The future of construction comes with 'passive houses


The future of construction comes with 'passive houses



Connectivity and savings in the electricity bill: the home of tomorrow will demand very little energy because it can generate heat on its own and all the elements will be connected to the mobile



    By saying 'the house of the future' one imagines her chatty, connected to the internet and cleaning herself. Beyond the 'Black Mirror' topics, the house of the future will be above all energetically profitable, although this is a much less attractive concept in futuristic films. There are many things to modify if you want to achieve. Currently, almost 90% of the energy we consume comes from fossil fuels and 40% of it is used to heat buildings.

"We must change the constructive system of our country," says José Antonio Almagro, general director of Sto Ibérica, one of the world's largest manufacturers of facade coatings. And it is precisely that this is the part of the houses that would have to change before because there is no larger surface in the buildings and could be used as a generator of photovoltaic energy. "A single-family house of about 200 square meters has about 500 facades, if that were isolated, we would get the energy demand down a lot and what little needed would be self-generated," he explains.

     The problem is that nowadays they are of "such low quality" and it enters so cold that they are the culprits of the great energetic cost of the families. "The regulations and companies have allowed this to happen," says Almagro, who believes that Spain is trying to pass the quality standards "by the minimum", instead of betting on quality, as in the construction of countries such as Switzerland. "First of all, there has to be a change in awareness, innovation has to make us change."

In his opinion, the future will go through more modular and less static homes to achieve a type of construction "much healthier and technically honored". Sto's expert explains that, when talking about 'sustainability', three types of construction appear on the list: the so-called 'sustainable' one, which involves manufacturing the houses with recycled materials or with those that generate a lower carbon footprint; the 'bioconstruction', which is the most naturist and involves adapting to the terrain, not digging, using the orientation of the Sun; the concept by which they bet on the German company: the 'passive houses'.

     They are those that obviate the natural conditions and if the materials generate a greater or lesser carbon footprint. "It is based on reducing the demand for energy in its use to the maximum . " And is that one thing is consumption and another demand, which is what a machine needs to operate. "The homes of the future have to be able to demand very little energy, the minimum to heat a house regardless of what the user consumes in kilowatts." In addition, this low demand will directly influence the economy because the price of fuel will not matter because of the low consumption needed.

Heating expenditure
From the company they assure that the inhabitants of the passive houses do not need a system of conventional heating by the function of the thermal insulation and that they obtain the energy exclusively from passive sources as the heat recovered from the exhaust air of the kitchen and the bathroom. "The heating costs for a floor of 120 square meters amount, on average, to about 1,500 euros a year, a passive house only needs 150 euros," they say from Sto.

How is it achieved? In a passive house heat losses are avoided thanks to three factors: a waterproof roof for the building, optimal insulation and the prevention of the formation of thermal bridges at critical points such as windows and doors.

The European Union has established the obligation that all public buildings achieve the qualification of "almost zero consumption" before December 31 of this year and that from 2020 all new buildings will be built under this directive. About the widespread rumor that passive houses should not open windows, experts say that is not true, but recognize that "no need" because the rooms have a constant supply of fresh air, free of pollen and dust.

A curious fact: every inhabitant of a house heats 10 square meters by itself, but in the usual homes this energy is lost. In the passive, if a family of four members is in a room of 40 meters, they themselves would heat the room without turning on the heating.

Also connected
Connectivity is a key aspect in any housing of the future. The communication between devices will be (already is) basic for some inhabitants absolutely connected to the internet through their phones, tablets and computers. From ABB, a leading company in electrical engineering and automation, ensure that the pillars of automation are on track "towards comfort and efficiency within our homes."

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