Hello,
we are currently looking for a condominium. At the moment, we are considering a penthouse apartment that is planned to be built according to the 2016 Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV 2016).
Since we currently rent a duplex apartment, we are familiar with the problem of summer heat inside the apartment. Every summer, we experience 3-4 weeks with temperatures up to 30°C (86°F) in the living room (fortunately, the bedroom is on the lower floor). The current building dates back to around 1997.
Both the new and the old apartment have a southern exposure. However, the new penthouse would only be exposed to the sun from morning until noon. The duplex apartment receives sunlight on all sides, from morning until evening.
Now my question: Is it true that new penthouse apartments do not heat up as much because of the insulation? I find it hard to believe; if the summer sun shines for 2-3 days straight, wouldn’t the heat eventually penetrate inside and stay longer?
Second question: If we consider installing air conditioning, would this comply with the 2016 Energy Saving Ordinance? On the Energy Saving Ordinance website, it says: “The reference house is not equipped with cooling.” That made me uncertain.
Thanks for your help,
I am still quite new to this field.
Best regards, Jan
we are currently looking for a condominium. At the moment, we are considering a penthouse apartment that is planned to be built according to the 2016 Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV 2016).
Since we currently rent a duplex apartment, we are familiar with the problem of summer heat inside the apartment. Every summer, we experience 3-4 weeks with temperatures up to 30°C (86°F) in the living room (fortunately, the bedroom is on the lower floor). The current building dates back to around 1997.
Both the new and the old apartment have a southern exposure. However, the new penthouse would only be exposed to the sun from morning until noon. The duplex apartment receives sunlight on all sides, from morning until evening.
Now my question: Is it true that new penthouse apartments do not heat up as much because of the insulation? I find it hard to believe; if the summer sun shines for 2-3 days straight, wouldn’t the heat eventually penetrate inside and stay longer?
Second question: If we consider installing air conditioning, would this comply with the 2016 Energy Saving Ordinance? On the Energy Saving Ordinance website, it says: “The reference house is not equipped with cooling.” That made me uncertain.
Thanks for your help,
I am still quite new to this field.
Best regards, Jan
B
Baustelle201622 Oct 2016 07:41Our top-floor rental apartment was completely renovated for first occupancy in 2010, including insulation. We have only skylight windows in every room. We usually heat only from the end of October until the end of March or mid-April. Therefore, heating costs are minimal, and so far we have almost always received a refund on utility bills. Great!
Unfortunately, outside the heating season, especially from early May to September at the latest, the apartment becomes unbearably hot. Shading the double casement windows did little to help – the inward-rolling blinds heat up so much from the sun that they emit a lot of heat themselves. Without blinds, the apartment quickly feels like a drying room. In the best case, the indoor temperature with fully open windows matches the outdoor temperature. With closed windows, as soon as the sun shines, it gets extremely hot. Over time, the summer drafts become annoying. We also live in a quite lively neighborhood – on some evenings people bring out guitars in the courtyard, and there’s always a campfire. The neighborhood children are very energetic from about 7 a.m., while their parents are less so, as they’ve often been celebrating late, guitar and campfire in hand. Although located on a side street, the tram stop is nearby and runs as early as 4:30 a.m.
Fortunately, you don’t notice these things with the windows closed. The sound insulation is excellent. Unfortunately, you can’t bear the heat at night with closed windows. So, by now, we know exactly who is celebrating where and when. The two flatshares in the neighboring building are quite entertaining and always have good stuff to smoke. The smell of cannabis offers a welcome change from the rather ordinary campfire smell.
When a refreshing rain shower falls on hot summer evenings, we throw open the double casement windows to cool down—but it doesn’t really cool. We have to close the windows quickly again to prevent the rain from damaging the parquet floor. The steam rising from the heated tiled roof after rain is also interesting. The humidity that inevitably enters through the partially opened double casement windows adds that special touch to the indoor temperature.
NEVER AGAIN A TOP-FLOOR APARTMENT WITHOUT AIR CONDITIONING! NEVER AGAIN A TOP-FLOOR APARTMENT WITH DOUBLE CASEMENT WINDOWS!
This summer was our last in our lovely but unfortunately uninhabitable-in-summer attic apartment. We are moving into our new house at the beginning of December. There won’t be a single double casement window there...
Best regards, td
Unfortunately, outside the heating season, especially from early May to September at the latest, the apartment becomes unbearably hot. Shading the double casement windows did little to help – the inward-rolling blinds heat up so much from the sun that they emit a lot of heat themselves. Without blinds, the apartment quickly feels like a drying room. In the best case, the indoor temperature with fully open windows matches the outdoor temperature. With closed windows, as soon as the sun shines, it gets extremely hot. Over time, the summer drafts become annoying. We also live in a quite lively neighborhood – on some evenings people bring out guitars in the courtyard, and there’s always a campfire. The neighborhood children are very energetic from about 7 a.m., while their parents are less so, as they’ve often been celebrating late, guitar and campfire in hand. Although located on a side street, the tram stop is nearby and runs as early as 4:30 a.m.
Fortunately, you don’t notice these things with the windows closed. The sound insulation is excellent. Unfortunately, you can’t bear the heat at night with closed windows. So, by now, we know exactly who is celebrating where and when. The two flatshares in the neighboring building are quite entertaining and always have good stuff to smoke. The smell of cannabis offers a welcome change from the rather ordinary campfire smell.
When a refreshing rain shower falls on hot summer evenings, we throw open the double casement windows to cool down—but it doesn’t really cool. We have to close the windows quickly again to prevent the rain from damaging the parquet floor. The steam rising from the heated tiled roof after rain is also interesting. The humidity that inevitably enters through the partially opened double casement windows adds that special touch to the indoor temperature.
NEVER AGAIN A TOP-FLOOR APARTMENT WITHOUT AIR CONDITIONING! NEVER AGAIN A TOP-FLOOR APARTMENT WITH DOUBLE CASEMENT WINDOWS!
This summer was our last in our lovely but unfortunately uninhabitable-in-summer attic apartment. We are moving into our new house at the beginning of December. There won’t be a single double casement window there...
Best regards, td
Baustelle2016 schrieb:
Unfortunately, the apartment gets so hot outside of the heating season—starting usually from early May and lasting until September—that it becomes almost unbearable.This matches my experience with modern apartments and houses, which I have often mentioned here before.
Once the HEAT is inside, it stays inside.
Homes built according to energy-saving standards and similar regulations are primarily designed to reduce heating costs by retaining heat.
Therefore:
In winter, heating costs are pleasantly low… but in summer, without additional measures (such as shading or air conditioning), it eventually becomes so hot that it’s simply unbearable. Of course, this is subjective—some find it too hot, while others don’t.
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