Summary
A new development of 20 terraced houses at Lindås, 20km south of Göteborg in which a traditional heating system has been replaced by a heat exchanger in combination with an exceptionally well insulated construction. Construction costs were approximately equal to those of standard construction techniques.

Background
The buildings have been designed to provide a pleasant indoor environment with minimum energy use. The courtyard façade towards the south has large windows to make full use of solar heat. Balconies and projecting eaves provide protection against excessive solar radiation during the summer. Owing to the terrace construction with houses of 11m depth, there are few external walls, and these are exceptionally well-insulated and airtight. The roof window above the staircase gives light in the middle of the house, and is also used for effective ventilation in the summer.

The houses are the result of a research project extending over a period of years and aim to highlight the practicality of taking this kind of approach, and its replicability elsewhere.

Implementation:
The houses are neither more nor less complicated to live in than ordinary houses. Obviously, a house without a heating system demands that those who live in it modify their behaviour, but mostly it is a matter of using their common sense: if it is cold outside, they do not open the windows to create a through draught. If it is warm and sunny, they lower the blinds or the awnings outside the southerly windows. Extra measures - greater airtightness and insulation, adaptation to "passive solar heating" and heat recovery in the ventilation - are paid for by the much lower costs of the heating system and the savings in energy costs. A number of partners have been involved over a period of years, with rigorous technical scrutiny of the project

• EFEM arketektkontor
• Chalmers University of Technology
• Swedish Council for Building Research
• Lund University
• Swedish National Testing and Research Institute

The houses are being monitored during occupation to assess whether they are meeting their design performance and delivering a pleasant living environment.

Results

• Energy consumption of just over 1/3 of normal levels: 5400 kWh/year compared with around 15000 kWh for a standard terraced house
• Much lower running costs than for traditional house types
• Construction cost approximately equal to standard construction
• 5 m2 of solar panels/house, providing energy for around half the hot water requirement
• Ventilation system with 85% heat recovery

Construction details:

• External wall u-value of 0.1W/m2K (framed timber construction with 43cm insulation)
• Roof u-value of 0.08W/m2K (masonite beams with 48cm insulation)
• Floor u-value of 0.09W/m2K (concrete slab laid on 25cm insulation)

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