The Passivhaus standard in mediterranean climate: evaluation, comparison and profitability

The Passivhaus standard (PS) provides the foundations for improving energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gases in the housing sector. In the current Spanish context, several energy certification alternatives are beginning to be used for compliance purposes (PS is not among them). The main objective of this study is to analyze the viability of using the PS in Spain by means of the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) and its application in the study of a semidetached home during the design phase. The project, set in the Province of Barcelona, was designed in a conventional manner (PC); after its initial evaluation, two proposals (P1 and P2) were formulated to improve energy efficiency in accordance with PS specifications to draw a comparison between them. The results indicate that applying PS criteria leads to lower energy demands by 57% using P1 and 66% using P2; regarding the environmental impact of CO2 emissions, there is also a reduction that varies from 55% to 63% (P1 and P2) with respect to the PC. Regarding the cost-effectiveness of implementing P1 or P2 instead of PC, the study indicates that an operating period of 9 to 12 years is required to balance the investments in improvements through the savings in consumption.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version