ABSTRACT
In all residential buildings, a heating system has to cover two types of energy demand: the space heating (SH) demand and the demand for domestic hot water (DHW). In a Passivhaus, the space heating demand is reduced by approximately 70-80 per cent in comparison with a conventional (new) building (Feist et al., 2005; Schiano-Phan et al., 2008), with the DHW demand remaining typically the same for all types of houses. Thus, whereas in a conventional building, the space heating demand dominates, in a Passivhaus, both energy demands are at approximately the same level, or the space heating demand may be even lower. These considerations have a large impact on the choice, design and operation of a heating system in a Passivhaus.
