ᐅ Truly Independent with a Passive House?

Created on: 29 Jun 2012 19:45
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Carli08-1
29 Jun 2012 19:45
Is it possible to become completely independent from external energy supply with a passive house? Is the output of the photovoltaic system really enough to cover the normal electricity and heating energy demand on its own?
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eggerhd-1
30 Jun 2012 09:23
Hello Carli08
You can’t simply answer this question with a "yes." It is not possible without an external energy supply. However, it is a give-and-take situation. A passive house requires only as much energy (for heating, ventilation, electricity) as it produces itself through solar panels, photovoltaics, etc.
But it still needs the public grid as a kind of buffer for this "give and take."
In this sense
HDE
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MODERATOR
1 Jul 2012 00:28
Electricity from a photovoltaic system alone is not sufficient.
In a passive house, heat losses are reduced so significantly that a conventional heating system is no longer necessary. The heating demand is calculated/planned (building envelope, windows, ventilation heat losses) so that any remaining small "residual heating" can easily be supplied by reheating the supply air, provided the maximum heating load is less than 10 W/m² (living area).

The "passive" in passive house therefore primarily refers to heat generation. Even if the house no longer requires a "normal" heating system, electricity will still be needed for appliances, lighting, kitchen equipment, entertainment electronics, and so on. These devices, and even more so the user behavior, must fit within the passive house energy concept.

To address your question, the electricity consumption of these devices should not exceed the output of the photovoltaic system; however, this is generally not consistently achievable in Central Europe.
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Karl-Steffen-1
1 Sep 2015 15:27
A passive house cannot operate without electricity. Even though there is no heating system, electricity is still necessary. This also involves a significant cost in Swiss francs.

Although it is often advertised otherwise, all costs must truly be taken into account here. Anything less is short-sighted.
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Robert-1
30 Nov 2015 10:07
Of course, electricity is needed, but a passive house does offer several advantages. The heating demand is practically zero. Electricity is only used for comfort.
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Urs1988-1
19 Dec 2015 12:10
I see it differently; a heat source is already in place and can be used if needed. Sometimes, information is shared here that isn’t entirely accurate. That’s understandable, as it’s a matter of selling.