Environmental Impact of Improving Energy Efficiency of Buildings

Around 40% of total energy consumption is in household use, some 70% of this number is due to heating/cooling. In this time of great price increases of energy sources, global warming and greenhouse effect, energy efficiency and sustainable construction along with the possibility of using renewable energy sources are becoming a priority when contemporary construction and the energy industry are considered. A fundamental principle of improving energy efficiency of buildings is to optimize the thermal insulation of the external building envelope and to reduce the thermal bridging. Low energy houses are a great step forward in achieving this goal. This paper investigates the potential for energy and CO2 emissions reduction when a passive house space heating standard of 15 kWh/m2 is applied to new built houses in Croatia. The calculations are based on a computer model representing national standards and the best European practice in the passive house construction.