ᐅ Energy Saving Regulation: Summer Thermal Comfort

Hello dear forum, today we received a letter from our architect stating that according to the Energy Saving Ordinance, we are required to install roller shutters on the ground floor as well.

Since we have corner windows on the ground floor (facing southeast and southwest), and due to the missing wall section in the corner roller shutters do not fit there, we had decided not to install any on the ground floor, but only on the upper floor. Now we are being told that we must provide them in order to comply with the regulation. What is the rule if there is no possibility to install them? Could it happen that the windows will not be approved because of this? How binding is this Energy Saving Ordinance? Thank you very much

The Energy Saving Ordinance is mandatory and its requirements must be met.
Just as the Energy Saving Ordinance mandates the addition of solar collectors to gas heating systems, the number required is also determined by the Energy Saving Ordinance calculation.

Anyone building a house must comply with the requirements of the Energy Saving Ordinance. If in doubt, the issuer of the energy certificate is responsible. New residential buildings must not exceed specific reference values for heating, hot water preparation, ventilation, and cooling. Additionally, they must be constructed or insulated so that heat loss remains below a defined limit. The exact values are listed in tables included in the annex of the Energy Saving Ordinance. These tables can be accessed by builders on the website of the Federal Ministry of Justice.

We were also faced with this since, for cost and aesthetic reasons, we didn’t want any.
We were supposed to sign a document like that. In the end, we decided on roller shutters because it’s about thermal insulation... and that’s no small matter. In other words, we’re really glad to have the roller shutters.

Even if you were allowed: You don’t want to install summer heat protection that is less effective than what the energy saving regulations require, otherwise you’ll quickly end up in a 40°C (104°F) hot house in summer and won’t be able to get the heat out anymore. It might be possible to install some type of canopy instead of roller shutters? Sometimes that works as well.

I believe that larger glass surfaces should have external shading. Over the past few weeks, I have spent some time professionally studying cooling load calculations. Shading makes a significant difference there.

Personally, I prefer Venetian blinds, even though they are more expensive. Besides providing shading, they can also be adjusted slightly to allow for an outside view.