Passive House Institute: #EfficiencyNOW shows ways towards independence from fossil fuels Darmstadt, Germany. The call of the hour is to save fossil energy. To achieve this goal quickly, the Passive House Institute has started the #EfficiencyNOW campaign. The research institute explains how each one of us can contribute towards becoming more independent of fossil energy, and ultimately phasing it out altogether. On Passipedia, the Institute provides guidelines on how to go about this.
Dependency on gas, oil, and coal is not only damaging the climate but is also anti-democratic and jeopardizes international security, according to climate activists participating in the global strike in March. “The current situation shows how important and urgent it is to break our dependence on fossil fuels, for energy supply security, for climate protection and ultimately also for peace. With our longstanding experience in the area of energy efficiency in buildings, we wish to contribute to this societal task,” Jessica Grove-Smith of the Passive House Institute explains. The institute in Darmstadt, Germany, has laid out immediate measures on how to save fossil energy in the building sector quickly and also specifies changes that should be made in the medium term.
Examples of cost-free immediate measures for saving fossil energy
- Reducing room temperature and wearing warm clothes
- Partial heating in regards to space and time of day
- Showering less and for shorter periods using water-saving shower-heads
- Switching off appliances that are rarely used, or unused, e.g. an old freezer
- Saving electricity in general
Examples of steps that can be undertaken in the short term
- Insulating hot water storage tanks ⌂ Insulating the attic ⌂ Insulating window reveals
- Covering window panes with an insulating film
- Acquiring a small photovoltaic system for the balcony
- Using a heat pump instead of a gas or oil boiler (for supplementary use initially)
- Mini-split device for supplemental heating
Examples of steps that should be undertaken in the medium term
- Deep retrofits to reach the highly energy efficient EnerPHit standard
- For complete overhauls and step-by-step retrofits it is always important to use highly energy efficient components such as triple-glazed windows, heat recovery ventilation systems and optimal thermal insulation. Thermal bridges should also be avoided.
