Very Low-Energy House Concepts in North European ... - NorthPass

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meaning that everybody are expected to be able to learn within a short period of time and live
a perfectly normal life in en very low energy house.
Lighting conditions
In general, regarding electrical lighting, it can be claimed that there should be a difference
between very low energy buildings and standard ones. Very low energy buildings should also
have low energy lighting, e.g. high quality lighting fixtures (reflection-intensifying specular
louvre lights) in connection with high efficient lamps (e.g. T5 tubular fluorescent lamps or for
example LED-down lights), energy saving ballasts (electronic) or different control systems
for adaption to the necessary lighting level by dimming. Dimming optimizes the daylight use
and reduces the electricity consumption. Most LEDs have currently still problems to produce
the light colour that is good/normal for reading. However the industry developments are
improving, and in the near future this problem is expected to be solved.
Concerning very low energy buildings the following aspects might contribute negatively with
respect to daylight utilization:
Better window U-value means lower light transmission of the glazing
Thicker walls (more thermal insulation) means poorer penetration of daylight
The challenge is to develop solutions for daylighting and solar shading that reduce energy
consumption for lighting and cooling and still provide a high quality indoor environment
[Arnesen].
White or light coloured interior walls reduce the demand for lighting [Kienzlen].
Løvåshagen cooperative housing, Bergen. The first dwelling
block with passive house standard in Norway. Architects: ABO
Plan og Arkitektur
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