The problems of depletion of certain resources, environmental degradation and ever-increasing utility bills are closely intertwined. This is especially noticeable in private households. One of the options for solving these problems is the construction of energy efficient houses. They are often talked about with the fashionable prefix “eco”.
An energy-efficient house involves rational consumption of resources to maintain a comfortable microclimate in it. Energy losses are minimized, and everything consumed is used to the maximum. This is achieved through proper laying of communications, installation of high-tech equipment, and the use of heat-saving materials.
The terms “energy efficiency” and “energy saving” should not be confused. The first is a qualitative indicator, the second is quantitative. That is, energy saving at home is consumption of fewer resources to ensure the same conditions in it.
A house where energy consumption is close to a few percent of the average values in conventional buildings is called energy passive. It practically does not depend on the usual external sources energy. Priority is given to the use of renewable resources - wind energy, solar heat.
The volume of energy consumption in a house determines its energy efficiency class. The higher it is, the more comfortable the microclimate is formed in residential premises, the lower the utility bills.
Currently in Russia the following energy efficiency classes are distinguished:
The energy efficiency class of a residential building is determined on the basis of current legislation. The calculations are based on the annual consumption of resources in a separate house. It is analyzed taking into account existing standards.
Energy audits can only be carried out by specialized enterprises that meet the requirements of federal legislation. Assigned to a building energy efficiency class confirms the energy passport.
A well-functioning heating and ventilation system allows you to achieve high energy efficiency indicators. The quality of the home’s thermal insulation plays an important role.
More specifically, it is worth paying attention to the following:
As a result of the use of efficient technologies, costs may be 15-20% more than when building a standard house. However, the energy-efficient option is almost 60% cheaper to operate.
To make a residential building energy-passive, you need to turn its outer walls into a heat-insulating shell. A qualitative redistribution of heat will occur inside it. This will not only minimize energy consumption, but also eliminate heaters and air conditioners.
Heat loss through the base of the house can reach 15%. For this reason, it is impossible to build a truly energy-efficient house without thermal insulation of the foundation. In Russia and in many foreign countries it is performed using technology insulated Swedish stove ().
Such a slab is a shallow monolithic base made of reinforced concrete, laid on high-strength polystyrene foam. This insulation can withstand loads of up to 20 tons per 1 m2. Its deformation does not exceed 2%.
A water layer is laid on the reinforced polystyrene foam layer. Only then is the base poured with concrete. This “pie” absorbs heat well from the heated soil in the summer and cools slowly in the winter.
As a result, you can reduce the number of radiators heating on the ground floor of the house or do without them altogether.
One of the main criteria for choosing building materials for walls is their thermal conductivity. The lower it is, the more heat will be retained in the house. The most energy efficient materials in this regard are:
Technology allows these materials to be varied widely. frame construction. In frame houses, the walls are a “pie” of sheathing and insulation. Each such layer ensures reliable heat conservation in the house.
One of the common wall insulation schemes in frame houses:
Such walls for the most economical energy-passive houses are best option in terms of price and quality ratio.
In an energy-passive house, heat input from the sun plays a significant role. This is why experts recommend placing most windows on the south side of the building. Some projects involve the construction of entire glass galleries there. They act as thermal buffers.
Window designs are only energy-saving. From standard designs they are distinguished by:
Energy saving windows plays a significant role in the formation of a comfortable microclimate in efficient home. They promote uniform heat distribution without temperature asymmetry.
A forced ventilation system not only provides a comfortable microclimate in the house, but also reduces heat loss. The presence of appropriate equipment allows you to avoid ventilating rooms by traditionally opening windows. When installing a recuperator (heat exchanger), only polluted air, and the heat remains in the house.
In practice it looks like this:
The cycle is constantly repeated, as a result of which the heat does not leave the building.
The heating system is an auxiliary tool if there are sealed windows, a warm water floor and high-quality insulation walls In conditions mild winter a house built using efficient technologies can do without it altogether. However, in most regions the winters are harsh, so a heating system is necessary.
For rational consumption of electricity, heating equipment is equipped with a variety of sensors and control systems.
Thus, energy efficient house not only economical, but also safe for the environment and humans. However, it is difficult to build it turnkey with your own hands. At almost every stage of work it is necessary to involve experienced craftsmen.
With rising energy prices and decreasing reserves of fossil fuels, the issue of energy conservation has become very acute. One of the main vectors for the development of energy-saving technologies is energy saving in construction.
Passive house project with layout of all communications
Application of new approaches to, use of modern building materials and modern devices energy accounting has made it possible to significantly reduce energy costs and energy losses of buildings.
In addition, energy-saving technologies must be accessible, environmentally friendly, not affect the usual way of life and be safe for human life.
A passive energy-efficient house is a building with low energy consumption (for heating and household needs). Ideally, a passive house should not require heating at all. in the usual ways. A passive house allows you to reduce energy consumption tenfold. This efficiency is achieved by using new technologies that increase. 
We are talking not only about new building materials, but also about a new approach to the design of structures. They try to reduce the size of the house, remove all heat leaks and use non-traditional energy sources to maintain optimal temperature inside the building (for example, use solar energy to heat water).
Passive house technologies are especially effective in public buildings, where the heat flow comes from a large number of visitors, which helps reduce energy costs.
And in Kyiv in 2012 they moved from words to action and built such a passive energy-saving house.
The term passive house is often placed next to energy-independent house and energy-plus house. This means that, along with ideal thermal insulation materials and technologies, engineering solutions are used that make it possible to completely abandon the consumption of external energy, and in some cases also to produce in excess of the required standards.
To do this, passive houses are equipped with blocks of solar panels combined with storage devices.
In those climatic zones where this is possible, the sun comes to the aid. In some areas where thermal waters are located close to the surface of the earth, their energy can be used - common in Kamchatka, some areas of Lake Baikal, and in the Tyumen region of the Ural region.
Scheme for mounting solar panels A house that remains comfortable to live in without additional heating, and also does not use electricity and other resources for its own needs, can be called energy independent. And if the energy received is also enough for other needs, then it will be an energy plus house.
When constructing a passive house, it is used as traditional materials(wood, brick), and non-traditional building blocks from recycled materials. And of course, a large number of houses are built from modern materials with low thermal conductivity.
An example of innovative building materials that effectively save heat and can be used with great success to build a passive energy-saving house Heat leaves the building through the building envelope - walls, floor, roof and windows. When building a passive house, several layers of thermal insulation are used. It prevents the penetration of cold from external environment and heat loss from the building itself. During construction, all enclosing structures are insulated, which reduces heat loss by 10-20 times.
Unlike a traditional one, in a passive house all the air passes through a recovery system. This allows you to take waste heat and return it back into the premises, rather than releasing it outside.
Diagram of thermal insulation and ventilation of a private energy-efficient house Much attention is paid to windows. During construction, 2-3 chamber double-glazed windows are used, and the joints between the windows and the wall are carefully sealed and insulated. Often used various sizes windows depending on the direction of the world (the most big windows facing south).
For the construction of a passive house, choose appropriate place. Ideally, you need to choose an area that will be protected as much as possible from the effects of adverse external factors. But at the same time it should have maximum sunlight.
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If you do not have to choose a site, then you need to correctly locate the building on the available land. IN in this case many factors need to be taken into account. The building should be oriented to the south as much as possible. The light of the sun should not be blocked by neighboring buildings, fences, or plantings. This is necessary so that at any time of the year - winter and summer - the sun's rays enter the house as much as possible and heat the interior space.
Correct location houses on the cardinal points Before building a house, you need to obtain information about the wind rose from the local hydrometeorological center. This will allow you to determine the windiest direction and take measures to protect the building. This could be a planted green fence, a fence, a neighbor’s house, or any other effective solution. Barrier protection of the house from the wind will prevent heat from blowing out of the building and reduce heat loss.
The outline of the building and the exterior as a whole are subject to no less requirements than the choice of the site where the building will be located. Any house loses heat through its enclosing surfaces; the larger their area, the more difficult it is to stop this process. Enclosing surfaces include all external structures: walls, floors, roofs, windows, doors.
Therefore, all passive house projects are calculated in such a way that, while maintaining the maximum useful internal volume, the area of external surfaces is minimal.
One of the design options for a passive house Hence, all passive house projects are made very compact, without unnecessary pretentiousness and luxury in the exterior. One-story buildings with a large building area and unnecessary architectural solutions in the form of bay windows and balconies are unacceptable here. Projects are also deprived internal corners and complex geometry in general. Most often, such houses are equipped pitched roof, which allows you to save on building materials, simplify the roof structure, remove cold bridges, and also ensures maximum insolation of the interior.
The placement of windows, their size and number are also strictly regulated. Windows in a passive house are both a way to lose heat and a way to accumulate it. Of course, the windows themselves cannot store energy, but they let in sunlight, which illuminates and warms interior spaces, and with proper arrangement internal partitions, also accumulates.
Table of heat loss through windows Windows in an energy-saving house are arranged according to the following principle:
Passive house involves the use of only special windows - energy-saving ones. Such windows are equipped with two- and three-chamber double-glazed windows. Also, special attention is paid to their installation.
The joints are carefully processed, sealed and insulated, which helps prevent unnecessary heat loss.
In this video you can see an example of equipment for a passive house that is completely independent of external power systems.
It will also differ from the layout of an ordinary cottage. Designers of energy-efficient buildings prioritize the rules of Feng Shui. And even the inconvenience of consumers (although this factor is fully taken into account), and the principles of heat and energy conservation, and moreover, their accumulation.
To do this, all rooms in the house must be divided into two parts - living, which will include bedrooms, guest rooms, living room, children's rooms. And the buffer room is those rooms that make life more comfortable: kitchen, bathrooms, storage rooms and utility rooms, dressing rooms, hall, hallway.
Today, the problems of energy efficiency of housing in Russia are the most pressing. And this concerns not only the increased cost of electricity, but also the deterioration of the environmental situation caused by greenhouse effect. About an energy-efficient residential building for the first time
The main task of an energy efficient house- This reduces energy costs, especially during the winter months.
The main principles of building a house are:
House project Most Russian buildings of the same type have natural heat, which is ineffective and leads to large heat losses. In the summer this technology does not work at all, as in other things winter time years when constant ventilation of the premises is necessary. Installing a special air recuperator will allow you to use already heated air to heat the incoming air.
The recuperation system provides up to 90% of the heat by heating the air.
It is worth noting that construction big house will lead to large heat losses.
It is worth focusing on the areas for actual living and their use. Because heating unused spaces and rooms is simply unacceptable. The construction of a house must be calculated for the exact number of people living in it. And the remaining rooms in the house will be heated by natural human heat and the operation of household appliances.
An energy efficient house is usually built taking into account all climatic conditions and their use. Sunny days or windy days should be a clue for you to choose certain energy sources. And it is important to achieve tightness not only through window and doorways, but also due to the use of special double-sided plaster, reliable and high-quality and protection from the wind. It should also be remembered that the more, the greater the heat loss.
When choosing a specific place to build a house, it is necessary to take into account the natural landscape. The selected area should be flat and without elevation changes. In general, any landscape feature can be used to increase efficiency. For example, the height difference will provide a low-cost water supply.
You should also consider the position of the house relative to the sun in order to use solar lighting instead of electric lighting.
High-quality and must be provided from the very beginning of construction. Because energy efficiency is impossible without this type of insulation.
The canopy and porch slope should be optimal in width so as not to create shadows in natural light, and at the same time protect the building from overheating and protect the walls from rain. must be designed taking into account the mass of snow cover in winter. You also need to organize proper gutters and roof insulation.
All these measures will reduce maintenance costs and increase the lifespan of the house.
Increasing the energy efficiency of an already built house is quite possible. Although, it is necessary to take into account the return of the house. If the house is in good condition and is not subject to demolition in a few years, then it can be reconstructed.
Energy losses can be reduced using modern materials and technologies. The first thing you need to start with is identifying heat leaks. Cold bridges take away a significant part of the heat of the entire house. Therefore, it is very important to find such places in the tightness of walls, roofs, window and door openings.
Most often, problem areas can be found in the place of removal, plinth and other structures. Be sure to insulate attic space and ceilings in the basement and cellar. IN apartment building vestibule doors bring a significant effect.
The presence also indicates depressurization of the room. Old or incorrect installed windows significantly reduce the heat level in the rooms. Sometimes just replacing them reduces heating costs several times. 
It is also worth noting that all insulation material must be clean and environmentally friendly for human life. Great option Warm plaster will be used to further seal the insulation of all walls. The construction material copes well with depressurized seams and various joints. Polyethylene can be used as an insulating material, installing it under wood paneling. And thickness of this material must be at least 200 microns.
These days, such houses are increasingly gaining popularity in Russia and Belarus, as they require less heating costs and are well ventilated. We wish you to build the best economical and high-quality home!
An energy-efficient home is not an idealized vision of the home of the future, but a reality today that is becoming increasingly popular. An energy-saving, energy-efficient, passive house or eco-house is today called a home that requires minimal maintenance costs comfortable conditions living in it. This is achieved through appropriate decisions in the field of construction and construction. What technologies for energy-efficient homes currently exist, and how many resources can they save?
A home will be as economical as possible if it was designed taking into account all energy-saving technologies. It will be more difficult to remodel an already built house, more expensive, and it will be difficult to achieve the expected results. The project is developed by experienced specialists taking into account the customer’s requirements, but it must be remembered that the set of solutions used must, first of all, be cost-effective. Important point – taking into account the climatic features of the region.
As a rule, houses in which people live permanently are made energy-saving, so the task of saving heat comes first, maximum use natural lighting, etc. The project should take into account individual requirements, but it is better if the passive house is as compact as possible, i.e. cheaper to maintain.
Can meet the same requirements various options . Joint decision-making by the best architects, designers and engineers made it possible to create a universal energy saving frame house (read more -). The unique design combines all economically advantageous offers:
Alternatively, can be used to construct load-bearing walls, insulating the structure from all sides and ultimately obtaining a large “thermos”. Used frequently wood as the most environmentally friendly material.
To achieve resource savings, it is necessary to pay attention to the layout and appearance Houses. The home will be as energy efficient as possible if the following nuances are taken into account:
Even a house built taking into account all the architectural tricks requires proper insulation to be completely sealed and not release heat into the environment.
About 40% of the heat from the house escapes through the walls, so they are given insulation increased attention. The most common and simplest method of insulation is the organization of a multi-layer system. sheathed insulation, which often plays the role of mineral wool or expanded polystyrene, a reinforcing mesh is mounted on top, and then a base and main layer of plaster.
More expensive and advanced technology - ventilated facade. The walls of the house are covered with mineral wool slabs, and cladding panels made of stone, metal or other materials and mounted on a special frame. There remains a small gap between the insulation layer and the frame, which plays the role of a “thermal cushion”, does not allow the thermal insulation to get wet and supports optimal conditions in the home.
In addition, in order to reduce heat loss through the walls, insulating compounds are used at the junction of the roof, taking into account future shrinkage and changes in the properties of some materials with increasing temperature.
The principle of operation of a ventilated facade
About 20% of the heat escapes through the roof. To insulate the roof, the same materials are used as for the walls. Widespread today mineral wool and polystyrene foam. Architects advise making roof insulation no thinner than 200 mm, regardless of the type of material. It is important to calculate the load on the load-bearing structures and roof so that the integrity of the structure is not compromised.
Windows account for 20% of heat loss in a home. Although better than old wooden windows, they protect the house from drafts and isolate the room from external influence, they are not perfect.
More progressive options for an energy-efficient home are:
10% of heat is lost through the foundation and floor of the first floor. The floor is insulated with the same materials as the walls, but other options can be used: self-leveling heat-insulating mixtures, foam concrete and aerated concrete, granular concrete with a record thermal conductivity of 0.1 W/(m°C). You can insulate not the floor, but the ceiling of the basement, if such is provided for in the project.
It is better to insulate the foundation from the outside, which will help protect it not only from freezing, but also from other negative factors, incl. influence of groundwater, temperature changes, etc. To insulate the foundation, use sprayed polyurethane and foam.
Heat leaves the house not only through the walls and roof, but also through. To reduce heating costs use supply and exhaust ventilation with recovery.
Recuperator called a heat exchanger that is built into the ventilation system. The principle of its operation is as follows. Heated air through ventilation ducts leaves the room, gives up its heat to the recuperator, coming into contact with it. Cold fresh air from the street, passing through the recuperator, heats up and enters the house at room temperature. As a result, households receive clean fresh air, but do not lose heat.
Such a ventilation system can be used together with natural ventilation: air will enter the room forcibly and leave due to natural draft. There is one more trick. The air intake cabinet can be located 10 meters from the house, and the air duct is laid underground at a freezing depth. In this case, even before the recuperator, the air will be cooled in the summer and heated in the winter due to the soil temperature.
To make life more comfortable and at the same time save resources, you can and technology, thanks to which it is already possible today:
The most economical and eco-friendly way heat the room and heat the water– is to use the energy of the sun. Perhaps this is thanks to solar collectors installed on the roof of the house. Such devices are easily connected to the heating and hot water supply system of the house, and the principle of their operation is as follows. The system consists of the collector itself, a heat exchange circuit, an accumulator tank and a control station. A coolant (liquid) circulates in the collector, which is heated by the energy of the sun and transfers heat through a heat exchanger to the water in the storage tank. The latter, due to its good thermal insulation, is capable of maintaining hot water. In this system, a backup heater can be installed, which heats the water to required temperature in case of cloudy weather or insufficient duration of sunshine.
Collectors can be flat or vacuum. Flat ones are a box, covered with glass, inside it there is a layer with tubes through which the coolant circulates. Such collectors are more durable, but today they are being replaced by vacuum ones. The latter consist of many tubes, inside of which there is another tube or several with coolant. There is a vacuum between the outer and inner tubes, which serves as a heat insulator. Vacuum collectors are more efficient, even in winter and in cloudy weather, and are repairable. The service life of collectors is about 30 years or more.
Heat pumps use low-grade ambient heat to heat the house, incl. air, subsoil and even secondary heat, for example from a pipeline central heating. Such devices consist of an evaporator, a condenser, an expansion valve and a compressor. All of them are connected by a closed pipeline and operate based on the Carnot principle. Simply put, a heat pump is similar in operation to a refrigerator, only it functions in reverse. If in the 80s of the last century heat pumps were rare and even a luxury, today in Sweden, for example, 70% of houses are heated in this way.
If a lot of organic waste accumulates Agriculture, then you can build bioreactor for biogas production. In it, biomass is processed by anaerobic bacteria, resulting in the formation of biogas, consisting of 60% methane, 35% carbon dioxide and 5% other impurities. After the cleaning process, it can be used for heating and hot water supply at home. The processed waste is converted into excellent fertilizer that can be used in the fields.
An energy-efficient home should, and preferably, receive it from renewable sources. Today, a lot of technologies have been implemented for this.
Wind energy can be converted into electricity not only by large wind turbines, but also by compact “home” wind turbines. In windy areas, such installations are capable of fully providing electricity. small house, in regions with low wind speeds, it is better to use them together with solar panels.
The force of the wind moves the blades of the windmill, which causes the rotor of the electricity generator to rotate. The generator produces an alternating unstable current, which is rectified in the controller. There the batteries are charged, which, in turn, are connected to inverters, where the DC voltage is converted into alternating voltage used by the consumer.
Windmills can have a horizontal or vertical axis of rotation. With one-time costs, they solve the problem of energy independence for a long time.
The use of sunlight to generate electricity is not so common, but in the near future the situation risks changing dramatically. The principle of operation of a solar battery very simple: used to convert sunlight into electricity p-n junction. Directed movement of electrons provoked solar energy, and represents electricity.
The designs and materials used are constantly being improved, and the amount of electricity directly depends on the illumination. Various modifications are currently the most popular silicon solar cells, but an alternative to them are new polymer film batteries, which are still in the development stage.
The resulting electricity must be used wisely. The following solutions will be useful for this:
Ideally, an energy-efficient home should get water from a well located under the dwelling. But when the water lies at great depths or its quality does not meet the requirements, such a solution has to be abandoned.
It is better to pass household wastewater through a recuperator and take away their warmth. For the cleaning Wastewater can be used septic tank, where the transformation will be accomplished by anaerobic bacteria. The resulting compost is a good fertilizer.
To save water, it would be a good idea to reduce the volume of water drained. In addition, a system can be implemented where the water used in the bathtub and sink is used to flush the toilet.
Of course, it is better to use the most natural and natural raw materials, the production of which does not require numerous processing stages. This wood and stone. It is better to give preference to materials that are produced in the region, because this way, transportation costs are reduced. In Europe, passive houses began to be built from the products of processing inorganic waste. , glass and metal.
If you once pay attention to studying energy-saving technologies, think through the design of an eco-house and invest in it, in subsequent years the costs of its maintenance will be minimal or even tend to zero.
