How to make your home energy efficient. Energy efficient house. Technologies and thermal insulation materials for the construction of energy efficient houses. Basic principles of passive house

There are several reasons to build your own home using energy efficient technologies. The main reason is that you will incur fewer costs when operating your home. But it is also important that when selling, such options will be more attractive to buyers, and the price for it can be set much higher.

In connection with recent events in the global energy market, the following conclusion can be drawn. The price for the main source of energy, namely oil, is very unstable and will constantly increase. If you look into the past and analyze the price of oil, these statements will be confirmed. Therefore, we have to somehow get out, for example, plan the construction of energy-efficient houses and the purchase of energy-efficient equipment.

Not only material benefits are the advantage of this type of house. After all, by reducing energy consumption, we cleanse our atmosphere of harmful impurities and substances that arise when burning fuel. Most believe that this is an insignificant contribution to the cleansing of our planet, and the population continues to acquire diseases of the epidermis and stomach. However, this is not entirely true; only together can people cope with this scourge.

How do we spend energy in our homes?

If we take an ordinary row house, we can identify several energy “eaters”:

• various electrical appliances;
• light;
• warm;
• heating water.

About 72% of all energy is spent on heating our homes. This is because previously in our country they did not think about saving and built houses without paying special attention to thermal insulation. In European countries the situation is not so dire, but their indicator also leaves much to be desired - 57%.

Let's understand the concept of energy standards

Energy efficient construction became popular in the nineties. The first countries to become interested in this were Germany, France, Sweden and Switzerland. European experts began to associate energy losses with poor thermal insulation of houses, irregular shapes of buildings, as well as poor location of buildings relative to the cardinal directions. The costs of correcting these shortcomings are negligible, so why not save? It was then that the division of residential buildings into types began:

• Energy efficient house. This is considered a building that consumes no more than seventy percent of the current of the energy consumed by an ordinary house. In addition, such structures use powered installations (wind turbines, solar panels) and thermal insulation of about fifteen centimeters.
• Low consumption building. Here the ratio to the consumption of a standard house is no more than forty-five percent, and the insulation is about twenty centimeters.
• A passive building is a building with very low consumption - 30% compared to standard houses. Engineers achieve such results thanks to excellent insulation and proper use of heat - natural and that which is wasted in ventilation systems. Typically, such houses are equipped with thirty centimeters thick thermal insulation and an autonomous source of electricity and heat.
• Buildings that do not consume energy. Yes, it is planned to use such ones; not only that, they will also supply electricity to the network. However, for now this is just an experiment. Thermal insulation in such houses is forty centimeters.

Calculation of required heat

If we take into account that most electricity is spent on heat, then the energy standard of the house is selected based on coefficient E. It indicates the seasonal need for heat - it reflects the amount required to heat a square meter. Let's look at what this coefficient depends on:

• Quality of thermal insulation.
• Type of ventilation.
• Orientation of the building to the cardinal points.
• The amount of domestic heat.

It is also worth noting the coefficient of normalized seasonal heat consumption E0. It also determines the required amount of heat to heat a cubic meter, but provided that the structure is built in compliance with all norms and regulations. E0 is calculated as the ratio of the area of ​​external walls to the heated volume.

How profitable is an energy efficient home?

Technologies are improving, and if we look into the future, we can say: building such houses is economical. Currently, the capital investment allocated for the construction of a passive structure is 20 percent higher than the cost of constructing a standard building. After a few years, the difference will decrease by 10 percent. And this can be confirmed by the experience of foreign builders. An energy efficient residential building is a good investment option. Let's confirm this by considering the following example. As an example, let's take an ordinary country house with an area of ​​150 square meters, in which one family lives. We will choose a gas boiler as a heating installation in this house. Then the costs of operating the home will be as follows:

• heating - 144 kW/m2;
• water heating - 30 kW/m2;
• household needs (electrical appliances, cooking, light) - 26 kW/m2.

In this case, it turns out that such a house will consume 30,000 kW per year. If, instead of a standard house, we take an energy-efficient wooden house, the picture will be as follows:

• heating - 44 kW/m2;
• water heating - 30 kW/m2;
• household needs (electrical appliances, cooking, light) - 26 kW/m2.

Will consume 15,000 kW per year. In total, you can save about 50% on the operation of your home. Very encouraging information.

Window area

Now, on newly constructed buildings, you can often find large ones. However, the design of the windows does not allow achieving thermal protection close to the thermal protection of main walls. On the other hand, from the point of view of room illumination, large windows are reduced by artificial lighting. We have to look for a middle ground. When designing, the most optimal ratio is 6:1, where 6 is the floor area and 1 is the window area. For example, let's take an energy-efficient house and a room with an area of ​​36 square meters. The optimal glazing area will then be about 6 square meters.

Design of energy efficient houses. Project catalogs

Statistics say that in the West, about 80% of private housing is built according to ready-made projects. Is it possible to build an energy-efficient house based on these options? There are a large number of projects in special catalogues, but which of the many options should you choose?

A very important task is to reduce energy consumption to a minimum. As noted above, the lion's share of it is spent on heating rooms in the winter. However, it is worth understanding that increasing the layer of thermal insulation will not make the house energy efficient. Here the approach must be comprehensive. It is very important to remove all cold air bridges and also provide mechanical ventilation.

We pay attention to the walls and roof

Before purchasing a project, it must be carefully studied to ensure continuous thermal insulation. An energy-efficient house is a building for which the issue of airtightness is very important.

Thanks to this characteristic, cold air will not enter the room. Everything should be airtight, from the doors to the roof. The walls of such houses are plastered with a double layer, and the roof is made with thermal insulation and vapor barrier. The joints and fastenings are covered with special adhesive tape.

Energy efficiency calculation

As noted above, a building that consumes no more than seventy percent of the electrical energy consumed by an ordinary house is considered energy efficient. Let's consider the coefficient E and its value:

• For an ordinary house coefficient. E is less than or equal to 110 kW/m2.
• For an energy efficient house coefficient. E is less than or equal to 70 kW/m2.
• For coefficient E is less than or equal to 15 kW/m2.

In the West, the method of calculating the energy efficiency of buildings using the Ep coefficient is considered more modern. It refers to the amount of energy required for heating, ventilation, water heating, lighting and air conditioning. Let's consider the classification of buildings, depending on Ep:

• For economical buildings it is less than or equal to 0.5.
• For energy-saving buildings coefficient. Ep is less than or equal to 0.75.
• For ordinary buildings it is less than or equal to 1.
• For passive buildings coefficient. Ep is less than or equal to 0.25.
• For the most energy-intensive buildings, Ep is greater than 1.5.

Ventilation and heating issue

We have already said that an energy-efficient house should be equipped with mechanical ventilation, with the function of generating heat. Therefore, when choosing a project, you need to make sure that the house has such ventilation. This is important because normal ventilation will not function in a sealed home. It is also worth noting that gravity ventilation works well at temperatures just above freezing, so it is almost useless in the summer.

In sealed, energy-efficient homes, mechanical ventilation will work best to extract heat from the exhaust air. Such ventilation will allow you to do without the usual water heating system in your home, which will lead to savings on radiators, pipes and heating units. Therefore, be careful when choosing an energy-efficient house: designs should include this type of ventilation.

Some subtleties of construction

Let's look at the intricacies of constructing such buildings. If you are planning to build an energy-efficient house with your own hands, you need to know the exact number of people who will live there. After all, people themselves create household heat - when washing, cooking, and using electrical appliances. It turns out that houses that are too large will not be considered energy efficient, provided that several people live in them. You also need to pay close attention to efficient current consumption when choosing energy-efficient devices and equipment. It will be useful to arrange your local area according to the cardinal directions and climatic conditions in your region.

Conclusion

The design and construction of energy-efficient houses in the future will be almost the only direction in the construction industry. Therefore, you need to think about this right now.

A house built for the same money, but allowing significant savings in energy consumption to maintain the optimal temperature in it, through the use of a complex of efficient materials and qualified engineering calculations.

The main feature of an energy efficient house is that it does not need heating or the energy consumption is low - basically around 10% of the energy that most modern buildings usually need. Reducing the level of energy consumption can be achieved by reducing heat losses at home. The architectural concept of an energy-efficient house has the following principles: such a house is compact, insulated to the maximum and very high quality, there are no cold bridges in the joints and materials of the house, it is correctly oriented to the cardinal points, and finally, the geometry of such a house is subject to certain laws. A flow-exhaust ventilation system with recovery is mandatory in energy-efficient houses.

Ideally, an energy-efficient house does not depend on external heat supply and in this extreme case is called a passive house. A passive house is heated by the heat released by the people living in the house and by household appliances when they are used. If additional energy is required, alternative sources are used, such as solar panels, solar collectors, geothermal sources and the like. The architectural design of the building helps solve the problem of air conditioning in an energy-efficient house. When, for example, additional cooling is required, a heat pump copes with this task.

From the history of the development of energy efficient buildings

The development of energy-saving technologies has always been of greatest concern to northerners. A sacramental example is the Russian stove. The Russian stove has thick walls, they store heat well, and the stove itself is equipped with a chimney, which has a structure designed to retain heat. In 1972, a cubic building was built in Manchester, New Hampshire, USA. The shape ensures minimal contact with the outside air of the building walls. Moreover, the glazing area did not exceed 10%, which also reduces heat loss. The northern facade of the building is not glazed at all. To reduce heating in the warm season, the flat roof covering is made in light colors. In addition, solar collectors are installed on the roof. The result is an energy-efficient house. In Suomi, Finland they followed in the footsteps of the Americans and built an environmentally friendly complex “ECONO-HOUSE” in the city of Otaniemi. The space-planning solutions of the ECONO-HOUSE building are quite complex; the builders took into account the peculiarities of the climate and location of the building. The highlight of this building is the ventilation system, when the air is heated by solar radiation. The heat from solar radiation is accumulated by specially designed double-glazed windows and blinds. The building is supplied with energy by solar collectors and geothermal sources. The orientation of the roof slopes is created taking into account the incidence of sunlight depending on the time of year.

Passive house design

The choice of environmentally correct material will be very important in building an energy-efficient house. Basically, these materials are stone, brick and wood. In addition, there are processed, synthesized and derived building materials such as concrete, metal, glass, wood chips and others. Also, in recent years, very “exotic” building materials based on straw, flax and wood shavings have been widely used on the market.

Thermal insulation

In ordinary houses, walls, windows, floors, roofs, in other words, enclosing structures, have a fairly high heat loss coefficient. Heat losses in an ordinary house range from 250-350 kWh per heated square meter of area per year.

What distinguishes a passive house from a conventional house is the efficiency of its thermal insulation solutions. Moreover, attention in a passive house is paid to the thermal insulation of all interfaces and structural elements: assemblies of walls, ceiling, floor, basement and attic, and even at the foundation. The thermal insulation of a passive house is formed in several layers, both internal and external thermal insulation. As a result, the system does not let heat out of the house and does not let cold into it. Cold bridges are eliminated in enclosing structures. As a result, heat loss through doors, windows, roof, etc. does not exceed 15 kWh per square meter of heated area. In ordinary houses, these losses are actually 20 times greater.

Window

In an energy-efficient home in the northern hemisphere, windows tend to face south, so they lose less heat. For glazing, 2- or 3-chamber double-glazed windows are usually used. Double-glazed windows are filled with almost non-heat-conducting argon or krypton. At the junction with the walls, a special hermetic design is used. The glass itself is specially treated to avoid heat shock; it is tempered and covered with an energy-saving film. In addition, curtains or blinds can be installed.

Microclimate using active heating and cooling

In places that are characterized by sharp temperature changes or which have traditionally low or, conversely, high temperatures, it is not always possible to refuse external energy. However, the main feature of a passive or conditionally passive house is the more efficient use of energy for air conditioning or heating.

Ventilation

In conventional houses, ventilation occurs due to the natural movement of air; it enters through special grooves in the windows and is removed by ventilation systems in bathrooms and kitchens. Instead of ordinary windows, in energy-saving houses, insulating sealed double-glazed windows are installed, and supply and exhaust ventilation is carried out through a heat recovery unit. Everything happens centrally. It is usually better if the air enters and leaves the house through an underground duct. At the same time, energy saving efficiency will be higher. The mechanics here are like this. In winter, outside air enters the duct and is heated by the heat of the earth. After this, the air enters the recuperator. In it, home air is heated by fresh air, after which it is thrown outside. As a result, the air coming from the street has a temperature of 17o C. And in the summer, in the same way, the air outside cools down from contact with the ground, entering the house with a refreshing effect. This system allows you to maintain comfortable conditions in a passive house throughout the year. There is virtually no need for heaters or air conditioners.

Passive house cost

Nowadays, building an energy-efficient house costs 10 percent more than building a conventional one. The difference in price can pay off within the next few years. But in an energy-efficient house there is no need to lay water heating pipes, there is no need for a boiler room and closets for storing fuel, and so on.

Standards

Since the beginning of the 70s in Europe, energy consumption to maintain comfortable conditions in a residential building has decreased by 20 times from 300 kWh per square meter per year to 15.
In December 2009, EU countries adopted a directive requiring homes to become energy neutral by 2020.
Each country has its own standards. In Russia, regulations and decrees are also issued. For example, VSN 52-86, it defines the requirements for a hot water supply system when using energy collected by solar collectors.

Spreading

According to statistics for 2006, more than six thousand passive houses were built in the world. Among them are office buildings, schools, kindergartens, shops. Most passive houses are located in Europe. In Denmark, Germany and Finland, government programs have been created to bring all buildings to a passive level.

Passive houses in Russia and CIS countries

Now energy consumption in Russian homes is 400-600 kWh per year per m2. These indicators are planned to be reduced to 220-330 kWh per year per m2 by 2020. Several energy-saving buildings have been built in Moscow. There is a house near St. Petersburg, and construction of a village has begun there. Life has proven the effectiveness of passive house construction technologies. According to construction professionals, these technologies are used not only in Moscow, but also in the Russian outback.

Shall we discuss the details?

We create Energy Saving Homes - this is our product.

Materials

In the Russian climate, wood chip blocks have proven themselves to be an energy-efficient material. These blocks consist of 80, and sometimes 90 percent, of coniferous wood chips, which are treated with additives and held together with portlace cement. As a result, we get a durable, strong, lightweight and environmentally friendly material; in addition, it also has excellent heat and sound insulation properties. The material of the blocks does not burn, does not rot, mold does not appear on it and it is frost-resistant. In addition, the blocks are used as permanent formwork in the construction of load-bearing walls of buildings. Today in industrial production there are blocks of various types and purposes. For example, blocks for load-bearing walls and blocks with inserts for external walls that can retain heat for a long time. For the formation of rows, corners, openings there is also a corresponding series.

It is not difficult to install walls using permanent formwork blocks. Without any binder, the blocks are installed in four rows on top of each other, and the resulting cavities are filled with concrete, pre-reinforced. And the result is a monolithic concrete lattice with vertical pillars and row lintels, which exists inside a wooden wall.

The macroporous structure of the material allows the wall to “breathe”, thereby providing the room with a comfortable microclimate.

The weight of one woodchip block ranges from 6 to 15 kilograms. Due to such a relatively insignificant weight, the installation of block walls does not require the use of heavy equipment. Plastering walls is not difficult due to the high adhesion of the blocks. This also reduces the labor intensity of the work and leads to a reduction in construction time and cost.

Due to its high sound-absorbing properties, the block material allows the construction of buildings, for example, next to a railway line.

Technological advantages:

The technology of constructing buildings using chip-cement blocks makes it possible to build lightweight and inexpensive houses that retain heat. This technology makes it possible to install utility networks, such as water supply and sewerage, chimneys, inside walls. The benefits of such construction are obvious. The purpose of permanent formwork is the construction of monolithic buildings. From load-bearing structures to filling openings in external walls. Permanent formwork is a technology that provides thermal protection, sound insulation, ease of use and comfortable living. After using permanent formwork technology in construction, the building becomes strong and light, on par with ordinary stone houses.

Operational Benefits

For comparison, with the same level of thermal conductivity of enclosing structures and the thickness of the walls of an energy-saving house being 375 mm, the thickness of the walls of an ordinary brick house should be 500 mm. Naturally, the apartment of an energy-saving house will be larger. The advantages of an energy-efficient home include, for example, a significant reduction in energy costs - on average 20 times - to maintain a comfortable temperature and the initial energy consumption for heating the house. Also, energy-saving walls retain heat inside the house longer than conventional brick walls. The house will not need to be heated often.

For comparison, below is a thermal image from an infrared camera showing the heat emission levels of various homes.
On the left is an energy efficient house. On the right is a classic brick one.

The benefits are obvious, but they need to be listed. Under the condition of constant heating, energy consumption in an energy-saving house is 20 times less. If heating is stopped, the heat in an energy-saving house lasts 20 times longer. And one-time heating can be carried out 20 times less often. An energy-efficient house has a high load-bearing capacity of the walls. The solidity of the internal frame of an energy-saving house allows the installation of reinforced concrete floors without installing additional support systems. The structures of an energy-saving house are relatively light in weight compared to a conventional stone house, and this allows saving on the design and foundation material. Naturally, relatively light walls allow for a less load-critical foundation. The weight of the building is reduced, which means that the cost of reinforcement for the concrete foundation is reduced, and the concrete itself can be of a relatively inexpensive class. The walls of an energy-saving house have a very pleasant quality: they do not give a feeling of cold, which happens in ordinary houses when the wall is external.

The technologies that we use in the construction of energy-saving houses have been tested over almost a hundred years since its invention, and allow the comfort of the whole family living in such a house all year round with significant cost savings for many, many years of contentment and joy.

1.1. The graph shows the behavior of the temperature in the house over time, starting from the moment of one-time initial heating of the house. As can be seen from the graph, the energy spent on achieving the same comfortable temperature is less for an energy-efficient house than for a traditional one. At the same time, the cooling intensity of a traditional house is higher than that of an energy efficient one.

1.2. Taking into account the intensity of cooling of houses, it is clear that the frequency of heating of a traditional house to achieve the most comfortable temperature is higher than that of an energy efficient one. Thus, integrating the obtained values, we find that the total energy consumption of an energy-efficient house is significantly less than that of a traditional one, and this difference increases over time.

Construction cost

The cost of building an energy-efficient house is relatively low. So, for a house with a total area of ​​250-300 m2 you will have to pay 6-7 million rubles. And although the prices of a conventional and energy-efficient house are comparable, after what has been said, it should be clear that the practicality of an energy-efficient house is higher. Minimum - 20 times. The uniqueness of our company’s service offering is that we create energy-saving houses, calculating them as a whole. An energy-saving house is a rather complex engineering structure that requires the knowledge and experience of specialists. In building an energy-efficient house, it is important to make the right decision, design, calculate and, finally, build. And with this we will help you.

While studying a variety of different equipment and modern developments designed to save energy, we became interested in two very interesting systems. We invite you to take a closer look at them. One - known to many as a heat pump and less known in our market - is climatic. Our calculations have shown that their interaction achieves the most rational use of energy resources necessary to achieve a comfortable microclimate and clean mountain air in the premises. We propose to make them work together, and in an emergency they can work separately, maintaining a comfortable temperature in the rooms.

A heat pump is able to extract the energy of the Earth and transfer it to a coolant fluid. The climate system, in turn, works with a gaseous coolant. The energy received from the pump is transferred to the heated floor, through a parallel branch of pipelines for hot water supply and pool heating (if available), and to the climate system, which corrects the quality, temperature and humidity of the indoor air.

Do you want to make your home energy efficient, but don't know how? We will show you the simplest and surest ways

Nowadays, many people want to reduce the cost of maintaining a home and make it energy efficient. First of all, on the Russian market we are faced with the desire to install warm panoramic windows and additionally insulate the house so as not to freeze in the winter months. Some people prefer to reduce home heating costs, others want to make their home environmentally friendly. Why might this be of interest to you?

Today it is very easy to make your home energy efficient, and you can achieve the energy saving effect using quite accessible tools:

• warm energy-saving windows;
• additional “preservative” insulation of the house and high-quality warm building materials;
• modern heating system, for example based on a heat pump;
• photovoltaic system, where the generated energy is used inside the house, including for heating.

Advantages of an energy efficient and passive house

An energy efficient home in itself makes a huge difference to your lifestyle. You don't have to constantly think about what heating mode to set in winter and how to air condition in summer. You don’t need to hide from the scorching sun or, conversely, move to rooms with southern windows in the frosty February blizzard. An energy-efficient house, like a passive one, independently creates a 100% comfortable microclimate, and this process is completely under your control and does not depend on the vagaries of nature.

Energy-saving windows Kaleva

Heating system in an energy efficient house

When talking about modern heating systems in the house, we often use names such as “heat pump”, “warm floor”, “gas boiler”, “electric boiler”. But not all of them relate to energy saving systems. A heat pump provides an exceptional opportunity to make your home energy efficient without spending a lot of money on heating it. At the same time, it is not necessary to install a warm floor; you can also install radiators. And if you connect the heat pump to a photovoltaic system (solar panels), energy will be generated for the pump. With this approach, your home can become independent.

One solar panel produces approximately 2 kW of power. To heat a house of 200 square meters you will need an electric boiler with a capacity of about 20 kW or a heat pump with a nominal consumption of 4 kW. The cost of one solar panel is from 150 thousand to 350 thousand rubles.

Energy-saving windows Kaleva

This option is relevant for regions where there is no gas. In addition, according to Russian Government Decree No. 334, you can only be allocated up to 15 kW of electricity, which is simply not enough to heat a large house.

But it’s not enough to just install a modern heating system and photovoltaic panels. It will be necessary to eliminate “cold bridges” that may appear when using insufficiently high-quality windows and doors. Energy-saving windows will help you in this matter.

Windows in an energy efficient house

Energy-saving windows are very important for the design of an energy-efficient house, since in most cases, with good insulation of the floor, walls and roof, only correctly selected and high-quality installed windows and doors will protect the owner from the appearance of “cold bridges”.

Warm windows can solve the main problem of panoramic glazing by 99%. Today you can put really large windows in your home and still keep it warm.

Energy-saving windows are good in any weather - in winter they do not allow the cold to penetrate inside, and in summer they protect from heat, perfectly balancing energy efficiency and comfort. It is best to choose multifunctional glass for plastic windows. For example, warm windows with a 40 mm double-glazed window and multifunctional iM glass are 96% (!) more efficient than a regular 40 mm double-glazed window! It's all about a layer of silver ions, which allow the glass to work, essentially, like a mirror, remaining perfectly transparent. Using such technologies, you get double protection from cold and heat.

Passive house: why it is better than ordinary house

Different countries have decided to draw the line between an energy-saving and a passive house in different ways, especially with regard to publications in the media. But there is an international standard, and it is determined by the thermal energy utilization coefficient. So, a house with an E index of less than 110 kW*h/m2/year is an ordinary house, less than 70 kW*h/m2/year is energy efficient; and with an indicator of less than 15 kW*h/m 2 /year - passive, that is, practically not consuming energy from the outside.

At the same time, in Europe there is another indicator - EP, which determines the amount of electricity spent on hot water supply, light, electrical appliances and heating. According to this classification, EP less than 0.25 means class A, that is, a passive house; less than 0.5 - class B, economical; and less than 0.75 is class C, and this is an energy-saving house. The remaining indicators determine a standard house, and from 1.51 - the most energy-intensive.

Energy-saving windows Kaleva

First of all, the concept of an energy efficient home is based on selected building materials, including doors, insulation and windows. The latter are an incredibly important element, since it is the most energy-efficient windows and doors that will prevent heat loss. By choosing warm windows, you can install panoramic glazing of any type and even turn your house into something like a glass box. And all this without loss of comfort and warmth!

But it’s not enough to just buy energy-efficient and warm windows. You also need to consider how much solar energy enters the house and whether such windows allow air to pass through. It is important that the SHGC, which is responsible for how much solar energy passes inside, is between 0.4 and 0.5. Windows with an index above 0.5 are suitable only for harsh climates where there is no summer at all (for example in Murmansk), and below 0.4 - only for those places where the summer is very hot (for example in the Krasnodar Territory).

One of the few on the market takes into account all three factors - energy efficiency, light transmission and air exchange. And only this approach can be considered professional.

The problems of depletion of certain resources, environmental degradation and ever-increasing utility bills are closely intertwined. This is especially noticeable in private households. One of the options for solving these problems is the construction of energy efficient houses. They are often talked about with the fashionable prefix “eco”.

Energy efficient houses - a little terminology

An energy-efficient house involves rational consumption of resources to maintain a comfortable microclimate in it. Energy losses are minimized, and everything consumed is used to the maximum. This is achieved through proper laying of communications, installation of high-tech equipment, and the use of heat-saving materials.

The terms “energy efficiency” and “energy saving” should not be confused. The first is a qualitative indicator, the second is quantitative. That is, energy saving at home is consumption of fewer resources to ensure the same conditions in it.

A house where energy consumption is close to a few percent of the average values ​​in conventional buildings is called energy passive. It is practically independent of conventional external energy sources. Priority is given to the use of renewable resources - wind energy, solar heat.

Residential building energy efficiency class

The volume of energy consumption in a house determines its energy efficiency class. The higher it is, the more comfortable the microclimate is formed in residential premises, the lower the utility bills.

Currently in Russia the following energy efficiency classes are distinguished:

• A++, A+, A;
• B+, B;
• C+, C, C-;

The energy efficiency class of a residential building is determined on the basis of current legislation. The calculations are based on the annual consumption of resources in a separate house. It is analyzed taking into account existing standards.

Energy audits can only be carried out by specialized enterprises that meet the requirements of federal legislation. Assigned to a building energy efficiency class confirms the energy passport.

Energy Efficiency Basics

A well-functioning heating and ventilation system allows you to achieve high energy efficiency indicators. The quality of the home’s thermal insulation plays an important role.

More specifically, it is worth paying attention to the following:

• The choice of building materials with low thermal conductivity.
• Installation of energy-saving windows.
• Good thermal insulation of walls, floors, ceilings. The formation of “cold bridges” should be prevented.
• Powerful organization supply and exhaust ventilation rooms with recovery.
• Efficient use of solar energy.
• Construction of an insulated foundation.

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

How to build a passive energy house

To make a residential building energy-passive, you need to turn its outer walls into a heat-insulating shell. A qualitative redistribution of heat will occur inside it. This will not only minimize energy consumption, but also eliminate heaters and air conditioners.

Insulated foundation using Swedish technologies

Heat loss through the base of the house can reach 15%. For this reason, it is impossible to build a truly energy-efficient house without thermal insulation of the foundation. In Russia and in many foreign countries it is performed using technology insulated Swedish stove ().

Such a slab is a shallow monolithic base made of reinforced concrete, laid on high-strength polystyrene foam. This insulation can withstand loads of up to 20 tons per 1 m2. Its deformation does not exceed 2%.

A water layer is laid on the reinforced polystyrene foam layer. Only then is the base poured with concrete. This “pie” absorbs heat well from the heated soil in the summer and cools slowly in the winter.

As a result, you can reduce the number of radiators heating on the ground floor of the house or do without them altogether.

Building materials and wall insulation

One of the main criteria for choosing building materials for walls is their thermal conductivity. The lower it is, the more heat will be retained in the house. The most energy efficient materials in this regard are:

• logs;
• cellular concrete; sandwich panels;
• ceramic blocks;
• ceramic brick.

Frame construction technologies allow these materials to vary widely. In frame houses, the walls are a “pie” of sheathing and insulation. Each such layer ensures reliable heat conservation in the house.

One of the common wall insulation schemes in frame houses:

1. A layer of stone wool at least 20 cm thick is laid between the load-bearing posts.
2. Sheathing the frame. These could be OSB boards or other material that retains heat well.
3. Counter battens are attached on top of the cladding for mounting the facade.
4. Another layer of thermal insulation in the form of a 5-centimeter layer of glass wool is laid between the counter-battens.

Such walls for the most economical energy-passive houses are the best option in terms of price and quality ratio.

Features of energy-saving windows

In an energy-passive house, heat input from the sun plays a significant role. This is why experts recommend placing most windows on the south side of the building. Some projects involve the construction of entire glass galleries there. They act as thermal buffers.

Window designs are only energy-saving. They are distinguished from standard designs:

• Triple sealing circuit.
• More cameras in the profile.
• Low thermal conductivity - 0.6-0.7 W/m2K.
• The ability to transmit up to 50% of solar heat into rooms.
• Maximum noise absorption coefficient.
• Using argon or krypton to fill the space between the glasses.
• The presence of at least two double-glazed windows.
• There is a slight difference between the temperature on the surface of the glass and the surrounding surfaces. It rarely exceeds 4.2°C.

Energy saving windows plays a significant role in creating a comfortable microclimate in an efficient home. They promote uniform heat distribution without temperature asymmetry.

Organization of forced ventilation with heat recovery

A forced ventilation system not only provides a comfortable microclimate in the house, but also reduces heat loss. The presence of appropriate equipment allows you to avoid ventilating rooms by traditionally opening windows. When installing a recuperator (heat exchanger), only dirty air leaves the room, and the heat remains in the house.

In practice it looks like this:

1. Through the supply valve, cold air from the street enters the device.
2. There it passes through a filter system and enters the heat exchanger.
3. In the recuperator, cold air from the street and warm air from the house move towards each other. They are isolated using a special plate, so they do not mix.
4. Due to the temperature difference, heat from the exhaust flow is transferred to the supply flow.
5. The cooled air from the house is discharged outside, and the heated outdoor air passes through another filter and enters the rooms.

The cycle is constantly repeated, as a result of which the heat does not leave the building.

Heating system and its adjustment

A heating system is an auxiliary tool if there are sealed windows, a warm water floor and high-quality wall insulation. In mild winter conditions, a house built using efficient technologies can do without it altogether. However, in most regions the winters are harsh, so a heating system is necessary.

• Heat pumps. They allow you to receive heat from non-freezing layers of soil, air and water by cooling them. It is then transferred to the building's heating circuit.
• Condensing gas boiler. Heat is obtained from condensate, which is formed during the combustion of gas.
• Infrared energy saving panels. Objects in the room are heated 15-20 minutes to a comfortable temperature. They then release heat to the air over a long period of time. To obtain the desired effect, the panels can be turned on every hour for only 15 minutes.
• Stove-fireplace with a system of heat accumulating hoods.

For rational consumption of electricity, heating equipment is equipped with a variety of sensors and control systems.

Thus, an energy-efficient house is not only economical, but also safe for the environment and people. However, it is difficult to build it turnkey with your own hands. At almost every stage of work it is necessary to involve experienced craftsmen.

Video: what to build an energy-efficient house from