Hello everyone,
During the planning phase of building a house, you inevitably come across forums about home construction and topics related to energy standards. I have already read several books and browsed various websites on the subject. I should mention that I am not a professional in this field. What I have noticed is that the entire topic of "economic / ecological home construction" is heavily influenced by commercial interests. The so-called "smart" consumer is often misled by marketing terms and a government-led campaign for "CO2-efficient building." Books or websites dealing with this subject often do not provide clear, comprehensive assessments.
In the "better" literature, insulation materials are compared in terms of insulation value and whether they are expensive or affordable. However, I still cannot determine what makes the most sense for my individual case. I simply do not want to spend excessive amounts of money, especially on things that do not add value, such as polystyrene insulation. If additional costs for a particular heating system are reasonable over a feasible period, then yes.
Our current goal is to build a simple single-family home with about 130 - 140 sqm (1400 - 1500 sq ft). The house should cost around €200,000 (without outdoor landscaping, floor coverings, land, or additional construction-related costs; our expectations are modest).
I am interested in knowing, based on the current state of technology, what is the most energy-efficient and cost-effective building option?
Energy-saving regulation / building standards according to KfW, yes or no, and if yes, which level?
Solid construction or prefabricated house?
Condensing boiler technology or heat pump?
Thank you very much for your answers!
Best regards
During the planning phase of building a house, you inevitably come across forums about home construction and topics related to energy standards. I have already read several books and browsed various websites on the subject. I should mention that I am not a professional in this field. What I have noticed is that the entire topic of "economic / ecological home construction" is heavily influenced by commercial interests. The so-called "smart" consumer is often misled by marketing terms and a government-led campaign for "CO2-efficient building." Books or websites dealing with this subject often do not provide clear, comprehensive assessments.
In the "better" literature, insulation materials are compared in terms of insulation value and whether they are expensive or affordable. However, I still cannot determine what makes the most sense for my individual case. I simply do not want to spend excessive amounts of money, especially on things that do not add value, such as polystyrene insulation. If additional costs for a particular heating system are reasonable over a feasible period, then yes.
Our current goal is to build a simple single-family home with about 130 - 140 sqm (1400 - 1500 sq ft). The house should cost around €200,000 (without outdoor landscaping, floor coverings, land, or additional construction-related costs; our expectations are modest).
I am interested in knowing, based on the current state of technology, what is the most energy-efficient and cost-effective building option?
Energy-saving regulation / building standards according to KfW, yes or no, and if yes, which level?
Solid construction or prefabricated house?
Condensing boiler technology or heat pump?
Thank you very much for your answers!
Best regards
Nordlys schrieb:
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My opinion: The current energy-saving regulations are basically an environmentally driven ideological approach aimed at promoting certain industries under the label of reducing CO2. No one calculates the CO2 emissions involved in the production of all these things, etc. If you really want to save CO2, take the train, walk, buy a 75 horsepower gasoline car with a hybrid system, avoid a wood-burning stove, and most importantly, eat less meat—that way no more rainforest will be cleared for soy plantations. KarstenWhat was still missing in this thread: the typical far-right conspiracy theories. The Green Party hasn’t been in government for ages.
You demand facts but immediately make several unsupported claims in the very next sentence...
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Bieber08158 Aug 2017 10:23Farilo schrieb:
It is probably interesting for many to see whether the same house, for example one I buy in Hamburg, is suddenly 100k cheaper 250 km (155 miles) away.Yes, that would be interesting. But here we won’t manage that, because we won’t find "the same house." If the houses were identical, price differences could, in my opinion, only be justified by- transport costs
- labor costs
- profit margins
because I believe that building materials should basically have the same production costs across Germany and thus be priced similarly on the shelves. If you analyze this in detail, you might gain some insights; I don’t know for sure.
For property listings *including* land, location obviously has a major impact; that should not be forgotten! Here in the countryside, land costs around 15 euros/m² (1.40 USD/ft²), while in the city we are already at 150 euros/m² (14 USD/ft²) for land just 20 km (12 miles) as the crow flies apart. That alone accounts for about 70,000 euros (about 75,000 USD) difference on a 500 m² (6000 ft²) plot. Comparing the Uckermark region with Wiesbaden would show an even more dramatic difference.
Bauherr2018 schrieb:
I just wanted to independently learn which energy-related aspects (standards, building materials, construction methods) are useful not only for general contractors but also for me.I think I already wrote it. I would build to the Energy Saving Ordinance standard and only invest additional money in insulation. Depending on the contractor type (general contractor / construction manager / owner-builder or architect? Insulation? Shower habits? Cooking habits?), I would probably install either an air-to-water heat pump or a gas condensing boiler. Controlled mechanical ventilation for comfort, but otherwise no (energy) technology.If my brother-in-law were an excavator operator and provided the land, geothermal energy with ground collectors could also be an option. As you can see, now it’s getting quite specific...
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winnetou788 Aug 2017 10:26I think that in rural areas, especially in the eastern regions, it mainly comes down to labor costs. In construction, you usually receive only the legally required minimum wage for the building industry and no more. However, the situation is gradually improving in some places due to a shortage of skilled workers.
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Bieber08158 Aug 2017 10:55winnetou78 schrieb:
I think that in rural areas, especially in the eastern regions, it’s mainly the labor costs. Certainly a factor (north-south variation, Uckermark versus Baden-Württemberg). However, labor costs are unlikely to differ significantly between Berlin city and the surrounding Brandenburg area; the same applies to Hamburg city and Schleswig-Holstein countryside. The crews easily travel hundreds of kilometers, which apparently does not affect costs... Other factors must therefore have a greater impact (if the hypothesis that identical houses vary so much in price is correct).W
winnetou788 Aug 2017 11:14The wage differences compared to Berlin definitely exist. Even with the construction minimum wage, the western minimum wage is paid throughout Berlin, while in Brandenburg, only the eastern minimum wage applies. I believe the difference is almost 4 euros per hour.
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winnetou788 Aug 2017 11:18In the western part of Germany, no bricklayer receives a minimum wage; they typically earn around 17 euros per hour. In the eastern part, they usually get what is legally required, which I believe is 11.20 euros per hour.
A construction company in the east charges about 35 to 40 euros per hour. This rate is significantly higher in the west.
A construction company in the east charges about 35 to 40 euros per hour. This rate is significantly higher in the west.