From the 3-Liter House to the Zero Heating Cost House
Good evening,
Regarding your question, I found the following article very interesting:
From the 3-Liter House to the Zero Heating Cost House
Innovative BASF Concepts Reduce CO2 Emissions and Ensure Low Heating Expenses
The Story
Almost one-third of Germany’s primary energy production is used for heating private households. An average older multi-family building consumes more than 20 liters of heating oil per square meter per year. This has consequences: for tenants, who face rising heating costs, and for the environment, since heating generates significant amounts of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2). The zero heating cost house in the Pfingstweide district of Ludwigshafen is different. It has no conventional radiators, not even a stove. Instead, a sophisticated integrated system with innovative insulation and ventilation methods keeps the residents comfortably warm and produces almost no CO2 emissions. Luwoge, BASF’s housing company, developed and implemented the zero heating cost house concept together with its subsidiary Luwoge consult, a consulting firm specializing in energy-efficient construction.
For several years, Luwoge has demonstrated that it is possible to build or renovate houses and apartments energy-efficiently using BASF products and other components. For example, in 2001, the company modernized an old building from the 1950s into a low-energy house – the first 3-liter house in the existing building stock. Since then, this house’s heating oil demand has been less than three liters per square meter of living space per year. “We have great expertise in modernizing older buildings into contemporary low-energy houses. The 3-liter house was purely a pilot project. Back then, we wanted to show what is technically possible – economic viability was secondary,” explains Karl Arenz, Head of the Competence Center for Residential Building and Modernization at Luwoge. “With the zero heating cost house, we now prove that energetic building modernization can also be economically viable.”
To ensure the building truly incurs no heating costs, a multi-stage combined system is used. First, the house is well wrapped in thermal insulation boards made of Neopor®. In terms of insulation performance, modern Neopor® clearly surpasses its predecessor Styropor®: It contains small graphite particles that reflect thermal radiation and give the material a silvery-gray color. For optimal protection against energy loss, the windows in the zero heating cost house are triple-glazed and filled with a noble gas between the panes.
Another key component of the energy efficiency concept in the zero heating cost house is the heating system, as no radiators are found anywhere in the house, although it is not a “zero energy consumption house.” What might initially seem paradoxical is based on the idea that the house generates its (minimal) heating costs itself. To do so, it uses solar energy: solar panels on the roof generate electricity and feed it into the grid. The revenue from this covers the cost of keeping the apartments warm. The zero heating cost house also provides its own hot water, using solar collectors on the south-facing facade. “A controlled ventilation system with heat recovery ensures good air quality while making optimum use of the heat in the exhaust air,” says Karl Arenz. The ventilation system extracts used indoor air from the kitchen and bathroom. This warm indoor air is used to temper the cold fresh air via a heat exchanger. More than 80 percent of the exhaust air heat can be reused, and fresh air continuously flows into the house.
The heating is so well concealed that it is initially unnoticed: it is integrated into the windows. The inner pane of the triple-glazed windows has an invisible, ultra-thin electrically conductive metal coating. When a low voltage is applied, this coating warms up similarly to a resistance heater, and the heated windows provide pleasant radiant warmth. To prevent heat from being lost outward, the outer glass pane has a heat-reflective coating. Additionally, the spaces between the triple glazing panes are filled with a noble gas that conducts heat less than air. This creates a comfortable indoor climate more quickly and with less energy than conventional heating systems. However, this window heating is not intended for continuous operation; it is only used during especially low outdoor temperatures.
The Outlook
Germany has about 36 million residential units, approximately 24 million of which were built before 1979, a time when awareness of energy-saving construction was not as widespread. The amount of CO2 that can be saved with simple insulation measures is illustrated by the following example: If an older multi-family building consuming 25 liters of heating oil per square meter per year is modernized to the 7-liter standard, the residents of an 80-square-meter apartment save not only 1,440 liters of heating oil per year but also reduce CO2 emissions by 4.6 tons annually. Incidentally, private households account for about 14 percent of total CO2 emissions in Germany, which amounts to 120 million tons per year.
Currently, the legally required maximum consumption values under the Energy Saving Ordinance (Energieeinsparverordnung) are seven liters per square meter per year for new buildings and eleven liters for existing buildings. The technical possibilities to exceed these requirements are demonstrated by the projects mentioned. “About 600,000 residential units are due for modernization every year,” says Karl Arenz. “If all these were modernized energetically to the 7-liter standard, approximately three million tons of CO2 and almost one billion liters of heating oil could be saved annually. Additionally, this would have a positive impact on the labor market.”
Pilot Project 3-Liter House
In 2001, Luwoge launched the pilot project 3-liter house in Ludwigshafen’s Brunck district. A 1950s old building was modernized into a low-energy house. This was made possible by extensive thermal insulation with Neopor®, triple-glazed windows, a controlled ventilation system with 85 percent heat recovery, and the latent heat storage Micronal® PCM. This latent heat storage, incorporated into gypsum boards or wall plasters, absorbs heat during the day so that the apartment remains cooler for longer on hot summer days. The 3-liter house has become an internationally acclaimed flagship project, and the energy values even exceeded expectations: its average consumption is 2.6 liters of heating oil per square meter of living space per year.
Interior Insulation in Older Building Modernization
Luwoge also demonstrated that a residential building over 100 years old does not necessarily have to remain an energy waster through the modernization of an old master house in 2005. The house, built in 1892 in BASF’s “Alte Kolonie” workers’ settlement, now consumes only six liters of heating oil per square meter of living space per year. Optimal thermal protection measures reduce energy demand, with a new generation of gypsum composite boards incorporating Neopor® used as interior insulation.
New Construction of 1-Liter Urban Townhouses
In Ludwigshafen’s Brunck district, Luwoge built 46 new urban townhouses to the 1-liter standard. The key to energy efficiency here also lies in extensive thermal insulation: Neopor® insulation boards up to 60 centimeters (24 inches) thick and triple-glazed windows filled with a noble gas ensure that no heat is wasted. The controlled ventilation system with heat recovery also serves this purpose. A small combined heat and power plant provides the necessary additional heat for all 46 apartments and supplies the 1-liter houses with electricity and hot water.
Good evening,
Regarding your question, I found the following article very interesting:
From the 3-Liter House to the Zero Heating Cost House
Innovative BASF Concepts Reduce CO2 Emissions and Ensure Low Heating Expenses
The Story
Almost one-third of Germany’s primary energy production is used for heating private households. An average older multi-family building consumes more than 20 liters of heating oil per square meter per year. This has consequences: for tenants, who face rising heating costs, and for the environment, since heating generates significant amounts of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2). The zero heating cost house in the Pfingstweide district of Ludwigshafen is different. It has no conventional radiators, not even a stove. Instead, a sophisticated integrated system with innovative insulation and ventilation methods keeps the residents comfortably warm and produces almost no CO2 emissions. Luwoge, BASF’s housing company, developed and implemented the zero heating cost house concept together with its subsidiary Luwoge consult, a consulting firm specializing in energy-efficient construction.
For several years, Luwoge has demonstrated that it is possible to build or renovate houses and apartments energy-efficiently using BASF products and other components. For example, in 2001, the company modernized an old building from the 1950s into a low-energy house – the first 3-liter house in the existing building stock. Since then, this house’s heating oil demand has been less than three liters per square meter of living space per year. “We have great expertise in modernizing older buildings into contemporary low-energy houses. The 3-liter house was purely a pilot project. Back then, we wanted to show what is technically possible – economic viability was secondary,” explains Karl Arenz, Head of the Competence Center for Residential Building and Modernization at Luwoge. “With the zero heating cost house, we now prove that energetic building modernization can also be economically viable.”
To ensure the building truly incurs no heating costs, a multi-stage combined system is used. First, the house is well wrapped in thermal insulation boards made of Neopor®. In terms of insulation performance, modern Neopor® clearly surpasses its predecessor Styropor®: It contains small graphite particles that reflect thermal radiation and give the material a silvery-gray color. For optimal protection against energy loss, the windows in the zero heating cost house are triple-glazed and filled with a noble gas between the panes.
Another key component of the energy efficiency concept in the zero heating cost house is the heating system, as no radiators are found anywhere in the house, although it is not a “zero energy consumption house.” What might initially seem paradoxical is based on the idea that the house generates its (minimal) heating costs itself. To do so, it uses solar energy: solar panels on the roof generate electricity and feed it into the grid. The revenue from this covers the cost of keeping the apartments warm. The zero heating cost house also provides its own hot water, using solar collectors on the south-facing facade. “A controlled ventilation system with heat recovery ensures good air quality while making optimum use of the heat in the exhaust air,” says Karl Arenz. The ventilation system extracts used indoor air from the kitchen and bathroom. This warm indoor air is used to temper the cold fresh air via a heat exchanger. More than 80 percent of the exhaust air heat can be reused, and fresh air continuously flows into the house.
The heating is so well concealed that it is initially unnoticed: it is integrated into the windows. The inner pane of the triple-glazed windows has an invisible, ultra-thin electrically conductive metal coating. When a low voltage is applied, this coating warms up similarly to a resistance heater, and the heated windows provide pleasant radiant warmth. To prevent heat from being lost outward, the outer glass pane has a heat-reflective coating. Additionally, the spaces between the triple glazing panes are filled with a noble gas that conducts heat less than air. This creates a comfortable indoor climate more quickly and with less energy than conventional heating systems. However, this window heating is not intended for continuous operation; it is only used during especially low outdoor temperatures.
The Outlook
Germany has about 36 million residential units, approximately 24 million of which were built before 1979, a time when awareness of energy-saving construction was not as widespread. The amount of CO2 that can be saved with simple insulation measures is illustrated by the following example: If an older multi-family building consuming 25 liters of heating oil per square meter per year is modernized to the 7-liter standard, the residents of an 80-square-meter apartment save not only 1,440 liters of heating oil per year but also reduce CO2 emissions by 4.6 tons annually. Incidentally, private households account for about 14 percent of total CO2 emissions in Germany, which amounts to 120 million tons per year.
Currently, the legally required maximum consumption values under the Energy Saving Ordinance (Energieeinsparverordnung) are seven liters per square meter per year for new buildings and eleven liters for existing buildings. The technical possibilities to exceed these requirements are demonstrated by the projects mentioned. “About 600,000 residential units are due for modernization every year,” says Karl Arenz. “If all these were modernized energetically to the 7-liter standard, approximately three million tons of CO2 and almost one billion liters of heating oil could be saved annually. Additionally, this would have a positive impact on the labor market.”
Pilot Project 3-Liter House
In 2001, Luwoge launched the pilot project 3-liter house in Ludwigshafen’s Brunck district. A 1950s old building was modernized into a low-energy house. This was made possible by extensive thermal insulation with Neopor®, triple-glazed windows, a controlled ventilation system with 85 percent heat recovery, and the latent heat storage Micronal® PCM. This latent heat storage, incorporated into gypsum boards or wall plasters, absorbs heat during the day so that the apartment remains cooler for longer on hot summer days. The 3-liter house has become an internationally acclaimed flagship project, and the energy values even exceeded expectations: its average consumption is 2.6 liters of heating oil per square meter of living space per year.
Interior Insulation in Older Building Modernization
Luwoge also demonstrated that a residential building over 100 years old does not necessarily have to remain an energy waster through the modernization of an old master house in 2005. The house, built in 1892 in BASF’s “Alte Kolonie” workers’ settlement, now consumes only six liters of heating oil per square meter of living space per year. Optimal thermal protection measures reduce energy demand, with a new generation of gypsum composite boards incorporating Neopor® used as interior insulation.
New Construction of 1-Liter Urban Townhouses
In Ludwigshafen’s Brunck district, Luwoge built 46 new urban townhouses to the 1-liter standard. The key to energy efficiency here also lies in extensive thermal insulation: Neopor® insulation boards up to 60 centimeters (24 inches) thick and triple-glazed windows filled with a noble gas ensure that no heat is wasted. The controlled ventilation system with heat recovery also serves this purpose. A small combined heat and power plant provides the necessary additional heat for all 46 apartments and supplies the 1-liter houses with electricity and hot water.
Similar topics