Energy efficient house - a house that consumes no more than 15 kWh / m² per year (according to European standards), also called a zero energy house. In such a house, heating costs, even in Russia, tend to a minimum.
Energy efficient house: materials and construction rules
The construction of an energy efficient home must be carried out in accordance with certain rules that guarantee lower energy losses and therefore lower heating costs. What should you pay special attention to?
The right choice of building materials
When thinking about an energy efficient home, you should also remember the iron rule - choose the right building materials. Up to 35% of the heat from the whole house "leaves" through external partitions in single-family houses. There are many types of building materials available in the market for exterior and interior walls. They differ not only in price or brand, but, above all, in technical properties and parameters.
- H + H aerated concrete is a material with good thermal insulation parameters. The blocks made from it, as one of the few available on the market, are able to meet the current and future high technical requirements regarding the thermal insulation of external partitions, even in the case of a single-layer wall. The H + H aerated concrete structure, consisting of a large number of air-filled cells, makes this material not only lightweight, but also guarantees a low heat transfer coefficient.
- Arbolit. Pros: good thermal conductivity 0.12 - 0.19 W / m³ (better than aerated concrete), relative lightness (a brick really weighs no more than 3 kg, and a block more than 20 kg). Cons: not environmentally friendly, walls made of wood concrete are blown through, not always suitable for the building design of interest, high moisture absorption.
8 important rules for building an energy efficient home:
1) The correct location of the house in relation to parts of the world;
2) High thermal insulation of external building partitions;
3) Limitation of thermal bridges;
4) Thermal accumulation of internal building partitions;
5) Correct and careful execution;
6) Heat recovery from the ventilation system;
7) The natural composition of building materials;
The use of autonomous energy.
Is it possible to turn an already built wooden house into an energy efficient one?
It is quite possible to do this if the house is in adequate condition. First you need to find bridges of cold, these are the places of heat leaks. This is usually one of the main causes of heat loss in the home. They are found in the walls of the house, in window frames, in corners and doorways. Thermal bridges are usually checked using a special thermal imager. Next, they should be insulated.
And, of course, solar energy.
Surely solar energy, how can we go without it? On average, on a sunny day, the station produces about 30-35 kW / h, and an average family of 3-4 people consumes 15-20 kW / h. The station works already at 7 am and ends at 19 pm. Maximum output 4+ kW / hour. Disadvantages of a solar battery - it is quite expensive equipment. But the station pays for itself in the future. The payback period is on average 3 to 5 years. If you can't afford it, then the old good method of making a fire in the fireplace (stove) is your faithful horse.
Finally:
Pros of an energy efficient home:
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Savings on heating
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Eco-friendly and safe home
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The special microclimate at home
Minuses:
- More expensive than an ordinary house by 15-20%.
And in truth, an energy efficient home is more expensive than an ordinary house made of timber or frame technology. An energy efficient house is a long-term project that can save a large budget and pay for itself in 5-7 years.
