Energy efficient home - part 1

Russia

According to RBC, in Russia the first active house was built in 2011 in the Moscow region. Heating and hot water supply of the house is carried out with the help of a geothermal pump and solar collectors, hybrid ventilation with heat recovery is used. All engineering systems are integrated into a single automated home control system. Thanks to technology, the cost of heating rooms is 12 thousand rubles, while heating an ordinary cottage of the same size will cost 20-24 thousand rubles a year.The cost of construction, including finishing work, landscape design of the site, as well as the purchase of furniture, is about 30 million rubles.

Germany's first "zero energy" apartment building

Germany's first "active house" was built in Wilhelmshaven. |

Recently, a unique apartment building was put into operation in the small German city of Wilhelmshaven. Its unusualness lies in the fact that families who rent apartments here will not have to pay for electricity or heat. After all, it is built according to the highest energy efficiency standard KfW-40, which is equivalent to the requirements applicable to a "passive house". The dwelling is designed for six apartments with an area of ​​90 sq. meters each.

According to the criteria of the German Solar Home Institute (Sonnenhaus Institut), the building is considered to be energy-sustainable. |

Naturally, during the construction, a place was carefully selected so that the sun's rays could provide an uninterrupted supply of electricity for the longest possible time to meet the needs of the residents of the house. For greater energy savings, all external walls of the "self-sufficient" building were carefully insulated, which significantly increased thermal insulation. Such a design of the premises, modern systems for processing solar energy and heat recovery help to ensure a comfortable life for tenants, and in summer also for nearby houses.

Solar panels have been installed on the southern slope of the roof and even on the balconies of the zero-energy house (Wilhelmshaven, Germany). |

Naturally practical Germans set a limit on the free use of public services, for example, the maximum limits for the benefits for one family for electricity were determined - this is 3000 kW / h and 100 cubic meters of water per year.

No. 7. Sources of electricity

An energy-efficient home should use electricity as economically as possible and, preferably, get it from renewable sources. To date, a lot of technologies have been implemented for this.

wind generator

Wind energy can be converted into electricity not only with large wind turbines, but also with the help of compact "home" wind turbines. In windy areas, such installations are able to fully provide electricity to a small house; in regions with low wind speeds, they are best used in conjunction with solar panels.

The force of the wind drives the blades of the windmill, which cause the rotor of the electricity generator to rotate. The generator produces an alternating unstable current, which is rectified in the controller. Batteries are charged there, which, in turn, are connected to inverters, where the direct voltage is converted into an alternating voltage used by the consumer.

Windmills can be with horizontal and vertical axis of rotation. At one-time costs, they solve the problem of energy independence for a long time.

Solar battery

The use of sunlight for electricity generation is not so common, but in the near future the situation is in danger of changing dramatically. The principle of operation of a solar battery is very simple: a p-n junction is used to convert sunlight into electricity.The directed movement of electrons, provoked by solar energy, is electricity.

The designs and materials used are constantly being improved, and the amount of electricity directly depends on the illumination. So far, various modifications of silicon solar cells are the most popular, but new polymer film batteries, which are still under development, are becoming an alternative to them.

Energy saving

The resulting electricity must be able to spend wisely. The following solutions are useful for this:

• the use of LED lamps, which are twice as economical as fluorescent ones and almost 10 times more economical than conventional "Ilyich bulbs";
• use of energy-saving equipment of class A, A+, A++, etc. Although it is initially slightly more expensive than the same devices with higher power consumption, in the future the savings will be significant;
• the use of presence sensors so that the light in the rooms does not burn in vain, and other smart systems, which were mentioned above;
• if you had to use electricity for heating, then it is better to replace conventional radiators with more advanced systems. These are thermal panels that consume two times less electricity than traditional systems, which is achieved through the use of a heat-accumulating coating. Similar savings are provided by monolithic quartz modules, the principle of which is based on the ability of quartz sand to accumulate and retain heat. Another option is film radiant electric heaters. They are mounted on the ceiling, and infrared radiation heats the floor and objects in the room, thereby achieving an optimal indoor climate and saving electricity.

Great civilizations of the past

Humans have been around for hundreds of thousands of years, but until the last 7,000 years, we roamed the earth in small groups, hunting, gathering edible plants, and fearing threats from other people, animals.

and weather conditions. Everything changed after the development of tools, weapons and fire, and the first major

a step towards civilization was the domestication of animals for food, clothing, transportation and communication.

As William R. Nester writes in The Rise and Fall of Civilizations, this was followed by the domestication of plants, when small groups began to settle in river valleys, sow and harvest. Over the centuries, some of these settlements developed into complex civilizations that included most or all of the following:

• cattle breeding and agriculture; complex, hierarchical political, social, economic, military, and religious institutions, each with a division of labor;
• the use of metals, wheels and writing; well-defined territories;
• trade with other nations.

Roman civilization arose around the sixth century BC. At the height of its power, the Roman Empire ruled over a vast tract of land, and all modern Mediterranean countries were part of ancient Rome.

Recently, scientists have finally unraveled the mystery of the death of the Maya civilization - one of the brightest civilizations in the history of mankind, the dawn of which fell approximately in the 3rd-9th centuries.As the results of several scientific studies at once showed, which I described in detail in this article, among the causes of the death of the Maya, researchers identify several factors at once - droughts, wars, food shortages, etc.

Energy balance

An important characteristic of eco housing is the balance between transmission or ventilation heat loss and its generation together with energy from the sun, heating and internal heat sources. To achieve it, it is important the following components:

• compactness building;
• thermal insulation heated area;
• admission thermal energy from the sun, through the exit of window openings to the south with a deviation of up to 30 degrees and the absence of blackout.

The calculation takes into account the angle of incidence of light from the sun at different times of the year.

To reduce the cost of energy resources, you should use household appliances with high levels of energy efficiency. The ideal passive housing is a thermos house with no heating. Water can be heated using a solar collector or a heat pump.

No. 9. What to build an energy-saving house

Of course, it is better to use the most natural and natural raw materials, the production of which does not require numerous processing steps. It is wood and stone. It is better to give preference to materials that are produced in the region, because in this way the cost of transportation is reduced. In Europe, passive houses began to be built from inorganic waste processing products. These are concrete, glass and metal.

If once you pay attention to the study of energy-saving technologies, think over the project of an eco-house and invest in it, in subsequent years the cost of maintaining it will be minimal or even tend to zero.

7) Energy efficient ventilation and air conditioning systems

The systems that go into your home are just as important as the structural design. It is estimated that heating and cooling accounts for about 48% of the energy consumption in a typical home. So this is definitely a key area for saving energy and money with your custom home building. Consider an energy recovery ventilator (ERV). It's basically a fancy name for a system that reduces power consumption on yours. It recirculates air from your home's exhaust fans and ductwork to preheat or precool air entering your home. "Energy savings pay off for the remaining initial investment in a relatively short time - payback period for most systems is between 3 months and 3 years, in depending on the size of the system and the geographic location of the building. ERV then continues to provide the owner with positive cash flow over the lifetime of the system, which is typically over 20 years.” — Ryan R

Hoger. Also look out for high-efficiency heat pumps. Heating and air conditioning tend to be the largest consumer of energy in a home.

An efficient HVAC system can save you tons of energy and therefore money in your monthly bill. Consider an air source heat pump.A heat pump can reduce the amount of electricity used for heating by about 50% compared to electrical resistance (such as stoves and baseboard heaters), according to Energy. kWh of energy compared to electric resistance heaters, and 948 and 6200 kWh of energy compared to oil systems.

No. 1. Energy Saving House Design

The dwelling will be as economical as possible if it was designed taking into account all energy-saving technologies. It will be more difficult, more expensive to remake an already built house, and it will be difficult to achieve the expected results. The project is developed by experienced specialists, taking into account the requirements of the customer, but it must be remembered that the set of solutions used must, first of all, be cost-effective. An important point is to take into account the climatic features of the region.

As a rule, houses in which they live permanently are made energy-saving, so the task of saving heat, maximizing the use of natural light, etc., comes first. The project should take into account individual requirements, but it is better if the passive house is as compact as possible, i.e. cheaper to maintain.

Different options may meet the same requirements. The joint decision-making of the best architects, designers and engineers made it possible to create a universal energy-saving frame house even at the stage of developing the building plan (read more here). The unique design combines all cost-effective offers:

• thanks to the technology of SIP panels, the structure has high strength;
• a decent level of thermal and sound insulation, as well as the absence of cold bridges;
• the construction does not require the usual expensive heating system;
• using frame panels, the house is built very quickly and is characterized by a long service life;
• the premises are compact, comfortable and convenient during their subsequent operation.

As an alternative, aerated concrete blocks can be used to build load-bearing walls, insulating the structure from all sides and resulting in a large "thermos". Wood is often used as the most environmentally friendly material.

A few more concepts of energy efficiency

Speaking of an economical house, only thermal energy was mentioned in the article. But you can also save on electricity and water. To save electricity, it is not necessary to deny yourself many familiar and convenient things. Use automated and programmable devices, such as electronic switches with motion sensors.

You can also save on water. It is impossible to control the consumption of such a resource automatically. Monitor the water meter more often, reduce watering of adjacent areas, introduce drip and limited watering using a specialized valve.

Video description

Visually about the technology of an energy-efficient home, see the video:

Conclusion

The scheme for creating an energy efficient home is quite simple. The main thing is to plan the construction of an economical house at the design stage.But we must remember that the construction of such a smart home initially involves a larger investment than in the case of the construction of an ordinary cottage. However, over time, all these costs will pay off and bear fruit.

Fundamentals of Energy Efficiency

A well-functioning heating and ventilation system allows achieving high energy efficiency indicators. Not the last role is played by the quality of thermal insulation of the house.

More specifically, you should pay attention to the following:

• The choice of building materials with a low thermal conductivity.
• Installation of energy-saving windows.
• Good thermal insulation of walls, floor, ceiling. The formation of "cold bridges" should be prevented.
• Organization of powerful supply and exhaust ventilation of premises with recuperation.
• Efficient use of solar energy.
• Installation of an insulated foundation.

As a result of the use of efficient technologies, the costs can be 15-20% more than when building a typical house. However, the energy-efficient option is cheaper to operate by almost 60%.

Sweden

In 2009, in Sweden, near the city of Malmö, the Villa Åkarp house was erected. The housing is practically airtight: the foundation, walls and roof are insulated with a thick layer of polystyrene. The windows are triple-glazed, and only three of them face south, which prevents the building from overheating. The presence of krypton in double-glazed windows also helps retain heat. A constant flow of fresh air is provided by a heat exchanger. Solar panels produce 4,200 kWh of electricity per year. The energy surplus is 600 kWh per year. Thanks to energy savings, homeowners save an average of 1,650 euros annually.The cost of Villa Åkarp was not specified, but the construction and equipment costs were about 100,000 euros more than the cost of a conventional house.

Passive house technology

To achieve a high level of energy savings, the construction of energy efficient houses requires competent work at the same time. in four directions:

1. No thermal bridges – try to avoid inclusions that conduct heat. To do this, there is a special program for calculating the temperature field, which makes it possible to detect and analyze the presence of all unfavorable places of all structures of the building fencing, for future optimization.
2. Heat recovery, mechanical ventilation and internal sealing. Finding and eliminating its leaks is created by organizing tests on the airtightness of buildings.
3. thermal insulation must be provided in all external sections - butt, corner and transition. In such a case, the heat transfer coefficient must be less than 0.15 W/m2K.
4. modern windows - low-emission double-glazed windows, which are filled with an inert gas.

Factors affecting energy efficiency

A few more concepts of energy efficiency

Speaking of an economical house, only thermal energy was mentioned in the article. But you can also save on electricity and water. To save electricity, it is not necessary to deny yourself many familiar and convenient things. Use automated and programmable devices, such as electronic switches with motion sensors.

You can also save on water. It is impossible to control the consumption of such a resource automatically.Monitor the water meter more often, reduce watering of adjacent areas, introduce drip and limited watering using a specialized valve.

Video description

Visually about the technology of an energy-efficient home, see the video:

Conclusion

The scheme for creating an energy efficient home is quite simple. The main thing is to plan the construction of an economical house at the design stage. But we must remember that the construction of such a smart home initially involves a larger investment than in the case of the construction of an ordinary cottage. However, over time, all these costs will pay off and bear fruit.

Source

How to improve the energy efficiency of an already built wooden house

Such a procedure is quite realistic for residential premises in good condition, i.e. if it is not subject to demolition in a couple of years, then it can be reconstructed without problems. Reducing heat loss is possible with the help of modern technologies and materials.

At the first stage look for places where there are leaks. These are the so-called cold bridges, and they take away the largest part of the heat in the whole house. You need to look for them in the roof, walls, door and window openings. The cellar, basement and attic space are places that should not be left unattended.

Fungus and mold are another indicator of the presence of cold bridges, since they most often form in places where temperatures drop, and hence the appearance of condensate.

Second phase - This is the choice of insulating materials. They must be environmentally friendly and clean. The most popular option is warm plaster. Such material will help to effectively cope with various joints and depressurized seams.Polyethylene is another great insulating material. Its thickness must be at least two hundred microns and it is mounted under a wooden sheathing.

Steps to transform an ordinary house into an energy efficient one

5) Energy efficient windows and doors

Use energy efficient windows and doors so you don't lose the benefits of properly insulating your home. They must seal openings tightly and have adequate weather protection. It may be more expensive up front, but using ineffective products can cost you more in the long run. In addition, energy-efficient windows and doors add value to your home. Energy-efficient windows, doors, and skylights can lower your home's energy bill by 23% and save an average of $101 per year. That's a total of 1,006-6,205 cubic meters of CO2 per year compared to standard single pane windows!

The first pilot house "Luukku" in Finland

The first experimental "active house" "Luukku" was built in Kuopio according to the project of students (Finland). | .

Remarkably, the first "zero energy house" was designed in Finland by ordinary architecture students, which they called "Luukku". With their light hand, this house was built in the town of Kuopio, and after some testing and making sure of its profitability, it was decided to implement several more such unique projects.

Naturally, for this kind of construction, one project is not enough, you need to choose the right location for the house, because given the climatic zone of Finland, it is very difficult to organize the process of transforming solar energy into electrical energy here.Therefore, the house was positioned so that the main slope of the roof was formed precisely on the south side, and where there are no trees at all.

Power installations make it possible to illuminate the entire adjacent territory (Luukku, Finland). | .

They also used modern building materials and the latest scientific developments, which made it possible to create the required density of walls with high thermal insulation and install an active ventilation system. To avoid heat loss, an ideal architectural form was created, which has an extremely simple shape without unnecessary protrusions.

Even taking into account the harsh northern climate of the country, the residents of this unique housing do not have to deny themselves the benefits, because the generated electricity is enough to maintain a comfortable temperature in severe frosts, cook food, use household appliances, and even maintain a swimming pool and a gym with a special air conditioning system.

Table for monitoring the operation of all systems of Europe's first "active house" ("Luukku", Finland). | .

And the most interesting thing, since this house is the "first-born" of students, they created his personal web page on the Internet, and now anyone can monitor the work of all his systems.

3) Compact layout design

Another often overlooked yet easy way to save energy in your home is its layout. Reduced surface area reduces internal heat loss. Distributed houses will lose more heat and be less efficient than houses with a compact layout. In particular, round and spherical houses are very efficient. Taller houses are often more efficient than one-story ones.Designing a home with this in mind is one of the easiest "one-off" ways to improve energy efficiency. Virginia Tech and State University advises: "Houses with simple, compact shapes, when properly designed, are more energy efficient than irregularly shaped houses. A simple shaped home has less surface area and is less exposed to the outside elements of sun, rain and wind. It receives less heat in summer and loses less heat in winter. It also uses fewer building materials.” Of course, the layout and shape of your home will depend on your site, local regulations, and individual needs. Discuss with your architect how to design a layout that will give you what you need while still taking advantage of this simple energy saving method.

Summarizing

Now it is clear whether it is worth spending money on additional insulation of the building. Due to ever-rising energy prices, investing in energy-efficient housing needs to be considered in the long term.

It is also necessary to take into account the development of building technologies and the mass introduction of highly efficient types of insulation, more thoughtful components and structures of cottages, alternative energy sources and heating systems.

Read on FORUMHOUSE about building energy-efficient housing and whether heating with electricity can be cheap. Get acquainted with the diary of calculating the payback from additional insulation of the house and the algorithm for calculating the optimal thickness of insulation. Learn how to calculate the economic feasibility of additional insulation.

In this video, watch how to build an energy efficient house. Learn about what a passive house is.

Finally

Despite the seeming high cost of building a truly energy-efficient house, after 5-7 years the costs are fully paid off, after which the systems begin to work exclusively for the owner, saving his money. At the same time, the owner is always aware of the status of all systems, which he can track from his home computer or smartphone, being anywhere in the world. In Russia, such houses are still very rare, we can say that they are being built only as experimental housing. But separate systems of autonomization are used more and more often. Let's hope that in the near future, energy-efficient homes will become more common, and therefore affordable.

Perhaps soon there will be such "villages of the future"

Perhaps you have already installed one of the described systems in your home. In this case, we ask you to tell us if the savings are felt, what is the forecast for the payback period. If you liked today's article, don't forget to rate it. And finally, we bring to your attention a video that will tell you a little more about energy-efficient houses.

Watch this video on YouTube