Initially created in order to reduce the heating and cooling costs, the energy-efficient house has become, within the past three decades, a standard of sustainable architecture from the economical, ecological, and social points of view.
Combining aesthetics and functionality, the energy-efficient house provides not only a decrease of the heating costs by up to 80-90%, but also constant refreshment and purification of the air, increased thermal comfort of the interior spaces, and a high decrease of the risk of condensation in enclosed spaces.
From an aesthetic point of view, the energy-efficient house is no different from an ordinary house, the exterior design and the materials used being pretty much the same, and the beneficiary and the architect having total freedom of decision on all these aspects. The differences are strictly related to the technology of construction itself, the house being thermally insulated and having a ventilation system which allows heat recovery.
According to recent statistics of the European Commission, buildings use 40% of the total energy consumed at a European level, generating 36% of total greenhouse gas emissions. Taking this into consideration, the need for energy efficiency is expanding from economic to environmental and social levels, becoming a responsibility of each and any of us. Energy efficiency translates into maintaining a comfort temperature in indoor spaces, regardless of the season, without the need of constant energy supply. Thus, reducing heat and energy losses automatically reduces the heat and energy consumption needed to to ensure thermal comfort. All these are ensured by building an energy-efficient house.
