Study on energy efficiency requirements in buildings

摘要

The need for growth in energy efficiency and renewable energy production is a current preoccupation at a global level due to the depletion of global resources and environmental pollution. It is well known that the construction sector is responsible for a high percentage of energy consumption and therefore is a sector with great potential for energy efficiency. This paper presents a study regarding the actual status on energy efficiency measures and requirements in the Romanian building sector. Moreover, a comparison is made between the energy efficiency requirements imposed by the Romanian standard and the requirements of a more constraint energy efficiency standard which is the Passive House standard. The purpose is to highlight the major differences between the level of energy efficiency required by authorities in the Romanian building sector and the level of energy efficiency required by the Passive House standard, a standard internationally well known. Although in Romania the Passive House standard is a relatively new concept, several buildings of this kind were built here, either residential or office buildings. In this paper we also present how the Passive House concept was implemented in a family house that was built near the city of Timisoara, Romania.