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 Costs
The Story
Nearly 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, as heating generates significant amounts of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2). The zero heating cost house in the Ludwigshafen district of Pfingstweide is different. There are no conventional radiators, not even a stove. Instead, an advanced integrated system using innovative insulation and ventilation methods ensures that the occupants stay comfortably warm while emitting very little CO2. Luwoge, BASF’s housing company, developed the zero heating cost house concept together with its subsidiary Luwoge consult, a consulting firm specializing in energy-efficient construction, and put it into practice.
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. In 2001, for example, the company modernized a 1950s-era building into a low-energy house – the first 3-liter house in the existing building stock. Since then, the heating oil demand for this house has been less than three liters of heating oil per square meter of living space per year. “We have extensive expertise in modernizing older buildings into modern low-energy houses. The 3-liter house was a pure pilot project. At the time, we wanted to demonstrate what is technically possible – economic viability was secondary,” explains Karl Arenz, head of the housing construction and modernization competence center at Luwoge. “With the zero heating cost house, we are now showing that energy-efficient building modernization can also be economically viable.”
To ensure that the building actually incurs no heating costs, a multi-stage integrated system is used. First, the house is thoroughly wrapped with Neopor® thermal insulation panels. In terms of insulation performance, modern Neopor® far surpasses its predecessor Styropor®: it contains small graphite particles that reflect thermal radiation and give the material a silver-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 element of the energy efficiency concept in the zero heating cost house is the heating system. There are no radiators throughout the house, even though it is not a zero energy consumption building. What may seem paradoxical at first is based on the idea that the house generates the (low) heating costs itself. The house uses solar energy: solar panels on the roof generate electricity fed into the grid. The revenue from this covers the costs of keeping the apartments warm. The zero heating cost house also produces its own hot water with solar collectors on the south façade. “A controlled ventilation system with heat recovery ensures good air quality and makes optimal use of the heat from exhaust air,” says Karl Arenz. The ventilation system extracts the used indoor air from the kitchen and bathroom. This warm air is then used to temper the incoming cold fresh air via a heat exchanger. More than 80 percent of exhaust air heat can be reused, and fresh air continuously flows into the house.
The heating system is so well hidden that it is initially unnoticeable: it is integrated into the windows. The inner pane of the triple-glazed windows is coated with an invisible, ultra-thin electrically conductive metal layer. When a low voltage is applied, this layer heats up like a resistive heater, and the heated windows emit comfortable radiant heat. To prevent heat loss to the outside, the outer glass pane has a heat-reflective coating. Furthermore, the spaces between the triple glazing are filled with a noble gas that conducts heat less than air. This achieves a cozy indoor climate more quickly and with less energy than conventional heating systems. However, the window heating is not intended for continuous use; it is only activated during particularly cold outdoor temperatures.
The Outlook
Germany has about 36 million housing units, of which around 24 million were built before 1979, a time when awareness of energy-saving construction was less developed. The amount of CO2 that can be saved even by 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 renovated to a 7-liter standard, residents of an 80-square-meter (860 sq ft) apartment would save not only 1,440 liters of heating oil annually but also reduce CO2 emissions by 4.6 tons per year. Private households account for about 14 percent of total CO2 emissions in Germany, approximately 120 million tons per year.
Currently, the legally mandated maximum consumption values of the Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV) are seven liters per square meter per year for new buildings and eleven liters for older buildings. The technical possibilities to significantly undercut these requirements are demonstrated by these projects. “About 600,000 housing units are up for modernization annually,” says Karl Arenz. “If all of these were modernized energetically to the 7-liter standard, approximately three million tons of CO2 and nearly one billion liters of heating oil could be saved each year. Additionally, this would have a positive effect on the job market.”
Pilot Project 3-Liter House
In 2001, Luwoge launched the pilot project 3-liter house in Ludwigshafen’s Brunckviertel district. A 1950s 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. The latent heat storage, integrated into gypsum boards or wall plaster, absorbs heat during the day, helping the apartment stay cooler on hot summer days. The 3-liter house has become a global flagship project, exceeding expectations: 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 with the modernization of an old master builder’s house in 2005. The house, built in 1892 in the BASF company settlement “Alte Kolonie,” 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 panels containing Neopor® used as interior insulation.
New Construction of 1-Liter Urban Townhouses
In Ludwigshafen’s Brunckviertel, Luwoge built 46 new urban townhouses to the 1-liter standard. The key to energy efficiency here is again extensive thermal insulation: up to 60 centimeters (24 inches) thick Neopor® insulation panels and triple-glazed windows with noble gas filling ensure no heat is wasted. The controlled ventilation system with heat recovery also serves this purpose. A small combined heat and power unit supplies the additional heat needed for all 46 apartments and provides electricity and hot water for the 1-liter houses.
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 Costs
The Story
Nearly 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, as heating generates significant amounts of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2). The zero heating cost house in the Ludwigshafen district of Pfingstweide is different. There are no conventional radiators, not even a stove. Instead, an advanced integrated system using innovative insulation and ventilation methods ensures that the occupants stay comfortably warm while emitting very little CO2. Luwoge, BASF’s housing company, developed the zero heating cost house concept together with its subsidiary Luwoge consult, a consulting firm specializing in energy-efficient construction, and put it into practice.
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. In 2001, for example, the company modernized a 1950s-era building into a low-energy house – the first 3-liter house in the existing building stock. Since then, the heating oil demand for this house has been less than three liters of heating oil per square meter of living space per year. “We have extensive expertise in modernizing older buildings into modern low-energy houses. The 3-liter house was a pure pilot project. At the time, we wanted to demonstrate what is technically possible – economic viability was secondary,” explains Karl Arenz, head of the housing construction and modernization competence center at Luwoge. “With the zero heating cost house, we are now showing that energy-efficient building modernization can also be economically viable.”
To ensure that the building actually incurs no heating costs, a multi-stage integrated system is used. First, the house is thoroughly wrapped with Neopor® thermal insulation panels. In terms of insulation performance, modern Neopor® far surpasses its predecessor Styropor®: it contains small graphite particles that reflect thermal radiation and give the material a silver-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 element of the energy efficiency concept in the zero heating cost house is the heating system. There are no radiators throughout the house, even though it is not a zero energy consumption building. What may seem paradoxical at first is based on the idea that the house generates the (low) heating costs itself. The house uses solar energy: solar panels on the roof generate electricity fed into the grid. The revenue from this covers the costs of keeping the apartments warm. The zero heating cost house also produces its own hot water with solar collectors on the south façade. “A controlled ventilation system with heat recovery ensures good air quality and makes optimal use of the heat from exhaust air,” says Karl Arenz. The ventilation system extracts the used indoor air from the kitchen and bathroom. This warm air is then used to temper the incoming cold fresh air via a heat exchanger. More than 80 percent of exhaust air heat can be reused, and fresh air continuously flows into the house.
The heating system is so well hidden that it is initially unnoticeable: it is integrated into the windows. The inner pane of the triple-glazed windows is coated with an invisible, ultra-thin electrically conductive metal layer. When a low voltage is applied, this layer heats up like a resistive heater, and the heated windows emit comfortable radiant heat. To prevent heat loss to the outside, the outer glass pane has a heat-reflective coating. Furthermore, the spaces between the triple glazing are filled with a noble gas that conducts heat less than air. This achieves a cozy indoor climate more quickly and with less energy than conventional heating systems. However, the window heating is not intended for continuous use; it is only activated during particularly cold outdoor temperatures.
The Outlook
Germany has about 36 million housing units, of which around 24 million were built before 1979, a time when awareness of energy-saving construction was less developed. The amount of CO2 that can be saved even by 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 renovated to a 7-liter standard, residents of an 80-square-meter (860 sq ft) apartment would save not only 1,440 liters of heating oil annually but also reduce CO2 emissions by 4.6 tons per year. Private households account for about 14 percent of total CO2 emissions in Germany, approximately 120 million tons per year.
Currently, the legally mandated maximum consumption values of the Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV) are seven liters per square meter per year for new buildings and eleven liters for older buildings. The technical possibilities to significantly undercut these requirements are demonstrated by these projects. “About 600,000 housing units are up for modernization annually,” says Karl Arenz. “If all of these were modernized energetically to the 7-liter standard, approximately three million tons of CO2 and nearly one billion liters of heating oil could be saved each year. Additionally, this would have a positive effect on the job market.”
Pilot Project 3-Liter House
In 2001, Luwoge launched the pilot project 3-liter house in Ludwigshafen’s Brunckviertel district. A 1950s 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. The latent heat storage, integrated into gypsum boards or wall plaster, absorbs heat during the day, helping the apartment stay cooler on hot summer days. The 3-liter house has become a global flagship project, exceeding expectations: 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 with the modernization of an old master builder’s house in 2005. The house, built in 1892 in the BASF company settlement “Alte Kolonie,” 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 panels containing Neopor® used as interior insulation.
New Construction of 1-Liter Urban Townhouses
In Ludwigshafen’s Brunckviertel, Luwoge built 46 new urban townhouses to the 1-liter standard. The key to energy efficiency here is again extensive thermal insulation: up to 60 centimeters (24 inches) thick Neopor® insulation panels and triple-glazed windows with noble gas filling ensure no heat is wasted. The controlled ventilation system with heat recovery also serves this purpose. A small combined heat and power unit supplies the additional heat needed for all 46 apartments and provides electricity and hot water for the 1-liter houses.
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