Building & Construction
October 2, 2020

Energy efficient home

Certain requirements were imposed on brick and wooden walls. For example, a wall made of wood had to be at least 50 cm wide, from a brick - several meters.

Heat carrier bills are not always encouraging (see conversion amps to kw). Most likely, the price for them will grow over time. But there are ways to reduce the loss of heat to the atmosphere, to save it inside the house. This can be done by an energy efficient home, or in other words, a passive house. This type of arrangement is becoming more and more popular.

Some of the terms that refer to the notion of "passive house" are now biased. For example, the phrase "heat recovery ventilation system" may be associated with some kind of expensive technology. An energy efficient home is a frame project with an insulation system.

Insulation is also provided in a standard frame house. Usually about 20 cm of mineral wool is laid in the walls. They also insulate the roof. There, the thermal storage layer is slightly larger than in the walls. Its thickness is 25 cm. In a passive house, about 10-20 cm of thermal insulation components are added to these indicators. This is a fully justified spending, an investment in the future. Reinforced thermal insulation will allow in subsequent years to reduce the cost of paying utility bills. If sold, such a house has a more favorable value for the seller.

For a really warm house, when installing insulation, it is necessary to avoid the appearance of "cold bridges" in the walls of the building. Bearing racks must be insulated from the outside, but inside the walls.

The essence of this system is as follows. Outgoing heat fluxes, as a result of heat exchange, transfer part of their heat to the air entering from the outside. The implementation of this idea is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. There are several systems for such ventilation. This is the installation of blocks with forced air supply, installation of air ducts in the soil, and some others. Various systems can be combined with each other.

There can also be gaps in the vapor barrier layer that contribute to heat loss. In addition, excessive moisture negatively affects the properties of mineral wool. Even micro gaps in the vapor barrier layer will facilitate the flow of moisture from the room into the wall. Careful elimination of gaps is essential for good thermal insulation. The specialists of the firm "Monolit" do not make mistakes. Complete sealing of the vapor barrier is performed.

In winter, the sun's energy is used to heat the home, in summer, it is protected from excess heat. This keeps the rooms pleasantly cool. This is achieved through the correct glazing layout. Most of it should be located on the south side. What matters is the location of some elements of the roof relative to the windows - they must be covered with a canopy.

Some plants (like vines) help protect the house from excessive heat from the sun's rays in summer. An example is the ornamental grape. Planted close to the south wall, it will save it from overheating in hot weather. Such plants serve as a decoration of the site. In the fall, the vine will shed its foliage, and the vegetation will not interfere with the flow of heat, prevent heating.

Nowadays, the range of energy-saving devices is quite wide. And it is they who should be given preference when arranging a passive house. These are, for example, diode bulbs, monitors with an economical backlighting system.

Effective ways to reduce utility bills in "passive" housing - technologies that use natural energy: solar panels, heat pump. Even when combined with gas heating, conventional sources of electricity, it will significantly reduce housing maintenance costs.

Take a look at our burrow house technology. At the same time, the structure deepens into the soil. This helps to maintain a comfortable temperature in the rooms.