The present cold wave and the soaring electricity consumption highlights the poor quality of insulation in many homes. It is an endemic disease in southern Spain, where poorly insulated houses have been built for many years. This is a disgrace for the inhabitants of these homes, they will be cold in winter, hot in summer and they will spend enough on the electricity bill to heat their homes without being able to do so. For this there is the Passivahus system that the importance of hygrothermal comfort prevails in the design and execution of a home.

The problem lies in the low value attributed to thermal insulation in a construction, and to poorly made carpentry. Due to this, I consider that when building a new home, the carpentry and insulation must be made of the best quality. Paying off in less than ten years the money invested in these elements and improving the comfort of the home.

Summer, Winter, increases in electricity consumption.

With the continuous rise in the price of electricity, the poor insulation in homes it makes many people cold in winter. The irony of the matter is the electricity cost of these families would allow them to air-condition their homes permanently, day and night if they were in a dwelling with the Passivhaus quality insulation system.

The Passivhaus system

It arises in Germany in the 90s of the 20th century, aiming to increase the energy efficiency of a home maximally. With the purpose of reduce electricity consumption in air conditioning and increase the thermal comfort of the home. It is a very interesting option when approaching a new construction project or reform of housing.

The Passivhaus should be considered more of an investment than an expense.

The Passivhaus system in Murcia

The Passivhaus house has a very low electricity consumption in air conditioning. In the case of the Region of Murcia, an improvement of the 60% could be achieved with respect to the energy consumption of a new building, thus achieving the best possible energy classification in a energy certificate: A class.

According to the definition of the European research project "Passive-on", a Passivhaus home in a Mediterranean climate such as Murcia must meet the following conditions:

• Energy consumption for heating, 15 kWh / m²year.
• Energy consumption for cooling, 15 kWh / m²year.
• The building envelope must have a tightness equal to or less than 0.6 volumes / h (measured with a pressure of 50 Pascals).
• Maximum electrical energy consumption, 60 kWh / m²year.

Characteristics of the Passivhaus system

The Passivhaus system relies on the following points to reduce the energy required for air conditioning a building.

• Continuous thermal insulation, the facades, party walls, ceilings and floors are insulated without cracks.
• High quality carpentry, ideally with triple glass and hermetic closure.
• Heat recuperator: Through a heat exchanger, the outdoor air that is introduced into the house is passed along with the indoor air that is going to be expelled. Recovering part of the air conditioning energy of the house.