Dr. Wolfgang Feist (Passivhaus Institut Darmstadt / University of Innsbruck)
Innsbruck/A, 4.5.2009

Spread of the „Passivhaus“ Standard

You cannot put it on or impose it (the „Passivhaus“ Standard), but it has to spread piece by piece by the acquisition of experiences. People first want to make sure that the standard really works. A spread of the “Passivhaus” standard can only come into place when constructors have received further education on it and it is applied professionally in constructions. In Austria we have seen how this development has led to an increased spread of the standard.

I think it is very important to move forward with good examples:  that we encourage energy-efficient building by creating model buildings as well as by communicating the achievements that come with it; by orientation on model buildings created by the public sector and by financial support like low-interest loans as practiced in Austria and Germany.

Obstacles

It is our impression that there is an actual lack of knowledge; a lack in practical knowledge. You got to have practical experience in order to be proficient in something; just hearing about it is not enough. Practical experience is the essential factor. For this reason architects from Passivhaus Institute receive a certification only after they built a certified passive house as proof of their practical knowledge.

What can/ should politics do regarding the funding of energy-efficient building?

Funding may be composed of many factors. One of the key factors is a clear statement of politics, saying that they agree to a massive improvement in efficiency. Of course, politics should set a good example for instance with construction in the public sector. What follows next is the question about material funding, substantial funding. The funding of energy-efficient building should be continuously expanded and priorities set on a really high level of energy-efficiency. That means no half things, but the realisation of really good projects which eventually serve to be really convincing in practice.

Other Passivhaus models

It is not important what the name of the thing is. It depends essentially on having substantial advances that can be seen from the quality of the buildings. From our point of view it is upsetting that there is only little communication between Minergie Plus and Passivhaus […]. This does not mean that there are many other types of development which absolutely take up this international trend and also support this international cooperation.

Sanitation

There is a basic principle regarding sanitation called “If we do it, we'll do it right!” Essential is that energetically relevant changes really meet the standards for the next 30, 40 years and that each change ultimately brings forth the required contribution for better efficiency. Often times the difference in costs between the so called “conventional” measures (e.g. a new plaster) and the energetically more efficient measure (the heat insulation on the face of a building) is comparatively low when looking at the total costs, that one is having anyway.

Sustainability

A development is only sustainable if we can keep it up over an almost unlimited amount of time under the pretence that all people who demand it will be able to get it. This means that something that can be supported in a responsible way by contemporaries as well as by posterity is sustainable. Here, it depends strongly on high energy efficiency. The fundamental goal, an overall development, that can be in place for many generations all over the world can be actually achieved based on an energy consumption level, on an energy standard level like the one offered by PassivHaus.

3 Columns of Sustainability

Ecology: Here, it is about the reduction of resource consumption and the reduction of environmental impacts. This can be proved for energy-efficient building in general and for Passivhaus.
Economy: We need to make a difference here between the single economic entity and overall economic aspects. Interesting about single economic entities is that we can actually design the energy efficiency reached by Passivhaus in accordance with them. Passivhaus is profitable for the wallets of individuals. Economically seen it is even more important that we change over to a domestic content by the means of energy efficient building. That means, imported raw material like oil or gas will be replaced by domestic content, which can be for example what the craftsman and the producing business contribute with the production of energy efficient windows. This finally becomes the substance of which money is made from.
Social Aspects: In the past decades we observed concentration movements in society and a strong development towards monopolization of economic structures. The trend toward sustainability reverses the monopolization movement. Small and medium sized businesses now produce products for Passivhaus, thus creating a very solid base for a middle-class structure that brings forth much more self initiative and much more small entrepreneurship. This development clearly leads to a different model of society; to a model that results from personal responsibility where a completely different type of social responsibility is in place.

Environmental soundness of building materials

The environmental soundness of building materials is ultimately a question of the life cycle. That is the fundamental approach. When it comes to material streams as well as to monetary flow we have to start with a life cycle analysis. When this life cycle analysis is conducted consistently one notices quickly where the dominant sizes can be found in the cycle. The life cycle of a building is between 50, 80 or even 100 years. A lot happens during these time spans and what mainly sums up is for example the energy consumption during the utilization phase.
Recyclability of the material plays a major role for a styrofoam cup that goes into the trash after five minutes. Styrofoam that is used for heating insulation of a building will remain there for 50 or 80 years and save energy. By doing so, it will have brought in about a hundred times the energy that was used for its production.
Essential for a building material are not its ingredients but the actual effect of these components during the utilization phase of the building. A highly energy efficient PVC window with a U value of 0.6 or 0.7 Watt per square meter Kelvin is much more sustainable than a wooden window with a U value of 1.4 Watt per square meter Kelvin. One cannot hide behind the use of so called “ecological” materials, when the results achieved with them are eventually more damaging for the environment than the use of a conventional industrial product.

Life Cycle Balance

Life cycle balance shows that the emphasis of energy consumption of a building lies in its very long utilisation phase. It is fundamental to consume little energy during the utilisation phase, not only little heating energy but also little electric energy for the devices used in the building. To leave out electrical energy consumption from the balance finally leads to erroneous optimization.
The same applies to Grey Energy which refers to the energy that is invested in the form of building materials during the construction of a house. Grey Energy is part of the whole life cycle balance of the building. Interesting about it is that there is no controversy in the optimization if the use of Grey Energy and the energy savings during the utilisation phase. It is a fact that additional Grey Energy is used by the investment for insulation material, but the Grey Energy used here is very low compared to the energy saved, so that this is no point for discussion. One has to strongly consider where the actual shortages are and where the actual irreversible influences on nature can be found.

Funding or restrictions?

We have many restrictions in the construction area and thereafter also in the different types of energy saving measures. These regulations lead us to think too fast that we have already done enough and that we do not have to do more than what is dictated by law. I believe that people must have the conviction that what we want to do here leads in the right direction, that it makes sense to keep on investing in this area, that it makes sense to go beyond what is funded by the state. All measures must be profitable for single-entity economy under all scenarios, even the worst case ones; only then can they be dictated by the legislator.  This means that in most cases on-going measures are profitable for people out there. This matter is hardly being discussed; instead, it is usually regarded as sufficient to barely follow the state regulations.

The crisis shows once again the broad range in the area of interests. It is interesting to see that money which gets invested into substantial sustainable development does not get lost but shows itself accordingly in substantial structures of improved buildings and in an improved infrastructure.  The money invested in sustainable development does also create work places during the construction of new buildings. This means that several things are being implemented at the same time, which is why in the meantime governments have decided to promote this area more strongly than they did in the past.

Future of building

I think that the future is absolutely open regarding this question. And, by the way, this is one of the principles we have always followed. I think it is very important, that we keep the future open; that means our children and grandchildren should also have a margin for decisions. These margins for decision just remain for them if our buildings are energy-efficient in the future. Our buildings can only be energy-efficient if we carry out the corresponding details with high-quality. This is the basic principle behind energy-efficient building. How this gets implemented architecturally remains the freedom of the architect.