ᐅ Y-Tong vs. Concrete Without Additional Insulation in Practice (Heating Costs)

Created on: 28 Feb 2019 17:02
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Keishadow
We are about to start building a house using Ytong blocks without additional insulation, with underfloor heating and a heat pump.
Nevertheless, I am interested in this comparison and roughly how much higher heating costs in percentage terms could be expected, if that can even be calculated.
Energy saving is a big focus nowadays. That’s why Ytong was recommended to us, suggesting that extra insulation might not be necessary. The walls can breathe, and the U-value is sufficient. However, the problem with the U-value is that it is a "laboratory value." In practical situations, the sun shines outside, even in winter! Materials with high density like concrete, calcium silicate blocks, etc., are warmed by the sun and can transfer that heat inside the house. Ytong heats up less strongly but retains the interior heat for longer. The same issue applies to triple-glazed windows. They keep the heat inside better but don’t allow the interior space to warm up as much when the sun shines. This puts the U-value into perspective and makes calculating the actual energy consumption for heating somewhat complicated.

If you also factor in air conditioning, which is used in summer to cool a Ytong house, it gets even more complex. Concrete, on the other hand, could keep the interior cooler in summer, potentially allowing one to avoid air conditioning altogether, which saves energy again.

So, it could well be that the difference in heating costs is not as significant as expected in the end. However, with concrete, you might enjoy significantly more comfortable temperatures during the summer.

Does anyone have experience with this? Perhaps someone lives in a concrete house without insulation and can share insights about the indoor climate and heating costs? I would be really interested to hear what comes out of it...
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nordanney
1 Mar 2019 12:32
Keishadow schrieb:
Every single word is examined very closely here, right?

Yep – there are also threads that could be closed after the second page because all the answers have already been given, but the original poster keeps pushing for more
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Lumpi_LE
1 Mar 2019 12:46
Heating costs with pure concrete walls in a typical house would be about 1000-2000€ more per year, depending on the technology and heating behavior, to clarify the last question.
11ant1 Mar 2019 21:21
Lumpi_LE schrieb:
This is an exposed facade with insulation in between,

“What” exactly? — Was there a picture in this thread at some point? — It’s not clear to me what the original poster is imagining: are we talking about houses from forty years ago, designed by young architects back then who were obsessed with exposed concrete? — Or is it about supposedly monolithic “concrete-look” buildings by more recent would-be avant-garde architects?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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Nordlys
1 Mar 2019 21:28
There was a link to a photo of a house that nobody can afford anyway, and it wasn’t attractive either—just concrete slabs and glass. Like an airport terminal. K.
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Caspar2020
1 Mar 2019 21:43
The Casa MF exposed concrete house is located on a hill overlooking Trento.
blackm881 Mar 2019 21:55
Subject Concrete: I know companies that construct their buildings with energy-efficient concrete. They use thermal activation of the concrete core. The ultimate solution is then an ice storage system for the heat pump...