ᐅ Insulation – What is the most important aspect and what should be done first?
Created on: 29 Jun 2011 13:47
C
Claudia56C
Claudia5629 Jun 2011 13:47Hello,
we have found our "new" old house :p and are now calculating how to best invest our money. After buying the house and completing urgent renovations, we have about 10,000 euros left for energy-efficient refurbishment. We plan to take out a savings contract that will mature in 10 years, at which point we aim to carry out a larger renovation.
The one-and-a-half-story single-family house from 1982 has not undergone any fundamental energy upgrades so far; only a new heating boiler was installed in 2003. However, we plan to mainly heat the ground floor with the existing tile stove and, if possible, install a wood-burning stove on the first floor. The house has a 36 cm (14 inch) Poroton brick wall, which is only plastered and not insulated, and old, tight-fitting double-glazed wooden windows (only the slanted roof windows are in poor condition and will need to be replaced soon). An energy performance certificate is available, but the values are naturally not very good by today’s standards. The total investment costs were estimated by the professional who prepared the certificate at around 80,000 euros 😡, which is not affordable for us at the moment (Also, the estimate seems too low—for example, replacing the front door with a side window panel, totaling 2.80 m (9.2 ft) wide, was priced at only 1,080 euros?).
For reroofing, an internal insulation of 10 cm (4 inches) is recommended. However, the roof covering is tile, which should still last for several decades, right? Nevertheless, we are concerned because if we replace the roof windows now, they would no longer fit any thicker insulation later and would have to be replaced again 😕?
A walkable insulation of the attic and especially an insulated attic hatch seem reasonable to us before we start using it for storage.
Of course, replacing all windows is generally recommended. But from everything we have read, this only makes sense in combination with an insulation system for the walls. The certificate suggests 12 cm (5 inches) external insulation with polystyrene.
It is also recommended to insulate the radiator niches with 12 cm (5 inches) polystyrene—but there isn’t 12 cm of space behind the radiators. Insulating the niches seems very sensible to us; should we try to replace the radiators with thinner ones or move them (although we have some parquet flooring!) and then install the insulation boards, or would reflective foil be useful? They would be flexible enough to be slid behind the radiators.
One measure that seems useful for a temporary improvement is installing insulated roller blinds (the house currently has no roller blinds, and we plan to install some with insect screens anyway). The question is whether these could still be used once the insulation is installed or if that would make the effort pointless.
Insulating the basement ceiling seems sensible, but the suggested replacement of the relatively modern heating system with a pellet stove does not seem cost-effective to us (and is financially not feasible at the moment).
Since my husband and I are already older—and retirement is only a few years away—the provocative question about payback arises. Some acquaintances leave their houses uninsulated except for the absolutely necessary updates and prefer to pay higher heating costs because they believe they will not recover the investment on a possible sale of the house. Of course, this is bad for the environment, given the CO₂ reduction issues. On the other hand, if everything stays healthy, we will likely live in our house for only another 25 years :o, and with bad luck, even less.
Thank you in advance for all your answers.
Claudia
we have found our "new" old house :p and are now calculating how to best invest our money. After buying the house and completing urgent renovations, we have about 10,000 euros left for energy-efficient refurbishment. We plan to take out a savings contract that will mature in 10 years, at which point we aim to carry out a larger renovation.
The one-and-a-half-story single-family house from 1982 has not undergone any fundamental energy upgrades so far; only a new heating boiler was installed in 2003. However, we plan to mainly heat the ground floor with the existing tile stove and, if possible, install a wood-burning stove on the first floor. The house has a 36 cm (14 inch) Poroton brick wall, which is only plastered and not insulated, and old, tight-fitting double-glazed wooden windows (only the slanted roof windows are in poor condition and will need to be replaced soon). An energy performance certificate is available, but the values are naturally not very good by today’s standards. The total investment costs were estimated by the professional who prepared the certificate at around 80,000 euros 😡, which is not affordable for us at the moment (Also, the estimate seems too low—for example, replacing the front door with a side window panel, totaling 2.80 m (9.2 ft) wide, was priced at only 1,080 euros?).
For reroofing, an internal insulation of 10 cm (4 inches) is recommended. However, the roof covering is tile, which should still last for several decades, right? Nevertheless, we are concerned because if we replace the roof windows now, they would no longer fit any thicker insulation later and would have to be replaced again 😕?
A walkable insulation of the attic and especially an insulated attic hatch seem reasonable to us before we start using it for storage.
Of course, replacing all windows is generally recommended. But from everything we have read, this only makes sense in combination with an insulation system for the walls. The certificate suggests 12 cm (5 inches) external insulation with polystyrene.
It is also recommended to insulate the radiator niches with 12 cm (5 inches) polystyrene—but there isn’t 12 cm of space behind the radiators. Insulating the niches seems very sensible to us; should we try to replace the radiators with thinner ones or move them (although we have some parquet flooring!) and then install the insulation boards, or would reflective foil be useful? They would be flexible enough to be slid behind the radiators.
One measure that seems useful for a temporary improvement is installing insulated roller blinds (the house currently has no roller blinds, and we plan to install some with insect screens anyway). The question is whether these could still be used once the insulation is installed or if that would make the effort pointless.
Insulating the basement ceiling seems sensible, but the suggested replacement of the relatively modern heating system with a pellet stove does not seem cost-effective to us (and is financially not feasible at the moment).
Since my husband and I are already older—and retirement is only a few years away—the provocative question about payback arises. Some acquaintances leave their houses uninsulated except for the absolutely necessary updates and prefer to pay higher heating costs because they believe they will not recover the investment on a possible sale of the house. Of course, this is bad for the environment, given the CO₂ reduction issues. On the other hand, if everything stays healthy, we will likely live in our house for only another 25 years :o, and with bad luck, even less.
Thank you in advance for all your answers.
Claudia
Hello,
an energy retrofit must be considered from several perspectives. It should lead to energy savings, protect and preserve the building, be environmentally friendly, and also be cost-effective.
Which measures are best suited for which house cannot be generalized. Retrofit measures always need to be planned individually for each building 😉
In your case, an energy consultation seems very reasonable to me. The energy consultant should normally propose measures that are both economical and feasible.
Who recommended that? The issuer of the energy certificate? Probably they just added their standard recommendations and called it a day. A click and the energy certificate is quickly done 😡
The issuer is supposed to recommend economically sensible measures. Replacing a heating system that was already exchanged in 2003 at this point does not seem really cost-effective to me.
Your "specialist" didn’t really pay attention and didn’t think things through. Radiator recesses should be upgraded to the same energy standard as the exterior wall. If you fully insulate the recesses, moisture problems will occur. And those you want to avoid.
So, if anything, the recesses should be rebuilt. And definitely seek professional advice 😉
Regards
an energy retrofit must be considered from several perspectives. It should lead to energy savings, protect and preserve the building, be environmentally friendly, and also be cost-effective.
Which measures are best suited for which house cannot be generalized. Retrofit measures always need to be planned individually for each building 😉
In your case, an energy consultation seems very reasonable to me. The energy consultant should normally propose measures that are both economical and feasible.
Claudia56 schrieb:
......a new boiler was installed in 2003......
Claudia56 schrieb:
......the recommended replacement of the still relatively new heating system with a pellet stove......
Who recommended that? The issuer of the energy certificate? Probably they just added their standard recommendations and called it a day. A click and the energy certificate is quickly done 😡
The issuer is supposed to recommend economically sensible measures. Replacing a heating system that was already exchanged in 2003 at this point does not seem really cost-effective to me.
Claudia56 schrieb:
Furthermore, insulation of the radiator recesses with 12 cm (5 inches) of polystyrene is recommended – but there isn’t 12 cm (5 inches) of space behind the radiators.
Your "specialist" didn’t really pay attention and didn’t think things through. Radiator recesses should be upgraded to the same energy standard as the exterior wall. If you fully insulate the recesses, moisture problems will occur. And those you want to avoid.
So, if anything, the recesses should be rebuilt. And definitely seek professional advice 😉
Regards
C
Claudia5629 Jun 2011 19:15Hello,
The energy performance certificate was prepared by the previous owner for the purpose of selling and was passed on to us. I also think that it proposes a full renovation, which goes far beyond the financial means of an average homeowner and does not provide a reasonable plan for incremental improvements.
I had hoped that we might manage without an additional energy consultant (costs). But it seems that this is difficult. After all, no one wants to make things worse by carrying out the wrong renovation.
Thank you, Claudia
The energy performance certificate was prepared by the previous owner for the purpose of selling and was passed on to us. I also think that it proposes a full renovation, which goes far beyond the financial means of an average homeowner and does not provide a reasonable plan for incremental improvements.
I had hoped that we might manage without an additional energy consultant (costs). But it seems that this is difficult. After all, no one wants to make things worse by carrying out the wrong renovation.
Thank you, Claudia
P
perlenmann30 Jun 2011 07:15If I’m not mistaken, there is someone at the consumer advice center who reviews these kinds of matters and provides recommendations. It shouldn’t be too expensive and is definitely worth it!
Similar topics