ᐅ How do you properly balance the requirements of the Building Energy Act against the standards of KfW 55, 40, and 40 Plus?
Created on: 14 Mar 2021 16:10
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--Lars--
Hi everyone,
We are currently planning our single-family home and are receiving different recommendations from various builders regarding construction with or without meeting certain KfW standards. We are planning a solid masonry construction.
We would like to independently review the advantages and disadvantages and are wondering which points should be considered. From our perspective, these are the following:
Thank you for your feedback.
We are currently planning our single-family home and are receiving different recommendations from various builders regarding construction with or without meeting certain KfW standards. We are planning a solid masonry construction.
We would like to independently review the advantages and disadvantages and are wondering which points should be considered. From our perspective, these are the following:
- Financial considerations - The repayment subsidy for KfW55 is usually about the same as the additional construction costs, so it balances out more or less
- Indoor climate - Excessive insulation can negatively impact indoor air quality (we only know this from friends, but aren’t sure if this is always the case)
- Land utilization - Using an external thermal insulation composite system (ETICS) can achieve KfW55 with thinner walls, which on our narrow plot would allow about 10m² (108 sq ft) more living space
- Value retention - Are there any experience reports regarding the value retention of the different construction methods?
- Energy-efficient construction saves heating costs over time, so building energy-efficient should be cheaper in the long run
- KfW loans currently don’t play a major role, as banks offer similar or even better conditions
Thank you for your feedback.
@majuhenema Please excuse the late reply – I had to hunt for Easter eggs 🙂
To be honest, I didn’t really search thoroughly but immediately had a good feeling with the first one and trusted my gut. So I can’t really give you any concrete criteria. There are probably many “energy experts” who quickly handle the formalities (energy saving ordinance certificate, etc.) but don’t really plan properly in advance. We worked with an engineering firm specializing in building physics, which also handles renovation of old buildings (timber framing, heritage protection, churches, etc.) and, in addition, provides planning and construction supervision for thermal insulation, moisture control, and soundproofing.
With a firm like that, it’s definitely not a pushover. And if you also feel that they have a genuine interest in developing the project with you from an early stage, you’ve at least ruled out the deadwood.
At the single-family house level, the basic topics should also be covered by a (good!) architect, but contrary to the common opinion here, there are also real duds in this profession… for example, I didn’t trust my gut once and had an absolute failure.
To be honest, I didn’t really search thoroughly but immediately had a good feeling with the first one and trusted my gut. So I can’t really give you any concrete criteria. There are probably many “energy experts” who quickly handle the formalities (energy saving ordinance certificate, etc.) but don’t really plan properly in advance. We worked with an engineering firm specializing in building physics, which also handles renovation of old buildings (timber framing, heritage protection, churches, etc.) and, in addition, provides planning and construction supervision for thermal insulation, moisture control, and soundproofing.
With a firm like that, it’s definitely not a pushover. And if you also feel that they have a genuine interest in developing the project with you from an early stage, you’ve at least ruled out the deadwood.
At the single-family house level, the basic topics should also be covered by a (good!) architect, but contrary to the common opinion here, there are also real duds in this profession… for example, I didn’t trust my gut once and had an absolute failure.
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BauFamily12 Apr 2021 22:3011ant schrieb:
So be cautious of the false hope that upgrading to the next higher KfW efficiency “level” alone (or combining it with a granny flat or similar) will fully cover the additional costs or even provide a nice bonus on top.
Is that really the case? Can intelligent house planning allow you to avoid dividing the property into multiple units and thus duplicate or even triple the funding? What additional costs would there be besides running a few extra lines for a possible kitchen area? The criteria for funding are:
- Separate, self-contained residential unit (feasible due to staircase location)
- Own bathroom (for example, a guest bathroom is usually planned on the ground floor)
- Wiring for a kitchenette
The extra costs are quite limited. The real question is whether you can design the floor plan so that, despite having “imaginary” multiple units (which rules out, for example, a straight-run staircase in the middle of the house), the layout remains appealing and comfortable. The KfW agency doesn’t mind if you remove the doors later and personally occupy all three units.
A significant cost difference arises with a granny flat in the basement, since the basement then needs additional insulation.
askforafriend12 Apr 2021 22:34It’s probably best to do it like some acquaintances of mine – they really want to get the second KfW subsidy for their single-family house. I’ve seen the floor plan; the staircase is just separated in a dark corridor somewhere in Timbuktu. It’s possible, of course. Most likely, you have to compromise and give up on your wishes just to get a measly 30,000 or whatever. Go for it!
Joking aside: No wonder why building costs keep rising. I would suggest the KfW increases the subsidy to 100,000 per housing unit.
Joking aside: No wonder why building costs keep rising. I would suggest the KfW increases the subsidy to 100,000 per housing unit.
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BauFamily12 Apr 2021 22:47askforafriend schrieb:
It’s best to do it like some acquaintances— they absolutely want the second KfW subsidy for their single-family house. I saw the floor plan; the staircase is tucked away separately in a dark corridor somewhere in Timbuktu. It’s doable. The best part is bending over backwards and giving up personal preferences just to get a measly 30,000 or whatever amount. Go for it!
Joking aside: no wonder why building is getting more expensive. I would suggest that KfW increases the subsidy to 100k per housing unit. That’s exactly what I wrote: The difficulty lies in making sure the house still matches your own ideas and you don’t have to give up the “comfort factor” just for the sake of the subsidy.
BauFamily schrieb:
Is it common to install some extra wiring for a potential kitchen unit?Sorry if I don’t respond in more detail to your nonsense,BauFamily schrieb:
In the end, the KfW doesn’t care if you remove the doors again and live in all three residential units yourself.... the reference to §264 of the Criminal Code should suffice.https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
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hampshire12 Apr 2021 23:33BauFamily schrieb:
The challenge is to ensure that the house still matches your personal preferences and that you don’t have to sacrifice the “comfort factor” because of the subsidy.It wasn’t difficult for us; we simply built without any subsidy, and the house is exactly as we wanted.Similar topics