IBO reference values 2012

The new EN 15804 standard

In April 2012, ÖNORM EN 15804 was published for the first time. In order to maintain consistency between product-specific data and reference values, it was therefore necessary to update the building ecology data. The main changes were:

• The primary energy content was calculated in accordance with EN 15804 on the basis of the lower instead of the upper heating value. The lower calorific value is approx. 5 to 10 % lower than the upper calorific value that had been used in Austria until then.
• The characterisation factors for the Global Warming Potential (GWP) and the Acidification Potential (AP) were adapted by the Scientific Society or new ones were added. For example, the factor for biogenic methane was reduced from 23 to 20 CO2 equivalents, and the factor for carbon monoxide was increased from 1.53 to 1.57 CO2 equivalents. A significant change was made for sulphur dioxide, whose acidification contribution was changed from 1 to 1.2 SO2 equivalents.

New updated building material data

In 2012, the following updates and additions were also made:

• Production data of the building materials were updated, and in isolated cases new products were included in the calculation of averages. 
• The new building material data are based on the updated basic data from ecoinvent v.2.1. The electricity mix and the transport modules have a relevant influence on the results.
  • The introduction of exhaust emission classes (EURO 3, 4, 5) has significantly improved the vehicle fleet and thus the emission of acidifying substances.
  • In the electricity mix, the share of renewable energy sources has increased significantly, while fossil fuels have decreased. As in the case of transport, the acidification potential here is also significantly lower than in 2007.
• New products, especially in the area of building services, have been added.

The data for the 2012 IBO reference values were collected as part of the "Passive House Building Components Catalogue" study.

Passive House Building Components Catalogue - Ecologically Valued Constructions / Details for Passive-Houses. Supported by "Building of Tomorrow". Publication by Springer Vienna 2007.

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