ᐅ Experience with KfW55 solid construction + gas heating + 5 sqm solar panels
Created on: 1 May 2017 20:11
N
Nutshell
Hello everyone,
I wanted to share my experience with my Kfw55 new build from 2013/2014.
We live at just under 300 meters (985 feet) above sea level and built with solid construction.
The house has a rather simple shape.
A standard gable roof without dormers or skylights (upstairs there is one window per room on the gable side).
Styrofoam was not an option for various reasons, so we chose the rather expensive monolithic plan blocks with a lambda value of 0.08.
Size: 111 sqm (1195 sq ft) living space.
Exterior wall: 36.5 cm (14 inches) Ytong blocks // Lambda 0.2 W/m²K
Floor slab insulated with XPS // 0.21 W/m²K
Ceiling on the upper floor has a sloping roof with 24 cm (9.5 inches) // ceiling insulated with 34 cm (13.5 inches) mineral wool // 0.12 W/m²K
Doors and windows are triple-glazed and gas-filled // overall including frames 1.05 W/m²K
Heat generator:
Gas condensing boiler: Viessmann Vitodens 300
System control: Vitotronic 200
Solar thermal system 5 sqm (54 sq ft): Vitosol 200-F
Solar storage tank: Vitocell 100-W 300 liters (79 gallons)
The solar system is used only for domestic hot water (no heating support).
Our gas boiler is switched off from May to September for heating and still consumes about 100 kWh of gas over the summer.
In winter, the solar system barely manages to heat the hot water (2 people), so it usually runs on gas.
Ventilation is handled by decentralized Lunos e² units with 90% heat recovery.
Over 12 months, we had a gas consumption of 8000 kWh.
That currently corresponds to heating costs of about €28 for the house.
We have the temperature set to 23°C (73°F) throughout the house.
(Electricity costs are about €39.)
Overall, we are very satisfied. Of course, the energy certificate shows lower consumption than we actually have.
There is no night setback, and nothing ever switches off or regulates down.
Maybe someone has had similar experiences?
Personally, I’m relaxed about heating costs; even if energy prices rise, paying twice as much would still be less than I used to pay in my smaller 80 sqm (860 sq ft) apartment built in 1990.
I wanted to share my experience with my Kfw55 new build from 2013/2014.
We live at just under 300 meters (985 feet) above sea level and built with solid construction.
The house has a rather simple shape.
A standard gable roof without dormers or skylights (upstairs there is one window per room on the gable side).
Styrofoam was not an option for various reasons, so we chose the rather expensive monolithic plan blocks with a lambda value of 0.08.
Size: 111 sqm (1195 sq ft) living space.
Exterior wall: 36.5 cm (14 inches) Ytong blocks // Lambda 0.2 W/m²K
Floor slab insulated with XPS // 0.21 W/m²K
Ceiling on the upper floor has a sloping roof with 24 cm (9.5 inches) // ceiling insulated with 34 cm (13.5 inches) mineral wool // 0.12 W/m²K
Doors and windows are triple-glazed and gas-filled // overall including frames 1.05 W/m²K
Heat generator:
Gas condensing boiler: Viessmann Vitodens 300
System control: Vitotronic 200
Solar thermal system 5 sqm (54 sq ft): Vitosol 200-F
Solar storage tank: Vitocell 100-W 300 liters (79 gallons)
The solar system is used only for domestic hot water (no heating support).
Our gas boiler is switched off from May to September for heating and still consumes about 100 kWh of gas over the summer.
In winter, the solar system barely manages to heat the hot water (2 people), so it usually runs on gas.
Ventilation is handled by decentralized Lunos e² units with 90% heat recovery.
Over 12 months, we had a gas consumption of 8000 kWh.
That currently corresponds to heating costs of about €28 for the house.
We have the temperature set to 23°C (73°F) throughout the house.
(Electricity costs are about €39.)
Overall, we are very satisfied. Of course, the energy certificate shows lower consumption than we actually have.
There is no night setback, and nothing ever switches off or regulates down.
Maybe someone has had similar experiences?
Personally, I’m relaxed about heating costs; even if energy prices rise, paying twice as much would still be less than I used to pay in my smaller 80 sqm (860 sq ft) apartment built in 1990.
I think you just need to read up a bit on the topic of #energycosts.
Besides that, age plays a huge role.
I’m under 30 and plan to live and heat in the house for a very long time.
However, if someone is already around 50 years old, they don’t need to insulate as much to have affordable energy costs in retirement.
For example, in 40 years I will be 70 and retired. Currently, I pay 30€ per month. Energy costs increase by about 7.5% annually. Let’s say my pension will be around 1800€.
The 30€ will rise to 500€ per month in 40 years. That leaves 1300€ remaining.
Will it really happen like that? Yes, I don’t have a crystal ball, of course. But energy costs tend to rise, and the longer the period, the greater the difference. For these reasons, I decided on a KfW55 standard. It may seem a bit much today, but in 40 years I will probably regret not building a passive house... or at least be happy with the E55.
Besides that, age plays a huge role.
I’m under 30 and plan to live and heat in the house for a very long time.
However, if someone is already around 50 years old, they don’t need to insulate as much to have affordable energy costs in retirement.
For example, in 40 years I will be 70 and retired. Currently, I pay 30€ per month. Energy costs increase by about 7.5% annually. Let’s say my pension will be around 1800€.
The 30€ will rise to 500€ per month in 40 years. That leaves 1300€ remaining.
Will it really happen like that? Yes, I don’t have a crystal ball, of course. But energy costs tend to rise, and the longer the period, the greater the difference. For these reasons, I decided on a KfW55 standard. It may seem a bit much today, but in 40 years I will probably regret not building a passive house... or at least be happy with the E55.
D
Deliverer20 Oct 2017 08:28Sure. Either the energy transition bears fruit and energy becomes cheaper than ever.
Or you install some solar panels, a wind turbine, and a battery pack in your house and become self-sufficient. Then you might regret choosing a passive house with 60 cm (24 inches) thick walls...
Who knows...
Or you install some solar panels, a wind turbine, and a battery pack in your house and become self-sufficient. Then you might regret choosing a passive house with 60 cm (24 inches) thick walls...
Who knows...
Nuclear power plants off
Fossil fuel plants should be reduced
Electromobility is increasing more and more
I’m really glad I’m not heating with electricity – it’s going to get interesting when most new cars are electric in 10 years!
The amount of electricity “burned” for that will be huge
Is the wind turbine serious? Nobody would put something like that in their garden, right?! LOL
Fossil fuel plants should be reduced
Electromobility is increasing more and more
I’m really glad I’m not heating with electricity – it’s going to get interesting when most new cars are electric in 10 years!
The amount of electricity “burned” for that will be huge
Is the wind turbine serious? Nobody would put something like that in their garden, right?! LOL
D
Deliverer28 Nov 2017 13:50Nutshell schrieb:
Nuclear power plants are being phased out.
Fossil fuel power plants should be reduced.
Electromobility is increasing more and more.
I’m really glad I don’t heat with electricity—that’s going to get interesting when most new cars are electric in 10 years!
The amount of electricity “consumed” will be huge.
Is the idea of a wind turbine serious? Nobody would put one in their garden, right?! LOL The increase in electric cars isn’t that dramatic. Germany will only need about 10% more electricity than now. So it’s not that bad.
And many people install small wind turbines. You just shouldn’t imagine the 100-meter (330 feet) tall offshore versions. There are plenty of small, quiet solutions with about one kilowatt output. Unfortunately, the technology is still quite a bit less economical than solar because the production numbers are still very low. But the discussion was about “in 40 years”…
I recently read that small wind turbines are economically disastrous. They need to be a certain height (over 30m (100 feet)?) to become viable. And no one can really accommodate that in their garden.
Regarding the topic of rising electricity costs – who knows. Fossil fuels will probably be affected first because the transition is likely to be subsidized. The carbon tax will come into play, and all "combustion" devices – whether cars or gas boilers – will have a hard time as people try to get rid of old equipment. However, the timeline will probably be quite long before significant effects are felt. Much too long.
Regarding the topic of rising electricity costs – who knows. Fossil fuels will probably be affected first because the transition is likely to be subsidized. The carbon tax will come into play, and all "combustion" devices – whether cars or gas boilers – will have a hard time as people try to get rid of old equipment. However, the timeline will probably be quite long before significant effects are felt. Much too long.
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