One of the key goals of national energy policy is to increase the efficiency of heat production and use. This applies to both industry and residential construction.
What to look for when buying a new home?
When deciding to buy a house or apartment, it is worth paying attention to how much operating costs for heating or cooling we will have to pay in the future. The relentless increase in energy prices and increasingly restrictive EU regulations make many people decide to buy a property in an energy-efficient standard.
One of the basic documents establishing the requirements to be met by newly constructed buildings is the ROZPORZĄDZENIE MINISTRA INFRASTRUKTURY z dnia 12 kwietnia 2002 r. w sprawie warunków technicznych jakim powinny odpowiadać budynki i ich usytuowanie , for which updates attributed to OJ. 2002 no. 75 item. 690.
It determines, among other things, the insulation coefficients of external walls, ceilings or windows. These coefficients should be taken into account already at the design stage. The regulation also requires that the building be fully airtight against the passage of outside air.
In practice, however, it often turns out that workmanship mistakes made during construction cause the building to cool down too much, generating increased heating costs. Discomfort from air movement (especially in strong winds) and condensation in corners are also common symptoms of contractor oversights.
This situation can apply to both secondary market properties and buildings taken directly from the developer.
Building energy efficiency control. What will be the best solution?
It is therefore recommended that an n50 air tightness test be performed at the time of building acceptance. It involves installing a mat with a fan in the doorway. By generating a negative pressure of 50 Pa, the fan allows you to determine how much volume of outside air enters the building through leaks in the enclosure. However, it is necessary to first plug all the ventilation grilles (in the case of gravity ventilation) or only the ventilation and plug the intake and exhaust (in the case of mechanical ventilation). Current recommendations indicate that in the case of mechanical ventilation, the calculated n50 coefficient should be <1.5 [1/h]. This means that at a negative pressure of 50 Pa in an hour, air with a volume of no more than one and a half building volumes can enter the building.
The leakage test is a good opportunity to perform a simultaneous inspection with a thermal imaging camera. The significant pressure difference between the interior of the building and atmospheric pressure makes it possible to reveal the vast majority of possible defects and leaks. Such a test can also be used to estimate actual U-values and identify areas prone to condensation, and thus having the potential for fungal and mold growth.
How well do you know your home’s installations?
It is also very important to have knowledge of the quality of the internal installations, e.g., central heating, DHW or electricity.
Leaking plumbing lines are a matter as problematic as they are unexpected. Falling plaster, dampness on the walls or dampness on the floor can often entail significant costs, especially when identifying the location of the leak requires scraping a significant part of the room. It is worth protecting against this by checking the quality of the installation beforehand. A thermal imaging camera, a moisture meter and an experienced thermographer make up a kit that is more likely to identify possible defects that can turn into a serious problem over time.
Air quality measurement and acoustic testing
It’s also worth checking the components of the electrical system for excessive heating, which is often a symptom of an impending failure that, in extreme cases, can lead to a fire.
The quality of the air we breathe is also not insignificant. Unpleasant odors, high humidity, as well as deterioration of mood and drowsiness can be symptoms of ventilation problems. Polish standards precisely define the air exchange rate of rooms depending on their purpose.
It also happens that certain materials, household objects, or nearby industrial plants emit substances that can be potentially harmful to health, especially with prolonged exposure to them. There are methods that can easily and quickly determine the composition of the air in a building. This can save you from investing in a property whose comfort leaves much to be desired.
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Speaking of comfort, it is impossible to mention noise. Some building structures particularly highlight this problem. The murmur of water, the conversations of neighbors or the rumble of objects falling to the ground can effectively cause a lot of nerves and feuds with other residents of the building. Inspection of ceilings and vertical partitions will both protect against these inconveniences, but also verify that the partitions meet the sound insulation values declared in the construction project.
All of the above studies add up to a comprehensive analysis that can help you make a final decision about buying a property or save you from making a mistake that will cost you a significant amount of money and nerves. Having knowledge of the technical condition of the building in which we intend to spend the next few years is therefore crucial. Reports showing the results of the surveys can serve as an argument for negotiating the price or, in the case of glaring deficiencies and non-compliance with the design, even be used as evidence in court.
So it’s worthwhile to make ourselves reflect and consider whether behind the veil of attractive price and pristine exterior there isn’t a catch that will haunt us for years to come, depriving us of the joy of using the house.
Energy efficiency of gas boilers
The topic of energy efficiency is also closely related to the quality of heating equipment. Boilers with high efficiency help to reduce the amount of fuel consumed, and thus reduce heating costs.
A technology gaining increasing popularity is gas boilers. They are almost maintenance-free. They do not require replenishment of the raw material tank, do not produce ash, and above all are still considered an ecological source. The amount of sulfur or nitrogen oxides emitted is negligible compared to coal-fired boilers.
The progressive gasification of rural areas is undoubtedly a factor that has had a positive impact on the continued growth of installed gas boiler capacity.
The fact that gas is not a solid fuel allows the use of these devices in areas where heating with solid-fuel boilers is prohibited.
Condensing gas boilers
Condensing gas boilers are particularly noteworthy. They have the ability to extract the heat of the water vapor contained in the flue gas, which in a standard gas boiler would be discharged through the chimney. Manufacturers specify that these devices can operate with efficiencies as high as 109%. However, this does not mean that such a boiler delivers more energy than the fuel burned contained. The standard for determining the efficiency of gas boilers was created at a time when steam was considered a product to be disposed of with the flue gases. This was due to its corrosive effect when it condensed. Thus, the reference value for the efficiency of boiler operation is dry flue gases that do not contain steam. This is the reason why today manufacturers boast boiler efficiencies in excess of 100%. This value is almost three times higher than that of coal-fired boilers.
So when thinking about energy efficiency, it is important to keep in mind not only heat loss, but also the efficiency of heat delivery. This can be of great importance, especially in large-scale buildings or those built with older, less energy-efficient technology.
So it’s worthwhile to make ourselves reflect and consider whether behind the veil of attractive price and pristine exterior there isn’t a catch that will haunt us for years to come, depriving us of the joy of using the house.
