A low-energy house is any type of house that from design, technologies and building products uses less energy, from any source, than a traditional or average contemporary house. In the practice of sustainable design

Sustainable design

Sustainable design is the philosophy of designing physical objects, the built environment, and services to comply with the principles of economic, social, and ecological sustainability.-Intentions:The intention of sustainable design is to "eliminate negative environmental...

, sustainable architecture

Sustainable architecture

Sustainable architecture is a general term that describes environmentally conscious design techniques in the field of architecture. Sustainable architecture is framed by the larger discussion of sustainability and the pressing economic and political issues of our world...

, low-energy building, energy-efficient landscaping

Energy-efficient landscaping

Energy-efficient landscaping is a type of landscaping designed for the purpose of conserving energy. There is a distinction between the embedded energy of materials and constructing the landscape, and the energy consumed by the maintenance and operations of a landscape.Design techniques include:*...

 low-energy houses often use active solar

Active solar

Active solar technologies are employed to convert solar energy into another more useful form of energy. This would normally be a conversion to heat or electrical energy. Inside a building this energy would be used for heating, cooling, or off-setting other energy use or costs. Active solar uses...

 and passive solar building design

Passive solar building design

In passive solar building design, windows, walls, and floors are made to collect, store, and distribute solar energy in the form of heat in the winter and reject solar heat in the summer...

 techniques and components to reduce their energy expenditure.

General usage

The meaning of the term 'low-energy house' has changed over time, but in Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 it generally refers to a house that uses around half of the German or Swiss low-energy standards referred to below for space heating

Space heating

A space heater is a self-contained device for heating an enclosed area. Space heating is generally employed to warm a small space, and is usually held in contrast with central heating, which warms many connected spaces at once...

, typically in the range from 30 kWh/m²a to 20 kWh/m²a (9,500 Btu/ft²/yr to 6,300 Btu/ft²/yr). Below this the term 'Ultra-low-energy building' is often used.

The term can also refer to any dwelling whose energy use is below the standards demanded by current building code

Building code

A building code, or building control, is a set of rules that specify the minimum acceptable level of safety for constructed objects such as buildings and nonbuilding structures. The main purpose of building codes are to protect public health, safety and general welfare as they relate to the...

s. Because national standards vary considerably around the world, 'low-energy' developments in one country may not meet 'normal practice' in another.

National standards

In some countries the term relates to a specific building standard. In particular these seek to limit the energy used for space heating, since in many climate zones it represents the largest energy use. Other energy use may also be regulated. The history of passive solar building design

History of passive solar building design

-Pre-modern History:The techniques of passive solar building design were practiced for thousands of years, by necessity, before the advent of mechanical heating and cooling. It has remained a traditional part of vernacular architecture in many countries...

 gives an international look at one form of low-energy building development and standards.

Europe

In Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 a low-energy house (Niedrigenergiehaus) has a limit equivalent to 7 litres of heating oil for each square metre of room for space heating annually (50 kWh/m²a or 15,850 Btu/ft²/yr). In Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 the term is used in connection with the MINERGIE standard (42 kWh/m²a or 13,300 Btu/ft²/yr) or the Minergie-P (equivalent to the Passivhaus).

In comparison, the German Passivhaus ultra-low-energy standard, currently undergoing adoption in some other Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

an countries, has a maximum space heating requirement of 15 kWh/m²a or 4,755 Btu/ft²/yr.

A "sub-10 passive house" is under construction in Ireland that has an independently evaluated PHPP (Passive House) rating of 9.5 KW/m²/yr. It's form of construction also tackles the issue of embodied energy, which can significantly distort the lifecycle CO₂ emissions associated with even low energy use houses.

North America

In the United States, the ENERGY STAR

Energy Star

Energy Star is an international standard for energy efficient consumer products originated in the United States of America. It was first created as a United States government program during the early 1990s, but Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan and the European Union have also adopted...

 program is the largest program defining low-energy homes, and consumer product

Consumer product

A consumer product is generally any tangible personal property for sale and that is used for personal, family, or household for non-business purposes. The determination whether a good is a consumer product requires a factual finding, on a case-by-case basis...

s. Homes earning ENERGY STAR certification use at least 15% less energy than standard new homes built to the International Residential Code, although homes typically achieve 20%-30% savings.

In addition, the US Department of Energy launched a program in 2008 with the goal of spreading zero-energy housing over the US. Currently, participating builders commit to constructing new homes that achieve 30% savings on a home energy rating

Home energy rating

A Home Energy Rating is a measurement of a home’s energy efficiency, used primarily in the United States. Home energy ratings can be used for either existing homes or new homes. A home energy rating of an existing home allows a homeowner to receive a report listing options for upgrading a home’s...

 scale.

Zero-energy and energy-plus buildings

Beyond ultra-low-energy buildings are those that use, on average over the course of a year, no imported energy - zero-energy buildings – or even those that generate a surplus - energy-plus houses – both of which have been and are being successfully built.

This can be achieved by a mixture of energy conservation

Energy conservation

Energy conservation refers to efforts made to reduce energy consumption. Energy conservation can be achieved through increased efficient energy use, in conjunction with decreased energy consumption and/or reduced consumption from conventional energy sources...

 technologies and the use of renewable energy

Renewable energy

Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...

 sources. However, in the absence of recognized standards, the mix between these – and consequently the energy-use profile and environmental impact of the building – can vary significantly.

At one end of the spectrum are buildings with an ultra-low space heating requirement that therefore require low levels of imported energy, even in winter, approaching the concept of an autonomous building

Autonomous building

An autonomous building is a building designed to be operated independently from infrastructural support services such as the electric power grid, gas grid, municipal water systems, sewage treatment systems, storm drains, communication services, and in some cases, public roads.Advocates of...

.

At the opposite end of the spectrum are buildings where few attempts are made to reduce the space heating requirement and which therefore use high levels of imported energy in winter. While this can be balanced by high levels of renewable energy generation throughout the year, it imposes greater demands on the traditional national energy infrastructure during the peak winter season.

• Superinsulation
  Superinsulation
  Superinsulation is an approach to building design, construction, and retrofitting that dramatically reduces heat loss by using much higher levels of insulation and airtightness than normal...
  
  
• PlusEnergy
  PlusEnergy
  PlusEnergy is a coined concept developed by Rolf Disch that indicates a structure’s extreme energy efficiency so that it holds a positive energy balance, actually producing more energy than it uses. With the completion of his private residence, the Heliotrope, in 1994, Disch had created the first...
  
  

Introduction

Low-energy buildings typically use high levels of insulation

Building insulation

building insulation refers broadly to any object in a building used as insulation for any purpose. While the majority of insulation in buildings is for thermal purposes, the term also applies to acoustic insulation, fire insulation, and impact insulation...

, energy efficient window

Insulated glazing

Insulated glazing also known as double glazing are double or triple glass window panes separated by an air or other gas filled space to reduce heat transfer across a part of the building envelope....

s, low levels of air infiltration and heat recovery ventilation

Heat recovery ventilation

Heat recovery ventilation, also known as HRV, mechanical ventilation heat recovery, or MVHR, is an energy recovery ventilation system using equipment known as a heat recovery ventilator, heat exchanger, air exchanger, or air-to-air heat exchanger which employs a counter-flow heat exchanger between...

 to lower heating and cooling energy. They may also use passive solar building design

Passive solar building design

In passive solar building design, windows, walls, and floors are made to collect, store, and distribute solar energy in the form of heat in the winter and reject solar heat in the summer...

 techniques or active solar

Active solar

Active solar technologies are employed to convert solar energy into another more useful form of energy. This would normally be a conversion to heat or electrical energy. Inside a building this energy would be used for heating, cooling, or off-setting other energy use or costs. Active solar uses...

 technologies. These homes may use hot water heat recycling

Hot water heat recycling

Water heat recycling is the use of a heat exchanger to recover energy and reuse heat from drain water from various activities such as dish-washing, clothes washing and especially showers...

 technologies to recover heat from showers and dishwashers. Lighting and miscellaneous

Miscellaneous electric load

Miscellaneous electric loads in buildings are electric loads resulting from electronic devices not responsible for space heating, cooling, water heating, or lighting...

 energy use is allieviated with fluorescent lighting

Fluorescent lamp

A fluorescent lamp or fluorescent tube is a gas-discharge lamp that uses electricity to excite mercury vapor. The excited mercury atoms produce short-wave ultraviolet light that then causes a phosphor to fluoresce, producing visible light. A fluorescent lamp converts electrical power into useful...

 and efficient appliances. Weatherization

Weatherization

Weatherization or weatherproofing is the practice of protecting a building and its interior from the elements, particularly from sunlight, precipitation, and wind, and of modifying a building to reduce energy consumption and optimize energy efficiency.Weatherization is distinct from building...

 provides more information on increasing building energy efficiency.

Passive House

Passive house

The term passive house refers to the rigorous, voluntary, Passivhaus standard for energy efficiency in a building, reducing its ecological footprint. It results in ultra-low energy buildings that require little energy for space heating or cooling. A similar standard, MINERGIE-P, is used in...

s are required to achieve a whole building air change rate of no more than 0.6 ac/hr
ac/hr = air changes per hour; "air change" refers to the house volume under forced pressurisation and depressurisation testing at 50Pa minimum. On site blower door testing by certified testers is used to prove compliance.

A significant feature of ultra-low-energy buildings is the increasing importance of heat loss through linear thermal bridging within the construction. Failure to eliminate thermal pathways from warm to cold surfaces ("bridges") creates the conditions for interstitial condensation forming deep within the construction and lead to potentially serious issues of mould growth and rot. With near zero filtration losses through the fabric of the dwelling, air movement cannot be relied upon to dry out the construction and a comprehensive condensation risk analysis of every abutment detail is recommended.

Improvements to heating, cooling, ventilation and water heating

• Absorption refrigerator
  Absorption refrigerator
  An absorption refrigerator is a refrigerator that uses a heat source to provide the energy needed to drive the cooling system...
  
  
• Annualized geothermal solar
• Earth cooling tubes
  Earth cooling tubes
  A ground-coupled heat exchanger is an underground heat exchanger loop that can capture or dissipate heat to or from the ground. They use the Earth's near constant subterranean temperature to warm or cool air or other fluids for residential, agricultural or industrial uses...
  
  
• Geothermal heat pump
• Heat recovery ventilation
  Heat recovery ventilation
  Heat recovery ventilation, also known as HRV, mechanical ventilation heat recovery, or MVHR, is an energy recovery ventilation system using equipment known as a heat recovery ventilator, heat exchanger, air exchanger, or air-to-air heat exchanger which employs a counter-flow heat exchanger between...
  
  
• Hot water heat recycling
  Hot water heat recycling
  Water heat recycling is the use of a heat exchanger to recover energy and reuse heat from drain water from various activities such as dish-washing, clothes washing and especially showers...
  
  

• Passive cooling
  Passive cooling
  Passive cooling refers to technologies or design features used to cool buildings without power consumption, such as those technologies discussed in the Passive house project.-Passive cooling:...
  
  
• Renewable heat
  Renewable heat
  Renewable heat is an application of renewable energy and it refers to the renewable generation of heat, rather than electrical power ....
  
  
• Seasonal thermal storage
• Solar air conditioning
  Solar air conditioning
  Solar air conditioning refers to any air conditioning system that uses solar power.This can be done through passive solar, solar thermal energy conversion and photovoltaic conversion . The U.S...
  
  
• Solar hot water
  Solar hot water
  Solar water heating or solar hot water systems comprise several innovations and many mature renewable energy technologies that have been well established for many years...
  
  

Solar devices

Passive solar design and landscape

Passive solar building design

Passive solar building design

In passive solar building design, windows, walls, and floors are made to collect, store, and distribute solar energy in the form of heat in the winter and reject solar heat in the summer...

 and energy-efficient landscaping

Energy-efficient landscaping

Energy-efficient landscaping is a type of landscaping designed for the purpose of conserving energy. There is a distinction between the embedded energy of materials and constructing the landscape, and the energy consumed by the maintenance and operations of a landscape.Design techniques include:*...

 support the low-energy house in conservation and can integrate them into a neighborhood and environment. Following passive solar building techniques, where possible buildings are compact in shape to reduce their surface area, with principle windows oriented towards the equator - south in the northern hemisphere and north in the southern hemisphere - to maximize passive solar gain

Solar gain

Solar gain refers to the increase in temperature in a space, object or structure that results from solar radiation...

. However, the use of solar gain, especially in temperate

Temperate

In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally relatively moderate, rather than extreme hot or cold...

 climate

Climate

Climate encompasses the statistics of temperature, humidity, atmospheric pressure, wind, rainfall, atmospheric particle count and other meteorological elemental measurements in a given region over long periods...

 regions, is secondary to minimizing the overall house energy requirements. In climates and regions needing to reduce excessive summer passive solar heat gain, whether from the direct or reflected sources, can be done with a Brise soleil

Brise soleil

Brise soleil, sometimes brise-soleil , from French, "sun breaker"), in architecture refers to a variety of permanent sun-shading techniques, ranging from the simple patterned concrete walls popularized by Le Corbusier to the elaborate wing-like mechanism devised by Santiago Calatrava for the...

, tree

Tree

A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...

s, attached pergola

Pergola

A pergola, arbor or arbour is a garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support cross-beams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are trained...

s with vine

Vine

A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...

s, vertical gardens, green roof

Green roof

A green roof is a roof of a building that is partially or completely covered with vegetation and a growing medium, planted over a waterproofing membrane. It may also include additional layers such as a root barrier and drainage and irrigation systems...

s, and other techniques.

Low-energy houses can be constructed from dense or lightweight materials, but some internal thermal mass

Thermal mass

Thermal mass is a concept in building design which describes how the mass of the building provides "inertia" against temperature fluctuations, sometimes known as the thermal flywheel effect...

 is normally incorporated to reduce summer peak temperatures, maintain stable winter temperatures, and prevent possible overheating in spring or autumn before the higher sun angle

Effect of sun angle on climate

The amount of heat energy received at any location on the globe is a direct effect of sun angle on climate, as the angle at which sunlight strikes the Earth varies by location, time of day, and season due to the Earth's orbit around the sun and the Earth's rotation around its tilted axis...

 "shades" mid-day wall exposure and window penetration. Exterior wall color, when the surface allows choice, for reflection or absorption insolation

Insolation

Insolation is a measure of solar radiation energy received on a given surface area in a given time. It is commonly expressed as average irradiance in watts per square meter or kilowatt-hours per square meter per day...

 qualities depends on the predominant year-round ambient outdoor temperature. The use of deciduous

Deciduous

Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...

 trees and wall trellis

Trellis

Trellis may refer to:* Trellis Drainage System* Trellis , an architectural structure often used to support plants* Trellis , a special kind of graph, often used in coding...

ed or self attaching vines can assist in climates not at the temperature extremes.

• Sustainable landscaping
  Sustainable landscaping
  Sustainable landscaping encompasses a variety of practices that have developed in response to environmental issues. These practices are used in every phase of landscaping, including design, construction, implementation and management of residential and commercial landscapes. Issues of...
  
  
• Sustainable landscape architecture
  Sustainable landscape architecture
  Sustainable landscape architecture is a category of sustainable design concerned with the planning and design of outdoor space.This can include ecological, social and economic aspects of sustainability...
  
  
• Sustainable gardening
  Sustainable gardening
  Sustainable gardening comprises a disparate group of horticultural interests that share, to a greater or lesser extent, the aims and objectives associated with the international post-1980s sustainable development and sustainability programs...
  
  
• Rainwater harvesting
  Rainwater harvesting
  Rainwater harvesting is the accumulating and storing of rainwater for reuse before it reaches the aquifer. It has been used to provide drinking water, water for livestock, water for irrigation, as well as other typical uses. Rainwater collected from the roofs of houses and local institutions can...
  
  
• Water conservation
  Water conservation
  Water conservation refers to reducing the usage of water and recycling of waste water for different purposes such as cleaning, manufacturing, and agricultural irrigation.- Water conservation :Water conservation can be defined as:...
  
  

Lighting and electrical appliances

To minimize the total primary energy consumption, the many passive

Passive Daylighting

Passive daylighting is a system of both: collecting sunlight using static, non-moving, and non-tracking systems such as Windows, Sliding glass doors, most skylights, light tubes, and reflecting the collected daylight deeper inside with elements such as light shelves...

 and active

Active Daylighting

Active daylighting is a system of collecting sunlight using a mechanical device to increase the efficiency of light collection for a given lighting purpose...

 daylighting

Daylighting

Daylighting is the practice of placing windows or other openings and reflective surfaces so that during the day natural light provides effective internal lighting. Particular attention is given to daylighting while designing a building when the aim is to maximize visual comfort or to reduce energy...

 techniques are the first daytime solution to employ. For low light level days, non-daylighted spaces, and nighttime; the use of creative-sustainable lighting design using low-energy sources such as 'standard voltage' compact fluorescent lamp

Compact fluorescent lamp

A compact fluorescent lamp , also called compact fluorescent light, energy-saving light, and compact fluorescent tube, is a fluorescent lamp designed to replace an incandescent lamp; some types fit into light fixtures formerly used for incandescent lamps...

s and solid-state lighting

Solid-state lighting

Solid-state lighting refers to a type of lighting that uses semiconductor light-emitting diodes , organic light-emitting diodes , or polymer light-emitting diodes as sources of illumination rather than electrical filaments, plasma , or gas.The term "solid state" refers commonly to light emitted...

 with Light-emitting diode

Light-emitting diode

A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting...

-LED lamp

LED lamp

An LED lamp is a solid-state lamp that uses light-emitting diodes as the source of light. The LEDs involved may be conventional semiconductor light-emitting diodes, organic LEDs , or polymer light-emitting diodes devices, although PLED technologies are not currently commercially available.Since...

s, organic light-emitting diode

Organic light-emitting diode

An OLED is a light-emitting diode in which the emissive electroluminescent layer is a film of organic compounds which emit light in response to an electric current. This layer of organic semiconductor material is situated between two electrodes...

s, and PLED - polymer light-emitting diodes; and 'low voltage' electrical filament-Incandescent light bulb

Incandescent light bulb

The incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe makes light by heating a metal filament wire to a high temperature until it glows. The hot filament is protected from air by a glass bulb that is filled with inert gas or evacuated. In a halogen lamp, a chemical process...

s, and compact Metal halide

Ceramic discharge metal halide lamp

The ceramic discharge metal-halide lamp, mostly referred to as Ceramic Metal Halide lamp , is a relatively new source of light that is a variation of the old mercury-vapour lamp. The discharge is contained in a ceramic tube. During operation, the temperature of this ceramic tube can exceed 1200...

, Xenon and Halogen lamps, can be used.

Solar powered exterior circulation, security, and landscape lighting - with photovoltaic cells on each fixture or connecting to a central Solar panel system, are available for garden

Garden

A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...

s and outdoor needs. Low voltage systems can be used for more controlled or independent illumination, while still using less electricity than conventional fixtures and lamps. Timers, motion detection

Motion detection

Motion detection is a process of confirming a change in position of an object relative to its surroundings or the change in the surroundings relative to an object. This detection can be achieved by both mechanical and electronic methods...

 and natural light

Natural light

Natural light can mean:*Sunlight*Moonlight*Natural Light Beer a product made by Anheuser-Busch....

 operation sensors reduce energy consumption, and light pollution

Light pollution

Light pollution, also known as photopollution or luminous pollution, is excessive or obtrusive artificial light.The International Dark-Sky Association defines light pollution as:...

 even further for a Low-energy house setting.

Appliance

Appliance

Appliance may refer to:* Home appliance, household machines, using electricity or some other energy input** Small appliances** Major appliances...

 consumer product

Consumer product

A consumer product is generally any tangible personal property for sale and that is used for personal, family, or household for non-business purposes. The determination whether a good is a consumer product requires a factual finding, on a case-by-case basis...

s meeting independent energy efficiency testing and receiving Ecolabel

Ecolabel

Ecolabels and Green Stickers are labelling systems for food and consumer products. Ecolabels are often voluntary, but Green Stickers are mandated by law in North America for major appliances and automobiles. They are a form of sustainability measurement directed at consumers, intended to make it...

 certification mark

Certification mark

A certification mark on a commercial product indicates five things:* The existence of a legal follow-up or product certification agreement between the manufacturer of a product and an organization with national accreditation for both testing and certification,* Legal evidence that the product was...

s for reduced electrical-'natural-gas' consumption and product manufacturing carbon emission label

Carbon emission label

A carbon emission label or carbon label describes the carbon dioxide emissions created as a by-product of manufacturing, transporting, or disposing of a consumer product...

s are preferred for use in Low-energy houses. The ecolabel certification marks of Energy Star

Energy Star

Energy Star is an international standard for energy efficient consumer products originated in the United States of America. It was first created as a United States government program during the early 1990s, but Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Taiwan and the European Union have also adopted...

 and EKOenergy

EKOenergy

EKOenergy label is an international ecolabel for energy. It is managed by the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation in cooperation with the Swedish Society for Nature Conservation...

 are examples.

• Energy-saving lighting
• Lighting
• Windows
• Energy conservation
• Alternative energy

See also

• Buildings
• Self-sufficient homes
• Passive house
  Passive house
  The term passive house refers to the rigorous, voluntary, Passivhaus standard for energy efficiency in a building, reducing its ecological footprint. It results in ultra-low energy buildings that require little energy for space heating or cooling. A similar standard, MINERGIE-P, is used in...
  
  
• PlusEnergy
  PlusEnergy
  PlusEnergy is a coined concept developed by Rolf Disch that indicates a structure’s extreme energy efficiency so that it holds a positive energy balance, actually producing more energy than it uses. With the completion of his private residence, the Heliotrope, in 1994, Disch had created the first...
  
   buildings
• Energy-plus building
  Energy-plus-house
  An energy-plus-house produces more energy from renewable energy sources, over the course of a year, than it imports from external sources. This is achieved using a combination of microgeneration technology and low-energy building techniques, such as: passive solar building design, insulation and...
  
  s
• Low-energy buildings
• List of low-energy building techniques
• Green building
  Green building
  Green building refers to a structure and using process that is environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition...
  
  
• Zero energy building
  Zero energy building
  A zero-energy building, also known as a zero net energy building, Net-Zero Energy Building , or Net Zero Building, is a popular term to describe a building with zero net energy consumption and zero carbon emissions annually. Zero energy buildings can be independent from the energy grid supply...
  
  
• Energy audit
  Energy audit
  An energy audit is an inspection, survey and analysis of energy flows for energy conservation in a building, process or system to reduce the amount of energy input into the system without negatively affecting the output.-Principle:...
  
  

• Air and temperature
• Renewable heat
  Renewable heat
  Renewable heat is an application of renewable energy and it refers to the renewable generation of heat, rather than electrical power ....
  
  
• Solar thermal collector
  Solar thermal collector
  A solar thermal collector is a solar collector designed to collect heat by absorbing sunlight. The term is applied to solar hot water panels, but may also be used to denote more complex installations such as solar parabolic, solar trough and solar towers or simpler installations such as solar air...
  
  
• Solar air heat
  Solar air heat
  Solar air heating is a solar thermal technology in which the energy from the sun, solar insolation, is captured by an absorbing medium and used to heat air. Solar air heating is a renewable energy heating technology used to heat or condition air for buildings or process heat applications...
  
  
• Solar air conditioning
  Solar air conditioning
  Solar air conditioning refers to any air conditioning system that uses solar power.This can be done through passive solar, solar thermal energy conversion and photovoltaic conversion . The U.S...
  
  
• Thermal conductivity
  Thermal conductivity
  In physics, thermal conductivity, k, is the property of a material's ability to conduct heat. It appears primarily in Fourier's Law for heat conduction....
  
   - explananation of thermal conductivity—thermal conductance—thermal resistance relationships
• Superinsulation
  Superinsulation
  Superinsulation is an approach to building design, construction, and retrofitting that dramatically reduces heat loss by using much higher levels of insulation and airtightness than normal...
  
  

• Solar
• Active solar
  Active solar
  Active solar technologies are employed to convert solar energy into another more useful form of energy. This would normally be a conversion to heat or electrical energy. Inside a building this energy would be used for heating, cooling, or off-setting other energy use or costs. Active solar uses...
  
  
• Passive solar
• Passive solar building design
  Passive solar building design
  In passive solar building design, windows, walls, and floors are made to collect, store, and distribute solar energy in the form of heat in the winter and reject solar heat in the summer...
  
  
• History of passive solar building design
  History of passive solar building design
  -Pre-modern History:The techniques of passive solar building design were practiced for thousands of years, by necessity, before the advent of mechanical heating and cooling. It has remained a traditional part of vernacular architecture in many countries...
  
  
• Daylighting
  Daylighting
  Daylighting is the practice of placing windows or other openings and reflective surfaces so that during the day natural light provides effective internal lighting. Particular attention is given to daylighting while designing a building when the aim is to maximize visual comfort or to reduce energy...
  
  
• Passive daylighting
  Passive Daylighting
  Passive daylighting is a system of both: collecting sunlight using static, non-moving, and non-tracking systems such as Windows, Sliding glass doors, most skylights, light tubes, and reflecting the collected daylight deeper inside with elements such as light shelves...
  
  
• Active daylighting
  Active Daylighting
  Active daylighting is a system of collecting sunlight using a mechanical device to increase the efficiency of light collection for a given lighting purpose...
  
  

Energy-saving lighting

• List of pioneering solar buildings

• Sustainable
• Sustainability
  Sustainability
  Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
  
  
• Sustainable architecture
  Sustainable architecture
  Sustainable architecture is a general term that describes environmentally conscious design techniques in the field of architecture. Sustainable architecture is framed by the larger discussion of sustainability and the pressing economic and political issues of our world...
  
  
• Sustainable landscaping
  Sustainable landscaping
  Sustainable landscaping encompasses a variety of practices that have developed in response to environmental issues. These practices are used in every phase of landscaping, including design, construction, implementation and management of residential and commercial landscapes. Issues of...
  
  
• Sustainable landscape architecture
  Sustainable landscape architecture
  Sustainable landscape architecture is a category of sustainable design concerned with the planning and design of outdoor space.This can include ecological, social and economic aspects of sustainability...
  
  
• Sustainable gardening
  Sustainable gardening
  Sustainable gardening comprises a disparate group of horticultural interests that share, to a greater or lesser extent, the aims and objectives associated with the international post-1980s sustainable development and sustainability programs...
  
  
• Autonomous building
  Autonomous building
  An autonomous building is a building designed to be operated independently from infrastructural support services such as the electric power grid, gas grid, municipal water systems, sewage treatment systems, storm drains, communication services, and in some cases, public roads.Advocates of...
  
  
• Green building
  Green building
  Green building refers to a structure and using process that is environmentally responsible and resource-efficient throughout a building's life-cycle: from siting to design, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation, and demolition...
  
  

• Energy Rating standards
• House Energy Rating
  House Energy Rating
  A House Energy Rating is an index of a building's thermal performance for residential homes in Australia....
  
   (Australia)
• Home energy rating
  Home energy rating
  A Home Energy Rating is a measurement of a home’s energy efficiency, used primarily in the United States. Home energy ratings can be used for either existing homes or new homes. A home energy rating of an existing home allows a homeowner to receive a report listing options for upgrading a home’s...
  
   (U.S.)
• EnerGuide
  EnerGuide
  EnerGuide is the official Government of Canada mark associated with the labelling and rating of the energy consumption or energy efficiency of specific products...
  
   (Canada)
• National Home Energy Rating
  National Home Energy Rating
  The National Home Energy Rating Scheme is both a UK accreditation scheme for energy assessors and a rating scale for the energy efficiency of housing.The NHER is owned and operated by National Energy Services...
  
   (U.K.)
• LEED - (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design)
  Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
  Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings, homes and neighborhoods....
  
  

• Ecolabel
  Ecolabel
  Ecolabels and Green Stickers are labelling systems for food and consumer products. Ecolabels are often voluntary, but Green Stickers are mandated by law in North America for major appliances and automobiles. They are a form of sustainability measurement directed at consumers, intended to make it...
  
  -certification mark
  Certification mark
  A certification mark on a commercial product indicates five things:* The existence of a legal follow-up or product certification agreement between the manufacturer of a product and an organization with national accreditation for both testing and certification,* Legal evidence that the product was...
  
  
• Carbon emission label
  Carbon emission label
  A carbon emission label or carbon label describes the carbon dioxide emissions created as a by-product of manufacturing, transporting, or disposing of a consumer product...
  
  
• Low-carbon economy
  Low-carbon economy
  A Low-Carbon Economy or Low-Fossil-Fuel Economy is an economy that has a minimal output of greenhouse gas emissions into the environment biosphere, but specifically refers to the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide...
  
  

External links

• Study on Energy Performance of buildings The European Parliament
  European Parliament
  The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
  
   2009
• Very Low-Energy Houses - discussion paper - Nov 2006
• IEA Energy Conservation in Buildings and Community Systems Programme.
• Common Fire Foundation Comprehensive Overview of Green Building, plus info on the net zero energy "Greenest Building in the Eastern US" (non-profit)
• MINERGIE (official site)
• Article on Low-Energy Housing

External links - examples

• Minimum Energy houses in the Netherlands (1982-1983)
• rockenergy: low-carbon houses, low-energy houses, 5-litre houses
• photo from a low-energy house in Germany 1992
• low-energy house in Denmark
• low-energy, respective passive-houses in Norway
• low-energy houses in Norway
• Meet the Greenovate Hosts: Chris Prelitz

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