energy building.
You can apply for a grant prior to the start of construction by submitting the full application, which must include a valid building permit, technical data sheets for insulation, heat generators, ventilation systems, joinery, PGD and PZI plans for architecture and mechanical installations for heating and ventilation, and the consent of potential co-owners of the building. All documents must be backed up with photographs submitted to the Eco Fund with the relevant evidence of performance and the signatures of the contractors after completion. The subsidy is received when the construction is completed and its sum depends on the insulation materials used and the energy class of the house.
What external door to choose for a passive house?
External doors, which are suitable for passive houses, must have a thermal transmittance of less than 0.8W / m2K. This does not mean, however, that we have to choose a thick dull door without glass accessories. New making techniques of the entrance doors have also resulted in a shift in their aesthetics. Thanks to the new three-pane windows, you can choose doors that will fit the style of your new home and will also be suitable for passive construction.
Aluminium front door for passive construction
Despite the common belief that only wooden doors can be used for passive construction, the choice is much more versatile, as you can now choose between aluminium front doors, which will allow for more design and style choices. Let's not forget about the installation of passive doors, as this is of the utmost importance. What does the installation of the front door for passive construction look like? First, the pre-compressed tape must be placed, then the door is inserted in the hole and fixed in the wall. The gap between the frame and the finishing profile is subsequently filled with RAL tape. Such installation requires specialists, so it is important that it is performed by a qualified team with experience in RAL installation.
Keep your concerns behind the door
Before choosing the right aluminium front door, it is advisable to be well acquainted, as it is important to take into account some of the characteristics that distinguish high-quality doors, such as adequate thermal and sound insulation, multi-point locking, solid sub-frame and compact door handle, stable and exterior resistant door leaves.
For a quality home provider and manufacturer of aluminium and wood doors we can account Pirnar, which is one of the leading manufacturers of front doors worldwide. At Pirnar, we offer our customers a diverse range of different door collections that impress with their appearance as well as their quality workmanship. Pirnar entrance doors are distinguished by safety, top quality workmanship and aesthetic perfection. At Pirnar, we are aware that the front door is not only a protection against the outside world, but in addition to quality, it must also provide a unique style, tailored to the owner.
Pirnar doors to your liking
In Pirnar showrooms we allow our customers to see the most beautiful and best-selling models from our collections. We do not shy away from combining different shapes and styles, just as we do not shy away from custom craftsmanship that allows the customer to fully customise their front door to their requirements.
Seeing a picture of the Pirnar entrance can be thrilling. But even in your dreams you will not be prepared for the many surprises when you get to feel them in person. Visit one of our showrooms.
