The self-sufficient solar house Freiburg - first results

The construction of the Self-Sufficient Solar House (SSSH) in Freiburg was completed in October 1992. Since that time the building is occupied by a 3 person family. The results of the first heating period indicate that the building performs as predicted in terms of its thermal behaviour. The construction of the building is without essential heat bridges. The opaque insulation performs as calculated. First measurements of the TI wall indicate an efficiency of 50 % for solar energy conversion. The operation of the roller blinds is without any failure. The air ventilation system has a heat recovery factor of 80 to 85 %. To our knowledge it is for the first time that a building in the Central European climate shows indoor temperatures above 18 degrees C during the whole heating period without any conventional backup heating system. The paper concentrates on the thermal behaviour of the building and the performance of the TI wall.