

This project aimed to help accelerate implementation of Nearly Zero Energy Buildings throughout the EU, using Passive House with renewable energy sources. Several European municipalities and regions were already committed to energy efficient Passive House principles (maximum heating and cooling demands of 15 kWh/m²a in new builds). The experiences from these front runner regions, or PassREgs, helped to pave the way for other EU regions to achieve the EU's 2020 energy targets. Front runner regions that had already implemented successful, cost effective strategies were highlighted. The models that they had used to promote implementation of PassREg concepts were adapted and implemented in the aspiring regions. Beacon projects, real construction and refurbishment exemplars, provided concrete case studies of best practice. The experiences were fed into a set of solutions web tool that made best practice accessible to advance the large-scale uptake of further PassREgs across the EU.
In this page:
Results
- The success guide was developed to summarize the experiences of regions, serving to help local decision makers implement PassREg solutions appropriate for their market conditions.
- New models promoting PassREg concepts were created in the aspiring, less advanced regions while the models of front runners were optimized.
- Solutions and best practice examples deriving mostly from example beacon projects and regional models were described, outlined and indexed online.
- The Passive House Institute amended the Passive House standard and its PHPP modelling tool in order to include renewable energy sources in the calculation. The resulting "Passive House Plus" standard has been put forward as a model for Nearly Zero Energy Buildings.
- The main outcome was to stimulate the uptake of PassREg solutions in line with the EU’s 2020 goal for NZEBs.
Lessons learned
- Empowerment of local and regional authorities and involvement of local politicians is key for the introduction of Passive House in construction practices. The involvement of decision makers at the highest political level and at all possible occasions should be targeted since existing political will is a leading factor in sustainable energy development (whether at the regional/municipal level or national/federal level)
- Availability of financial incentives to build to Passive House Standard helps encourage more Passive House buildings. The level of subsidy/incentive may not necessarily need to be very high (dependent upon the region). Incentives aid the development of beacon/example projects, which in turn help gain support across industry and stakeholders by demonstrating their success.
- Training and awareness raising activities across all stakeholders (including the municipal staff and politicians) are important to build capacity in regions in order to design, specify and construct Passive House buildings correctly. This includes the availability of guidance/support bodies through which information and training can be provided and informational campaigns for end-users as well.
Partners and coordinator
List MapPassiveHouse Institute | Germany |
proKlima GbR | Germany |
Politecnico di Milano | Italy |
Building Research Establishment Ltd | United Kingdom |
CITY OF ZAGREB | Croatia |
EnEffect Consult SP Ltd. | Bulgaria |
Bourgas Municipality | Bulgaria |
City of Cesena | Italy |
IG Passivehouse Tyrol | Austria |
Latvian Environmental Investment Fund | Latvia |
NOBATEK | France |
Passivehouse Platform | Belgium |
Plateforme Maison Passive asbl | Belgium |
Contact
PassiveHouse Institute
Germany
Contact point:
Budget
Key documents
In brief
Duration:
01/05/2012 to 30/04/2015 Contract number:
IEE-11-072
Website: