Within the European Union, Germany and Austria are ahead with respect to low energy building concepts. To date more than 5,000 dwellings have been constructed in accordance with the principles of PassivHaus design, which reduces energy use by up to 90 percent compared to existing building stock. The European PEP project aims to bring this experience to the UK. The principles of low-energy design are simple and well known. Step 1 is to reduce the energy demand; Step 2 is to meet the remaining energy requirement as efficiently and cleanly as possible. These principles underpin the concept of 'PassivHaus' design. Step 1: Energy used for space heating and cooling must be less than 15 kWh/m~2/yr Step 2: Total primary energy use is limited to 120 kWh/m~2/yr (including all end uses).
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