The situation regarding climate change is increasingly critical, with construction being, globally, one of the largest consumers of energy.That is why Europe has been forced to take more restrictive measures and has decided to considerably reduce energy consumption in homes and residential buildings through the following directive:
Directive 2010/31/UE
Directive 2010/31/EU regulates buildings with near zero consumption at the European level. It defines this type of construction as those “with a very low energy demand, a very high level of energy efficiency, and the nearly zero or very low amount of energy required should be covered to a very significant extent by energy from renewable sources, including energy from renewable sources produced on-site or nearby”
Near zero-consumption buildings
As a result of a rise in global awareness, many strategies have been explored until the emergence of the concept of the near-zero consumption building. Here, the home has a very low energetic demand and, therefore, a near-zero energy consumption that would need to be supported by energy from renewable sources.
Renewable sources are heat / cold production equipment whose energy is obtained from natural and “inexhaustible” sources. But what if we replace that production equipment with systems that are organic in themselves? (ACTIVE VEGETATION)
Aspects to take into account in recent constructions
This leads us to buildings with a much higher level of comfort since to reach these consumption levels, greater insulation thickeners, better quality carpentry, and production equipment for both air conditioning and a hot water supply must be installed.
Moreover, the location, orientation, and climatology of the location of the building are binding in the choice of all the elements that influence the reduction of energy consumption.
In summary, a project where all these factors have been taken into account can make the economic increase that comes with applying the new European directive practically non-existent.
