Good evening everyone!
We are currently about to submit the building notification in Bovenden, just north of the city boundary of Göttingen (Lower Saxony), and we just had our architectural meeting with the architect from our home builder FIBAV.
During the meeting, the topic of roller shutters briefly came up, and we said that we do not want any.
The response was that we should or must consider an alternative type of sun protection.
For us, the issue was settled: we currently live in a rental apartment owned by a Göttingen housing cooperative, first occupied in 10/2014, without roller shutters.
However, afterwards I felt somewhat concerned and asked by email.
The very quick reply was:
“Summer heat protection according to DIN 4108 Part 2 is mandatory and is calculated by [...].
This shows which rooms must be equipped with shading.
Provisions for possible later shading systems can be integrated into the façade either before or after construction.
Please discuss this with your construction manager. He can then coordinate it with the trades.”
It’s good to know that summer heat protection according to the standard is mandatory—also to prevent the majority of people from retrofitting energy-intensive air conditioning later, no question.
But is summer heat protection also a legal or otherwise mandatory requirement, or can we omit it without facing any sanctions—worst case, a forced retrofit?
If summer heat protection is somehow a sanctionable obligation: does it have to be an external shading system?
My wife cannot live without curtains, so we already have some form of interior sun protection—of course less effective than external shading, but present.
We will not install an air conditioning system later...
Regardless of whether it is mandatory: What are the most cost-effective options for reasonably effective heat protection?
Or is that already provided by curtains?
Best regards,
Christian
We are currently about to submit the building notification in Bovenden, just north of the city boundary of Göttingen (Lower Saxony), and we just had our architectural meeting with the architect from our home builder FIBAV.
During the meeting, the topic of roller shutters briefly came up, and we said that we do not want any.
The response was that we should or must consider an alternative type of sun protection.
For us, the issue was settled: we currently live in a rental apartment owned by a Göttingen housing cooperative, first occupied in 10/2014, without roller shutters.
However, afterwards I felt somewhat concerned and asked by email.
The very quick reply was:
“Summer heat protection according to DIN 4108 Part 2 is mandatory and is calculated by [...].
This shows which rooms must be equipped with shading.
Provisions for possible later shading systems can be integrated into the façade either before or after construction.
Please discuss this with your construction manager. He can then coordinate it with the trades.”
It’s good to know that summer heat protection according to the standard is mandatory—also to prevent the majority of people from retrofitting energy-intensive air conditioning later, no question.
But is summer heat protection also a legal or otherwise mandatory requirement, or can we omit it without facing any sanctions—worst case, a forced retrofit?
If summer heat protection is somehow a sanctionable obligation: does it have to be an external shading system?
My wife cannot live without curtains, so we already have some form of interior sun protection—of course less effective than external shading, but present.
We will not install an air conditioning system later...
Regardless of whether it is mandatory: What are the most cost-effective options for reasonably effective heat protection?
Or is that already provided by curtains?
Best regards,
Christian
B
boxandroof25 Jun 2019 18:11Buchweizen schrieb:
We have no thermal or solar protection on the house. The builders simply didn’t consider it (built in 2005). Therefore, after moving in, we fitted the south-facing windows and patio doors with pleated blinds. They are visually unobtrusive and easy to adjust. For us, this is completely sufficient. Inside the house, it’s even cooler at these temperatures than in the new apartment.Altai schrieb:
I have three relatively small south-facing windows (each about 1.5m² (16ft²)) that are not shaded. So far, I haven’t noticed any significant heat build-up in the house.It always strongly depends on the site conditions and the floor plan.
For example, I was surprised that under the sloping ceilings on the upper floor it’s not warmer than on the ground floor. A probable reason is, among other things, a third gable that shades the roof and the few south-facing windows on the upper floor.
Our living room, with about 15m² (160ft²) of window area facing south and west, however, heats up a lot more during the day without any shading.
T
Traumfaenger27 Jun 2019 00:07We have external venetian blinds all around, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. They block the sun’s rays while keeping the whole house beautifully bright. Even during heavy rain, you can open all the windows wide and enjoy plenty of fresh air. It flows freely and not just through small gaps. What more could you want? If shading had been sacrificed due to budget constraints, roller blinds with a strap would have sufficed. However, I would never have given up external shading. I’m not looking back to the 1970s, but forward to the 2030s based on current projections.
Our "all-purpose room" basically receives sunlight from 9:00 am until sunset. Thanks to the blinds, it’s possible to maintain the temperature on the ground floor at 23°C (73°F). Especially over the past few days, I found it very comfortable to come into a house cooled to 23°C (73°F). Yes, it is darker on the ground floor, but you can either have it cool and shaded or bright and warm.
We ventilate the house thoroughly in the morning, then seal it up tightly and go to work. However, this only helps on the ground floor.
The top floor gets the full heat, the "cold floor" turns into a hot floor during summer—no amount of insulation wool can keep the heat out. (It’s unfortunate that the bedrooms are up there; we will probably need a fixed air conditioning system in the coming years.)
We ventilate the house thoroughly in the morning, then seal it up tightly and go to work. However, this only helps on the ground floor.
The top floor gets the full heat, the "cold floor" turns into a hot floor during summer—no amount of insulation wool can keep the heat out. (It’s unfortunate that the bedrooms are up there; we will probably need a fixed air conditioning system in the coming years.)
H
hampshire28 Jun 2019 09:04When I read this thread, I come to the conclusion that shading is generally considered very beneficial. Thinking further about this, good shading will help maintain or even increase the value of the house and is therefore a worthwhile investment.
My conclusion: No matter how much this "hampshire guy" loves heat – investing in shading clearly pays off and doesn’t necessarily make things darker.
My conclusion: No matter how much this "hampshire guy" loves heat – investing in shading clearly pays off and doesn’t necessarily make things darker.
Thanks to everyone involved!
Yes, we no longer question the usefulness – but now we have to focus even more on financing and are frustrated that the topic of "summer heat protection" was not included as a mandatory part of the initial planning phase.
(...I’m still surprised that housing cooperatives apparently still get approval for new buildings here without it...)
Have a great weekend
Yes, we no longer question the usefulness – but now we have to focus even more on financing and are frustrated that the topic of "summer heat protection" was not included as a mandatory part of the initial planning phase.
(...I’m still surprised that housing cooperatives apparently still get approval for new buildings here without it...)
Have a great weekend
crion schrieb:
(...I am still surprised that the housing cooperatives here apparently still get their new buildings approved without permits...)This could also be because the plans were submitted many months ago, and different regulations applied back then.
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