Turn the gas off : Zero-energy achievement based on free floating internal conditions between health-related limits

The current trend in low energy building design is to reduce heating needs at ambitious levels – e.g. the Passive House concept - and to compensate residual consumptions with renewable. This leads to so called net-zero-energy buildings. This paper explores another possible definition of zero energy: a building that, without mechanical heat supply, maintains winter internal conditions between health related limits. Thanks to dynamic simulations, it is shown that an apartment designed according to passive architecture best practices is matching this definition. The paper concludes on a proposition of shared responsibility between the designers and the inhabitant: the passive achievement of healthy indoor conditions is the designer’s responsibility, while the achievement of more comfortable indoor conditions falls to the inhabitant’s share.