Everything about biopassive houses

The future of housing must go through sustainability, that is something that is clear in the industry and especially in governments like that of the European Union. This is why in two years all public and private constructions in Spain will have to be nearly zero energy buildings. On the other hand, among the most popular ecological construction standards is one of them is passive houses, which are characterized by almost not producing any expense to generate energy for enjoyment at home. And alongside them are biopassive houses, a new twist to this model, but in an even more sustainable way.

To put it simply, biopassive houses are a more ecological advance after the passive models. In these cases, the construction materials must come exclusively from environmentally friendly sources and recyclable materials. Such as wood, sheep wool, clay or straw. It is possible to use materials like cellulose, wood fiber or cork in the insulation of walls, for example. Moreover, such materials should not produce harmful emissions.

One of the differences between passive houses and biopassive houses is that the latter have a better use of natural ventilation and make better use of natural energies, such as sun, water, wind, and air. However, they also require mechanical ventilation systems, which are the only elements that require energy in these sustainable homes.

As is usually the case with passive houses -which have their own sustainable seal-, the choice of the location where the house should be built is a priority. The orientation to the sun, the way it will receive sunlight and air or the terrain will directly affect a house that must make the most of the natural elements. The climate also conditions everything in this type of housing. In the interior of Spain and on the coast, completely different situations will be experienced. This is why each project must be looked at step by step and in a personalized way.

Due to this, biopassive houses have nothing to do with prefabricated ones. The latter can be adapted to each terrain, but they will not take advantage of energy sources in the same way as if they are created for a specific location.

Many times, creating a biopassive house may seem complex due to the cost it will have. They are more expensive than those made with non-ecological materials, but in the long run, it will lead to such great energy savings that it will compensate for that initial investment. Moreover, in winter and summer, even the air conditioning will have a significantly lower expense, as it uses mechanical ventilation systems, which in many cases consume as much as a light bulb.

Comfort and ventilation in biopassive houses

In biopassive houses, comfort will depend greatly on how well they are built to prevent cold or heat from passing through. Precisely, the expected quality standard must create a favorable environment for the people living in the place without the need for an expense in air conditioning or lighting generated by traditional energies.

Similarly to what happens with passive houses, the idea is that outside it may be snowing or at very cold temperatures, while indoors you enjoy an optimal humidity environment at about 22 degrees Celsius.

This is partly due to the double flow ventilation systems that have a heat recovery unit. In this way, by exchanging the air of the house, the air introduced from the street can be heated. If the house has been built under the best conditions of insulation and airtightness, mechanical ventilation will surely be enough to provide that necessary comfort.

In any case, biopassive houses, like passive ones, are more thought out for cold climates, and they are more popular in cold countries like Germany or England. But the double flow ventilation is also a help in summer, so we can cool the homes when temperatures force us to wear short sleeves.

In addition to having ecological materials, biopassive houses must also meet a series of characteristics that they share with most sustainable housing:

• The architecture must be personalized and optimize the available resources.
• The strong point of passive and biopassive houses is that they should not consume almost any energy resources.
• They must renew and recycle energy. With the recovery unit in ventilation, for example.
• They must minimize waste.
• Undoubtedly, they must improve the quality of life of their occupants.