This timely and easy-to-read book contains a treasure trove of information about energy-efficient buildings. Starting with (impressive!) statistics, legislation and standards (particularly in northern Europe), the book quickly moves into practical matters. A chapter on heat transfer and energy use reviews the physics fundamentals, including tables of material properties and copious equations. The authors then embark on a review of technological solutions, some passive and some active/smart, including energy production and storage in buildings.
A book of this size cannot go into the full depth of what is required in retrofitting an existing building or constructing a new one to be near-zero emission buildings (nZEBs), the standard for new construction in Europe. Instead, the many and current references in each chapter provide the needed depth. There are no problems or applications at the end of the chapters, but the book could be used as textbook for a graduate course or as reference for a practitioner or interested homeowner. A note to the U.S. reader: the book uses metric units and sometimes uses the European comma instead of the decimal point.
Review by Bogdan Hoanca, University of Alaska Anchorage.
The opinions expressed in the book review section are those of the reviewer and do not necessarily reflect those of OPN or OSA.