Abstract: As the energy demand used for space heating accounts for 78% of EU15 household delivered energy consumption, significant reductions in energy demand can be achieved by promoting low-energy buildings. Our study investigates three building types: the standard house, the low-energy house and the passive house. As more far-reaching measures concerning energy savings usually lead to higher investments, the aim of our study is to perform an economic analysis in order to determine the economic viability of the three building types.

Brief Biography of the Speaker:
Amaryllis Audenaert is assistant professor at the Artesis University College of Antwerp and at the University of Antwerp. She is head of education applied engineering: construction. Her area of expertise is the economic and ecological impact of low energy houses and passive houses in relation to standard buildings. The research incorporates the laws of building physics to describe the energetic behaviour of buildings and combines these fundamentals of heat, air and moisture with the thermal comfort of the habitants. She authored or co-authored many scientific papers published in reviewed journals or presented at international conferences.