Low Energy Housing in Denmark – The Future

The paper will discuss the current building regulations in DK and compare these to UK in the context of climatic differences between UK and DK As an example of current actions, the award winning competition entry for 130 sustainable houses for the Ringgaarden housing association in Aarhus will be presented. The brief demanded exceptionally low energy demand for heating and it will be described how the target was met. Indoor climate is not compromised by the low energy demand. A decent life cycle economy is crucial in order to introduce sustainable housing on a broader scale. Examples of the economy of such an approach will be discussed. Finally work in realising the Passive House Concept in DK will be discussed. This will review the history of low energy houses in DK and the lessons learned. Barriers to take up the Passive House Concept are real and will be discussed alongside the latest thoughts on how to overcome them.