Adequate Net Zero Rating Approach

As outPHit and the EU strive for a sustainable future it is vital to pick the appropriate yardstick. Inappropriate incentives could cause lock-in effects at a later date even if they sound reasonable at first glance. The newly published approach picks up on the claims of the most discussed concepts and how they may steer the development. It will therefore help project managers navigate through the different concepts of “net zero” to ensure a reliable and robust assessment of building concepts with regard to carbon emissions and the transition to renewable energy sources.

Embodied Energy Evaluation Tool

Contrary to popular belief that the manufacturing energy of building components plays the decisive role in the overall energy balance of a building, in reality it is often the operating energy that is crucial. In the framework of outPHit, the Passive House Institute has therefore investigated appropriate methods for assessing both, manufacturing and operational energy.

The Embodied Energy Evaluation Tool will be new add-on to the Passive House Planning Package (PHPP) and can be used to assess and compare single materials regarding manufacturing energy and CO2, opaque assemblies regarding manufacturing and operational energy as well as CO2, glazing and window frames regarding manufacturing and operational energy as well CO2 and assess whole buildings regarding manufacturing and operational energy as well as CO2.

The report on the Adequate Net Zero Rating Approach as well as the Methodology of the Embodied Energy Evaluation Tool are available online.