Description

This deep energy retrofit of a semi-detached home is one of the first in Spain to obtain the EnerPHit Plus certification. The project was certified by Oliver Style of Praxis Resilient Buildings, with Passivhaus design by Alberto Jimenez Tiberio of Arrebol Eficiencia Energética.

The dwelling, over three floors, belongs to a row of terraced houses located in Beloso, Pamplona. The exposed brick facades and the aesthetics of the neighbourhood meant the house had to be insulated internally, mainly using mineral wool insulation. To meet the Passivhaus requirements, certified Cortizo A84 window frames were installed together with low emissivity, argon filled triple glazing.

The airtightness of the envelope was massively improved during the renovation, with an excellent result in the final blower door test of n50 = 0.64 ach.

Mechanical ventilation with heat recovery is with a Siber Excellent 4 unit, ensuring a high level of air quality. An air-to-water Mitsubishi heat pump was installed for heating and cooling (using underfloor heating and fan coils), and for domestic hot water production.

Solar photovoltaic panels were installed on the roof, bringing the house to EnerPHit Plus certification. The PV array generates, during a typical year, more energy than the house consumes.

Retrofitting an existing home to Passivhaus standard is a bold step in sustainability, reducing a building’s carbon footprint by reusing the existing structure and slashing operational carbon emissions. The project was certified to EnerPHit Plus by Praxis Resilient Buildings.

Links:

PEP (Plataforma Edificación Passivhaus)

iPHa (Base de datos internacional de proyectos Passivhaus)