The Advantages of Passive Energy Design
What is Passive Energy Design?
For people not familiar with passive energy design, you might have heard it referred to as a solar building; it is the use of solar power to effectively manage the heating system in a household or commercial building; measures that might be introduced as part of passive energy design include thermal chimneys and operable windows.
What does Passive Energy Design do?
With passive energy design it is possible to power the heating, cooking and lighting in a cost effective, energy efficient and environmentally friendly way. If the design it to be successfully implemented, then the south side of the house must face the direction of the sun. The windows, walls and floors will be optimised to evenly distribute solar power throughout the colder months, while effectively managing the temperatures during the summer.
Advantages of Passive Energy Design
As detailed below, there are numerous advantages to passive energy design:
Lower energy bills – many consumers are finding it difficult to cope with the spiralling costs of energy bills, however, by introducing passive energy design into a property, the costs of bills can fall significantly. With specific, energy saving measures in place, a home owner will have lower fuel bills and a business will be able to reduce its running costs. Passive energy design will also save money on running cooling systems during the summer and help reduce energy bills.
Added value – by working with an energy consultant to implement a passive energy design, a property owner can expect to add value to the premises; the low running costs of using passive solar energy design will make the building appear more attractive to potential buyers.
Reduced Pollution – in recent years, consumers have become more aware of pollution and the damaging effects it can have on the environment. However, with a passive energy design, there will be less damaging pollutants released, which will be kinder to the environment as a whole.
Air quality – a lot of people find that air quality declines in the summer, and this can be harmful for people that have breathing difficulties such as asthma, however, by using passive energy design, air quality in the home and surrounding environment can be improved.
Quiet operation – another major benefit of installing passive energy design is that it works quietly. Some energy systems such as central heating can be quite noisy when they operate, but with a solar system introduced, the operation will not disturb your peace.
Further Information
To find out more about passive energy design, contact one of our offices. EPC London and EPC Glasgow are always available to help.
