Retrofit: Energy-saving or energy-generation?
Just published : our research into the optimal balanced materials package for 0-energy building retrofiit, ZEB . As previous exploring research already showed regarding renovation for row house: better insulate less and add some more PV panels. (B in left graph) . In other words, passivehouse is not the optimal choice from materials perspective in case of 0-energy and beyond. The operational energy in all cases is not relevant since all cases are ZEB: its the materials input that determines the most optimal solution, since that is the fossil energy based impact remaining for a ZEB. This paper shows the results for row houses and detached houses, both calculated for 4 alternative packages.
Ritzen,M., Haagen T., Rovers R., Vroon Z., Geurts C., Environmental impact evaluation of energy saving and energy generation: Case study for two Dutch dwelling types Building and Environment, Volume 108, 1 November 2016, Pages 73–84 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2016.07.020
for some backround on the MAXergy methodology , visit www.maxergy.org
for some background on the new situation for building evaluations after eliminating operational energy impact, see Rovers R., Zero-Energy and beyond: a paradigm Shift in assessment, Buildings, 5 (1) (2014), p. 1-13 http://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/5/1/1/html