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A. Mahdavi, E. Doppelbauer:
"A performance comparison of passive and low-energy buildings";
Talk: 10th REHVA World Congress, Antalya; 2010-05-09 - 2010-05-12; in: "clima 2010 - 10th REHVA World Congress", N. Sahin (ed.); Verlag / Organisation / Universität mit wissenschaftlichem Lektorat, (2010), 8 pages.

The present paper compares apartments in two residential blocks in Vienna (one passive and
the other one low-energy). These blocks were constructed simultaneously in the same location
and with comparable building construction features and floor plans. The main difference
between the two blocks (other than the higher degree of thermal insulation in the passive
building) lies in the ventilation system: passive buildings deploy controlled ventilation,
whereas the low-energy buildings rely mostly on user-operated natural (window) ventilation.
We measured indoor environmental conditions (indoor air temperature, relative humidity, and
CO2 concentration) in two units of each block over a period of five months. Additionally, the
buildings were compared in view of energy performance and costs. The results suggest that
both buildings perform well. However, passive apartments turned out to perform slightly
better with respect to indoor environmental conditions. They also consume less energy during
operation time, but involve slightly higher initial (construction) costs.