My question about building a new KfW 55 or better house: What exactly does it mean? Yesterday, I spoke with the managing director of a public construction company, and he advised me not to build a KfW house.
a) You would need a building supervisor (who is also specialized in this field).
b) If you insulate the house well, etc., the additional costs are low.
Furthermore, he recommended using a gas boiler + solar including battery instead of an air-to-water heat pump + solar including battery. The initial costs are much lower, and you will never recover the higher acquisition costs.
I am a bit confused. I originally planned to build at least a KfW 55 house.
For your information, our plot is fully developed, and a gas connection is available.
a) You would need a building supervisor (who is also specialized in this field).
b) If you insulate the house well, etc., the additional costs are low.
Furthermore, he recommended using a gas boiler + solar including battery instead of an air-to-water heat pump + solar including battery. The initial costs are much lower, and you will never recover the higher acquisition costs.
I am a bit confused. I originally planned to build at least a KfW 55 house.
For your information, our plot is fully developed, and a gas connection is available.
pagoni2020 schrieb:
Maybe it’s also a matter of age, but sometimes I feel that nowadays builders set way too many so-called standards among themselves, as if you can’t build without this or that anymore.
I read, for example, that a house without underfloor heating is complete nonsense, that various performance values are constantly outdone, and that only one option or the other seems possible and is taken as fact.
This often applies to the topic of KfW as well.
In the end, I want to feel truly comfortable in my individually designed home, and more attention should be paid to that detail; unfortunately, money usually runs out at this point. I have not had, or only partially had, things like KfW certification, controlled ventilation systems, underfloor heating, etc., in my various living situations, yet I have always made sure I feel great in the house.
I like bold individuality in design, which no one else can feel for me.
With or without KfW — that won’t change how comfortable you feel in your home. If it’s only slightly more expensive, sure, go for it; otherwise, I would invest the money elsewhere where it directly enhances living and quality of life. And what would that be?
P
pagoni202025 Jun 2020 22:06Snowy36 schrieb:
And what would that be?As I mentioned, the emphasis was on ME:- air conditioning, because humidity makes life uncomfortable for me in summer
- a great, customized floor plan developed together with someone who can effectively translate my ideas into plans
- a glass roof over the terrace
- a really stylish shower or a full bathroom on each floor, plus a guest toilet
- a small, separate guest area
- a garden sauna
- blinds or external venetian blinds (also called roller shutters)…
and so on…
@Snowy36
These are features I have always found extremely comfortable and pleasant, which is why I want them again in the new house. This applies solely to me, and these are my priorities on the list—I’m happy to invest more here; less so in the garage, car, landscaping, or higher energy efficiency standards (without making my garden look unattractive).
In addition, I generally use energy carefully.
pagoni2020 schrieb:
That already sounds good. Of course, you can question his statements, but he might also be able to show you reference projects. My former house was built with 36cm (14 inches) brick walls, and I enjoyed living there. Naturally, the floor plan, window placement, and many other factors are also very important. Personally, I like to rely on someone who gives a solid, trustworthy impression and recommends what they know well.
When it comes to the floor plan, I would definitely want it to reflect my personal needs. That’s exactly the kind of person we are looking for. Someone who doesn’t try to push something on us but tells us what they can do and helps us make decisions.
We already have our own ideas and a rough sketch. It’s based on the location of the house. Rooms that are used frequently (living room, children’s rooms) and, of course, a south-facing terrace should be where there is plenty of light.
We’ll keep looking.
H
hampshire25 Jun 2020 22:27pagoni2020 schrieb:
How did you do it? We built ecologically and chose not to apply for any subsidies. With our own forest producing significantly more biomass than we need for heating, and our preference for radiant heat, a basic masonry heater was the natural choice. This, of course, puts you outside the KfW subsidy system. Naturally, you can still build highly efficiently; no one forbids that, and it conserves resources.pagoni2020 schrieb:
As I mentioned, the emphasis was on ME:
- Air conditioning, because humidity makes life difficult for me in summer
- A great, customized floor plan developed in collaboration with someone who can effectively interpret my ideas
- A glass roof over the terrace
- A really stylish shower and a full bathroom on each floor plus a guest toilet
- A small, private guest area
- A garden sauna
- Blinds or external venetian blinds / roller shutters...
and so on...
@Snowy36
These are things I have always found extremely comfortable and enjoyable, which is why I want them in the new house as well. These priorities apply only to me, and I’m happy to invest more here; less on the garage, car, landscaping, or higher energy efficiency standards (KfW certification) without making my garden look unattractive.
Additionally, I am generally careful with energy use. Thanks, these are great features (-:
I could tick every item on the list, only the air conditioning is something I really miss...
Maybe I should finally consider adding it to the bedroom...
It is once again interesting to see how politics influences facts and leads to completely nonsensical claims, such as gas being comparable to an air-to-water heat pump.
Every air-to-water heat pump failed to meet the Energy Saving Ordinance requirements until 2014. It was only when politicians decided to simply raise the actual primary energy factor by political decree that air-to-water heat pumps became financially viable, resulting in cheaper building methods as relatively poor building envelopes could also be justified. Every general contractor or prefab house manufacturer must have been pleased. Because where did the additional profit go...
Photovoltaic systems usually cover about 25% of private households’ energy needs, and the energy is produced at the wrong time. The electricity actually supplied cannot be fully carbon-neutral, since the total renewable energy produced in Germany barely covers the current digitalization demands. Even experts like Prof. Lesch offer no solutions for the future here.
At least politicians trust citizens to be able to calculate and think logically. That is why KfW40+ standards are only promoted with battery storage, which ecologically is as disastrous as with all electric cars. No one will buy a new battery costing $21,000 after 8 years for an ID3. Currently, the old battery can only be disposed of in waste incineration plants, as it is not recyclable. Environmental damage and child labor involved in lithium and cobalt mining in Africa or Latin America are not even mentioned.
Whether KfW55 or not is currently not even a question, because building a KfW55 house is simply cheaper than building a house according to the Energy Saving Ordinance, without even considering the lower operating costs.
Then in 2021/22, there will be the enormous devaluation of houses built according to the Energy Saving Ordinance when the new Building Energy Act only approves new buildings as passive houses.
One must never forget that many political decisions are often strongly influenced by lobbies, which are not the lobby of the average consumer.
Because if the government suddenly misses out on mineral oil tax revenue, to which form of energy can this tax then be applied?
Every air-to-water heat pump failed to meet the Energy Saving Ordinance requirements until 2014. It was only when politicians decided to simply raise the actual primary energy factor by political decree that air-to-water heat pumps became financially viable, resulting in cheaper building methods as relatively poor building envelopes could also be justified. Every general contractor or prefab house manufacturer must have been pleased. Because where did the additional profit go...
Photovoltaic systems usually cover about 25% of private households’ energy needs, and the energy is produced at the wrong time. The electricity actually supplied cannot be fully carbon-neutral, since the total renewable energy produced in Germany barely covers the current digitalization demands. Even experts like Prof. Lesch offer no solutions for the future here.
At least politicians trust citizens to be able to calculate and think logically. That is why KfW40+ standards are only promoted with battery storage, which ecologically is as disastrous as with all electric cars. No one will buy a new battery costing $21,000 after 8 years for an ID3. Currently, the old battery can only be disposed of in waste incineration plants, as it is not recyclable. Environmental damage and child labor involved in lithium and cobalt mining in Africa or Latin America are not even mentioned.
Whether KfW55 or not is currently not even a question, because building a KfW55 house is simply cheaper than building a house according to the Energy Saving Ordinance, without even considering the lower operating costs.
Then in 2021/22, there will be the enormous devaluation of houses built according to the Energy Saving Ordinance when the new Building Energy Act only approves new buildings as passive houses.
One must never forget that many political decisions are often strongly influenced by lobbies, which are not the lobby of the average consumer.
Because if the government suddenly misses out on mineral oil tax revenue, to which form of energy can this tax then be applied?
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