Adapting Buildings to the Current CTE-DB-HE: A Single-Family Housing Development in Logroño (La Rioja)

Abstract

The main innovation introduced by the new CTE-DB-HE 2013 regulation for private residential housing is the mandatory limitation of energy demand and non-renewable energy consumption; such buildings, therefore, need to be simulated with official or authorised computer tools. The previous CTE-DB-HE 2009 limited energy demand, but the resulting energy demand figures were far higher than those stipulated by the current Code. A decrease in energy demand translates into final energy savings. If more efficient technologies are used, those savings can be increased. Overarching priorities include the following: a proportion of the energy used must come from renewable sources, and consumption of primary energy and CO₂ emissions must be reduced. A study has been conducted on how these parameters are affected by five different building envelopes used in single-family housing developments in Logroño (La Rioja), considering prior and current regulations. The thermal transmittance figures utilised in the study are as follows: the limit values established under the CTE-DB-HE1 2009; compliant with the CTE-DB-HE 2009; the limit values established under the CTE-DB-HE1 2013; the recommended values listed in Appendix E of the CTE-DB-HE1 2013; and compliant with the current CTE-DB-HE 2013.