ᐅ Building to the Energy Saving Ordinance 2016 or to KfW55 standards
Created on: 16 Jun 2021 13:08
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Raiweired
Hello,
I have been following the forum for a few weeks and have an important question before signing the fixed-price contract.
I am building a turnkey city villa (catalog home) with an air-to-water heat pump, living area approximately 118 sqm (1272 sq ft), and the planning contract has already been awarded. The general contractor offers a standard build according to the Energy Saving Ordinance 2016 and charges an additional approximately 13,000.00 Euro for upgrading to KfW55 standards, which includes improved insulation under the slab and ceiling above the upper floor, as well as exchanging Poroton T12 bricks for Poroton T9 bricks.
The subsidy for KfW55 is 18,000.00 Euro, and the subsidy for KfW55 EE is up to 26,250.00 Euro.
If I build to KfW55 standards, I expect additional costs of 13,000.00 Euro for the improved insulation, 2,000.00 Euro for the energy consultant, and 10,000.00 Euro for a decentralized ventilation system. That would use up the subsidy entirely. According to my research, the annual savings in electricity costs for the air-to-water heat pump compared to the Energy Saving Ordinance 2016 are only about 100.00 Euro per year.
Of course, the higher market value potentially achieved when selling the house speaks in favor of KfW55, but I do not plan to sell.
Otherwise, the savings compared to the Energy Saving Ordinance 2016 to KfW55 are only marginal. Additional ventilation also brings maintenance costs. With KfW55, the building envelope is sealed so tightly that fresh air must be supplied again via fans. You pay for the increased insulation and then for the ventilation needed to compensate. Houses built to the Energy Saving Ordinance 2016 are not as airtight and do not require ventilation systems.
I am opening this topic for discussion.
I look forward to hearing the various opinions.
Regards, Raiweired
I have been following the forum for a few weeks and have an important question before signing the fixed-price contract.
I am building a turnkey city villa (catalog home) with an air-to-water heat pump, living area approximately 118 sqm (1272 sq ft), and the planning contract has already been awarded. The general contractor offers a standard build according to the Energy Saving Ordinance 2016 and charges an additional approximately 13,000.00 Euro for upgrading to KfW55 standards, which includes improved insulation under the slab and ceiling above the upper floor, as well as exchanging Poroton T12 bricks for Poroton T9 bricks.
The subsidy for KfW55 is 18,000.00 Euro, and the subsidy for KfW55 EE is up to 26,250.00 Euro.
If I build to KfW55 standards, I expect additional costs of 13,000.00 Euro for the improved insulation, 2,000.00 Euro for the energy consultant, and 10,000.00 Euro for a decentralized ventilation system. That would use up the subsidy entirely. According to my research, the annual savings in electricity costs for the air-to-water heat pump compared to the Energy Saving Ordinance 2016 are only about 100.00 Euro per year.
Of course, the higher market value potentially achieved when selling the house speaks in favor of KfW55, but I do not plan to sell.
Otherwise, the savings compared to the Energy Saving Ordinance 2016 to KfW55 are only marginal. Additional ventilation also brings maintenance costs. With KfW55, the building envelope is sealed so tightly that fresh air must be supplied again via fans. You pay for the increased insulation and then for the ventilation needed to compensate. Houses built to the Energy Saving Ordinance 2016 are not as airtight and do not require ventilation systems.
I am opening this topic for discussion.
I look forward to hearing the various opinions.
Regards, Raiweired
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nordanney17 Jun 2021 16:17hampshire schrieb:
How is it in daily use? In-out-in-out… especially with children.???Neither my children nor I have ever found the mechanical ventilation system to be an obstacle or to prevent going in and out repeatedly.
It works. For us, air flowing in and out is not such a big issue. In our rural area, many children spend a lot of time outdoors. If it gets warmer inside during the day, then at night you just have to ventilate crosswise in addition to the controlled residential ventilation system. In fact, our main problem is that it feels chilly on the ground floor in winter because the sliding door is open more often than in summer. It takes time for the walls to warm up. Just because warm air was inside the house for a few hours doesn’t mean you have to suffer until winter.
How well air exchange works at night may also depend on the location. We don’t have dense buildings around, compared to some housing estates, plus there is a green slope behind the house and so on.
Heat is a problem in our second home. It’s a 1970s building and like a sieve, while the new builds are like airtight containers.
I just wanted to point this out because people still talk to us, surprised, that windows actually open here and are allowed to be opened for more than just cleaning.
Insulation itself works. We have a well-insulated attic, with two small windows in the gable, not converted, unoccupied, and unheated. Lowest temperature this winter was 14°C (57°F), highest temperature last summer was 23°C (73°F). Outside temperatures ranged from -20°C (-4°F) to +40°C (104°F).
How well air exchange works at night may also depend on the location. We don’t have dense buildings around, compared to some housing estates, plus there is a green slope behind the house and so on.
Heat is a problem in our second home. It’s a 1970s building and like a sieve, while the new builds are like airtight containers.
I just wanted to point this out because people still talk to us, surprised, that windows actually open here and are allowed to be opened for more than just cleaning.
Insulation itself works. We have a well-insulated attic, with two small windows in the gable, not converted, unoccupied, and unheated. Lowest temperature this winter was 14°C (57°F), highest temperature last summer was 23°C (73°F). Outside temperatures ranged from -20°C (-4°F) to +40°C (104°F).
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Raiweired18 Jun 2021 02:14Many interesting posts and opinions. I am now leaning towards building as a KfW55 standard with a decentralized ventilation system, even if the energy consultant calculates that ventilation would not be necessary.
We chose KfW55 as our building standard. However, we are constructing the house without a ventilation system. You can also achieve the required efficiency through the masonry (we are using T8 bricks), increased roof insulation, and a photovoltaic system. This has the advantage for us that the house does not have to be wrapped in plastic sheeting and does not require a ventilation system.
I would recommend going for KfW55 in any case because the additional costs are fully covered by subsidies, and you do not have to accept any disadvantages. With higher standards, it may be that window sizes and other factors cannot be freely chosen anymore (due to heat gain regulations).
I would recommend going for KfW55 in any case because the additional costs are fully covered by subsidies, and you do not have to accept any disadvantages. With higher standards, it may be that window sizes and other factors cannot be freely chosen anymore (due to heat gain regulations).
mete111 schrieb:
This has the advantage for us that the house does not need to be wrapped in plastic sheeting, nor is a ventilation system required.Could you explain what you mean by that?Similar topics