Abstract
This study describes the temperature and temperature variability trend accompanied with introducing modern building insulation standards in Germany, ranging from classical buildings before 1978 to EnEV-2009 and passive house standards (PAH). Data sets comprise far about 10 million field measurements covering room temperatures and manual ventilation activities as well as an exemplary case study within six modern EnEV-2009 buildings. We find winter indoor temperatures increased by 4 K, from initially 18 degrees C in buildings built prior to 1978 up to about 22 degrees C within passive houses and modern EnEV-2009 standard, and, at the same time, room temperatures become more homogenous while the lower temperatures are almost vanishing. Furthermore, almost 10 % of the windows are kept open even during the mid-winter heating season. We argue that modern buildings experience frequent, unexpected and unrequested inner energy gains and subsequently larger heat storing effects during the entire season, which lead to discomfort and a reflex to open windows. The "bio-feedback" of residents changes: they may quickly feel a sense of "overheating", but practically never more experience freezing events. Additional research in interdisciplinary best practice labs, aiming at an enhanced understanding of individual feelings of thermal comfort and the development of adapted assisting systems, is recommended. This study emphasizes, that enforced application of building standards beyond EnEV-2002 appears questionable, as long as physiological wellness in modern living environment does not harmonize with technical concepts of energy use optimization and should only be introduced on a voluntary basis.
Item Type: | Journal article |
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Faculties: | Social Sciences > Department of Sociology |
Subjects: | 300 Social sciences > 300 Social sciences, sociology and anthropology |
ISSN: | 0171-5445 |
Language: | German |
Item ID: | 66306 |
Date Deposited: | 19. Jul 2019, 12:19 |
Last Modified: | 04. Nov 2020, 13:47 |