CEPHEUS

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CEPHEUS (Cost Efficient Passive Houses as European Standards) was a research project that assessed and validated the German Passivhaus energy efficient building standard on a European scale. The project was sponsored by the European Union as part of the THERMIE programme, with Dr Wolfgang Feist (co-originator of the Passivhaus concept) as scientific director [1].

Under CEPHEUS, 14 housing developments were built, resulting in a total of 221 homes constructed to the Passivhaus standard. 84 were in Austria, 72 in Germany, 40 in France, 20 in Sweden and 5 in Switzerland.

The project proved the concept through in-use measurements during the winter of 2000-2001. It also spurred the commercial development of the necessary technologies, at least in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.