Location, shape, distribution of rooms, thermal bridges, renewable energy sources – these are the issues that must be taken into account when building an energy-efficient house. We have checked, what else owners have to know, how the building project should look like and where the heat may escape.
Matching energy efficiency are conditions, which should be fulfilled by energy efficient house. As the name suggests, its construction is profitable not only from an economic point of view, but also from an ecological one – this type of real estate is environmentally friendly.
Thanks to tailored energy efficiency we are able to reduce operating costs of the property, especially in combination with renewable energy sources, such as installation of photovoltaic panels or installation of a heat pump.
As in the case of any construction, also here the project is necessary. Already at this stage you need to analyze all the parameters and check whether the house really has a chance to become energy efficient. In addition to the purely legal assumptions, requirements for the location of the house on the plot and maintaining certain distances, the house can be placed on the north-south axis, and more specifically have the entrance, garage, boiler room and dressing room in the north, and the garden and living room in the south, where sunlight will additionally heat that part of the house where we spend most time.
If we want to have large glazing, let us also choose it on the south side. Otherwise they could generate more heat loss. The project must include information on the heat transfer coefficients of individual partitions in the building (for example, between the rooms and the unheated garage added on the side), energy demand, ways of heating the house and ventilation, as well as taking into account the terrain, the prevailing wind direction and objects shading the plot, such as trees or neighboring buildings.
Not every house can be said to be energy efficient. In this case it is necessary to meet several requirements, which are legally specified. The key is to determine how much energy is used to generate heat. The owners should install a mechanical ventilation system responsible, among other things, for recovering heat from the exhaust air.
>> Read also: Gravity ventilation vs. mechanical ventilation with heat recovery
It is also important to take care of minimizing heating costs and limiting heat losses, which are influenced by the shape of an economical house. The simplest forms will work best, but this is not imposed by regulations. In addition, it is necessary to use high-quality wall insulation materials, very tight windows, and think about the general layout of rooms, which affects energy consumption.
Thermal bridges, otherwise known as thermal bridges, are points through which heat escapes from the house. As a result, it is more difficult to heat the house, especially in winter when the temperature is far below zero. You should therefore take care to eliminate them. Thermal bridges can occur:
What is important, not only thermal bridges influence energy efficiency of the house, but also aforementioned design of the building and its body (the more compact, the better) and location. There is also the choice of appropriate heating and ventilation or the number of glazings
