The environmental impact of a low-energy house in Lovrenc na Pohorju as a practical example

Buildings have a major impact on the environment, consuming vast amounts of natural resources and releasing emissions that cause global warming. Sustainable construction is a building approach that is kind to both people and the environment, conserves natural resources, and prevents pollution. Low-energy building design is considered a viable option to reduce the negative impacts of increased energy consumption in the construction and maintenance processes.

This design approach consists of the ingenious use of the building form and envelope in order to save energy. The topic of low-energy buildings has received wide and growing interest in recent years due to energy-saving policies in developed countries.

The design of a low-energy building is addressed by energy-saving measures and renewable energy production, but a correct assessment of the phenomena occurring in the building usually requires the implementation of dynamic simulations and the analysis of several scenarios to reach an optimal solution.

The aim of low-energy design is to make buildings as “passive” as possible, meaning that they can meet most of their occupants’ heating, cooling, and lighting needs from the outside environment – and then maintain occupant comfort as the outside cycle from day to night, summer to winter.

The aim of the work was to determine the environmental impact of a low-energy single-family house in the municipality of Lovrenc na Pohorju. In the research part, we presented the calculations necessary to verify the hypotheses. The project consists of a low-energy single-family house in the municipality of Lovrenc na Pohorju.

We have found that the construction of a low-energy house in the municipality of Lovrenc na Pohorju is more favourable than conventional construction due to the low primary energy consumption, the low coefficient of specific heat loss and, in addition, more than 25% of the total final energy of the low-energy house in the municipality of Lovrenc na Pohorju is provided by the use of renewable energy sources.

In addition, it positively impacts the environment, as the annual emissions of 〖CO〗_2 of the Low Energy House in the municipality of Lovrenc na Pohorju are lower than allowed.
One of the first benefits of energy-efficient homes is a significant reduction in bills. Improving a home’s energy efficiency reduces dependence on traditional energy sources and thus reduces carbon emissions. It also promotes the conservation of natural resources.