A modern private house is beautiful and energy efficient. We are building an energy-saving house. Thickness of external walls and living area of ​​the house

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

The use of new approaches to construction, the use of modern building materials and modern energy metering devices 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 by conventional means. 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 heat gain 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.

Technologies for building an energy-saving house

When constructing a passive house, both traditional materials (wood, brick) and non-traditional building blocks made from recycled materials are used. 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 the 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 different window sizes are used, depending on the direction of the world (the largest windows face south).

Orientation of an energy-saving house on the site

A suitable location is selected for the construction of a passive house. 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.

Read also

Two-story houses with a balcony

If you do not have to choose a site, then you need to correctly locate the building on the available land. In this case, many factors must 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 of the house according to the cardinal directions

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.

Passive house form

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. Also, projects are deprived of internal angles and complex geometry in general. Most often, such houses are equipped with a pitched roof, which allows saving on building materials, simplifying the roof structure, removing 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 accumulate energy, but they let in sunlight, which illuminates and heats the interior, and with proper arrangement of internal partitions, it is also accumulated.


Table of heat loss through windows

Windows in an energy-saving house are arranged according to the following principle:

  • The maximum number of windows (up to 70-80%) is on the southern facade of the building. The quantity and size are selected in such a way that the sun’s rays penetrate as deeply as possible into the room at any time of the year (winter and summer), ideally reaching the far wall, heating it;
  • The eastern (20-30%) and western (0-10%) sides are equipped with windows to a lesser extent. They contribute almost nothing to energy production, but are more needed for natural lighting. On the windy side, the number of windows should tend to zero;
  • The northern facade of the building is made blank. There is practically no sun on that side, so the window will only serve as a heat transfer function.

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.

Interior layout of a passive house

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.

Problem energy efficiency housing problem is becoming more acute every year. It's not just a matter of rising energy prices, which inevitably causes rising prices for utilities. Significant deterioration of the environmental situation and climate changes associated with the greenhouse effect are causing increasing concern.

The first about what it should be energy efficient house, began to be seriously thought about in the West at the end of the last century. First of all, specialists from Austria, Germany, and Sweden were interested in saving costs on electricity and heating.

After carefully analyzing the problem, they discovered that the overall energy efficiency of a home is affected by more than just obvious factors like the insulation or heating system. Even what has never been taken into account matters: the orientation of the building relative to the cardinal points, the shape of the building, etc.

New construction standards were developed, and a modern classification of buildings appeared in accordance with the level of energy spent on their operation. Introduction of the concept " passive» buildings can be considered a radical change in the landmarks of the construction industry.

What is electricity used for?? Mainly for heating living space. In addition, lighting, operation of household appliances, heating water for domestic needs, and cooking take up a lot of resources. While European countries spend an average of 57% of their total energy on space heating, in Russia this figure reaches 72%.

The solution is obvious. The construction of energy-efficient buildings is a little more expensive (by fifteen percent), but it justifies itself within a few months from the start of operation, since it actually allows you to save both money and resources. Operational efficiency is increased not only by changing building standards, but also by revising the principles of household electricity consumption: the use of LCD TVs, LED lamps, etc.

Types of buildings in terms of energy efficiency

A building built in accordance with modern energy efficiency standards can save from 40 to 70 percent on utility bills. A huge amount of energy and resources are saved. At the same time, the general indicators of temperature, favorable microclimate, and air humidity are an order of magnitude higher than generally accepted and are regulated by the owner of the premises.

Western classification of buildings in terms of energy efficiency includes the following heat consumption standards:

  • old building (300 kWh/m³ per year) – built before the 70s of the last century;
  • new building (150 kWh/m³ per year) – from 1970 to 2002;
  • house with low energy consumption (60 kWh/m³ per year) - since 2002;
  • passive house (15 kWh/m³ per year);
  • zero energy home;
  • a house that independently produces energy in larger quantities than is needed for its functioning.

Russian classification of buildings differs from Western ones:

  • old building (600 kWh/m³ per year);
  • a modern house built according to the SNiP standard 02/23/2003 “Thermal protection of buildings” (350 kWh/m³ per year).

It is clear that the harsh climate of Russia requires high costs for heating residential premises. However, generally accepted standards should not always be considered satisfactory. It is necessary to use new technologies, design solutions, and modern materials in the construction of housing with lower energy consumption. There are possibilities for this.

Passive house concept

The idea of ​​a passive house can be called the most progressive to date. The point is to create a house from an object that requires enormous operating costs that is independent of external resources, capable of generating energy independently and being completely environmentally friendly. To date, the idea has been partially implemented.

A passive house is powered by renewable natural energy resources: sunlight, wind and earth. Natural heat generated by people living in the house and operating household appliances is also used as an energy source. Heat losses are minimized due to the building design, more effective thermal insulation, the use of energy-saving technologies, and the creation of an effective innovative ventilation system.

Interestingly, the European Union is working to introduce laws according to which the construction of houses with “zero energy consumption” should become a standard.

Extremely low energy consumption is achieved through careful insulation of external doors, window openings, wall joints, the complete absence of “cold bridges” (sections of walls through which half of the thermal energy is lost), and the use of heat naturally generated by people, appliances, and the ventilation system.

energy efficient house - construction principles

The main goal of building an energy-efficient house is to minimize energy consumption, especially during periods of winter cold. The basic principles of construction are as follows:

  • building up a 15-centimeter thermal insulation layer;
  • simple shape of the roof and perimeter of the building;
  • use of warm, environmentally friendly materials;
  • creating a mechanical rather than natural (or gravitational) ventilation system;
  • use of natural renewable energy;
  • the orientation of the house is in the south direction;
  • complete elimination of “cold bridges”;
  • absolute tightness.

Most Russian standard buildings have natural (or gravity) ventilation, which is extremely ineffective and leads to significant heat loss. In summer, such a system does not work at all, and in winter, constant ventilation is needed to bring in fresh air. Installation recuperator air allows you to use already heated air to heat the incoming air and vice versa. The recovery system is capable of providing from 60 to 90 percent of the heat by heating the air, that is, it eliminates the need for water radiators, boilers, and pipes.

Recuperation allows heat to be transferred from exhaust air to fresh air.

Detailed information on building a ventilation system is contained in the article:.

You should not build a house with a larger area than is needed for actual living. Heating of unnecessary unused rooms is unacceptable. The house must be designed for exactly the number of people who will permanently live in it. The remaining rooms are heated, including due to the heat naturally generated by humans, the operation of computers, household appliances, etc.

An energy efficient home must be built to take maximum advantage of climate conditions. A large number of sunny days a year or constant winds should be a hint for choosing alternative energy sources.

It is important to ensure tightness not only due to the sealing of windows and doors, but also due to the use of double-sided plaster, wind, heat and vapor barriers for the walls and roof. It should be taken into account that a large glazing area will lead to inevitable heat loss.

Taking into account the energy efficiency of a home when designing

When choosing a site for construction, you should take into account the natural landscape. The terrain should be flat, without sudden changes in height - the foundation of the house will only benefit from this in terms of reliability and tightness. However, any landscape feature can be used to improve operational efficiency. For example, the elevation difference will provide a low-cost water supply system.

It is definitely worth considering the location of the house relative to the sun in order to make the most of natural sunlight instead of electric light. The figure shows the possibility of using solar heat depending on the time of year.


In summer, roof canopies prevent overheating of the room from direct solar radiation. In winter, the sun's energy is captured to its maximum.

Canopies, porch and roof slopes must be of optimal width so as not to interfere with natural light, prevent the building from overheating, and protect walls from rain. The roof must be designed taking into account the pressing mass of the snow cover. Don't forget about insulating the roof and organizing gutters.

All this will not only reduce maintenance costs, but also increase the service life of the building.

"Pitfalls" of using modern materials

In modern construction, different types of insulation are actively used. They are designed to maximally insulate the foundation, walls and roof of the building, thereby reducing energy losses. The most popular modern materials are: polystyrene foam (expanded polystyrene), EPS (extruded polystyrene foam), mineral wool insulation (glass wool, basalt or stone wool), polyurethane foam, foam glass, ecowool, vermiculite, perlite.

You need to understand that popular economical options like polystyrene foam, aerated concrete or foam concrete slabs can become the very pitfall against which the very idea of ​​energy efficiency can be broken. The fact is that gas and foam concrete slabs are often manufactured in gross violation of technology. Such “insulation” will not make the house reliable and durable.

Polystyrene foam generally belongs to the class of hazardous materials. It is very flammable and begins to release harmful toxic substances already at a temperature of 60 degrees. Most often, a person suffocates during a fire and receives a lethal dose of toxic substances. In addition, polystyrene foam releases toxic substances even at room temperature. Finally, it simply doesn't last: Styrofoam has a lifespan of 40 years, compared to the average home's lifespan of 75 years.

How to improve the energy efficiency of an already built house

It is possible to improve the energy efficiency of an already built house. However, the “age” of the building should be taken into account. If major renovations allow the building to last another twenty years, the gamble is worth the candle: the investment will pay off. If in five to ten years the building is demolished, there is simply no point in radically changing it.

Modern materials and technologies help reduce energy losses. You need to start by identifying the locations of heat leaks. “Cold bridges” take away on average half of the accumulated heat from a building. This is why it is so important to detect and eliminate leaks in walls, roofs, window and door openings.

Most often, errors occur in the place where the balcony, plinth, and other external structures are brought outside. Be sure to insulate the attic, ceilings above the basement (it is better to use thermal insulation boards), and interior doors. Residents of apartment buildings will receive a noticeable effect by installing doors in the vestibule area.

Not only subjectively felt cold can indicate a broken seal. The appearance of mold and mildew on the walls is a clear indicator of depressurization. Old or improperly installed windows can deprive a room of the lion's share of heat. Sometimes just replacing them with good quality double-glazed windows installed in accordance with GOST can reduce heating costs by 2-3 times.

The insulation material must be environmentally friendly and safe. An excellent option is to use warm plaster for additional sealing and insulation of the walls. This material copes well with depressurized seams and joints, as well as visible cracks. It is permissible to use polyethylene as insulation, placing it under wooden sheathing. The thickness of the material must be at least 200 microns.

How to increase the efficiency of heating and ventilation systems

The most important part of a home energy efficiency project can be upgrading your heating system. A good effect can be obtained by replacing cast iron batteries with aluminum ones with a temperature control sensor. In this case, it is necessary to accurately calculate the required number of sections required to heat a particular room.

You can install heat-reflecting screens behind heating radiators, as well as heat release controllers. If possible, it is worth installing additional water heating elements using a solar collector.

An excellent option for reducing energy costs is to replace natural ventilation with mechanical ventilation with recovery. The advantages of this system have already been discussed. It is capable of heating the incoming air due to the air removed from the system.

Additionally, you can install ventilation control controllers, special ventilators, and heat pumps for air cooling.

Measures to save water, electricity and gas

Water and gas meters have already become, along with the usual electricity meters, an indispensable attribute of every home or apartment. Additionally, you can install communal meters and pressure stabilizers on floors.

It is best to install energy-saving fluorescent lighting in entrances. For outdoors it is better to use LED lamps. Photoacoustic relay installations should control the lighting of basements and technical rooms, residential entrances. Solar panels can be used to illuminate buildings.

Household appliances of energy-saving class A+ and higher (TVs, dishwashers, ovens, air conditioners, washing machines) significantly save energy.

Climate control systems in apartments and boiler rooms help save gas. An excellent option is programmable heating, the use of special energy-efficient cookers, as well as gas burners in economy mode.

It is obvious that one or two solutions are not enough to achieve energy efficiency, even if we are talking about building a house from scratch. Comfort, savings, and environmental safety are achievable subject to an integrated approach to solving the problem. Both a private house and an apartment building need to create a serious project that covers all aspects of energy efficiency.

According to expert estimates, it is realistically achievable to reduce the costs of energy supply to an already built house by four times, proportionally reducing the costs of residents.

In order to save natural and energy resources, humanity has developed comprehensive measures to insulate buildings and bring the level of thermal insulation to a value close to absolute. This material will reveal the essence of a passive house as a modern and economical type of housing.

Concepts of passivity and energy efficiency

Our review will bypass the generally accepted list of advantages and technical indicators. For example, a building is considered energy efficient if its heat loss does not exceed 10 kWh per square meter during the year, but what should this tell the reader? If you count it, then in a year a small (up to 150 m2) house consumes approximately 1.5-2 MW of energy, which is comparable to the energy consumption of a regular cottage in one winter month. The same amount is consumed by 2-3 incandescent lamps of 100 W each, turned on constantly for one year, which is equivalent to 200 m 3 of natural gas.

Such low energy consumption makes it possible, in principle, to abandon the heating system in the house, using the heat generated by humans, animals and household appliances for heating. If a house does not require targeted energy expenditure for the operation of heating systems (or requires a small minimum), such a house is called passive. In the same way, a house with very high heat losses, the need for which is replenished by its own power plant running on renewable energy sources, can be called passive.

So an energy-efficient house does not necessarily claim to be passive; the opposite is also true. A house that not only covers its own energy needs, but also transmits some type of energy to the public network is called active.

What is the main idea of ​​a passive house?

All three of the above concepts are usually combined: a passive house has the most expanded set of measures to ensure energy autonomy. In the end, no one is interested in testing their home for years, achieving heat loss standards in order to receive an honorary title. It is important that the inside is dry, warm and comfortable.

There is an opinion that today any new building should be built using passive house technology, fortunately, there are technical solutions even for multi-story buildings. This makes sense: the cost of maintaining a house during the period between renovations is usually even higher than the cost of construction.

A passive house, with a larger initial investment, requires practically no costs throughout its service life, which, moreover, exceeds the service life of conventional buildings due to the absolute protection of load-bearing and enclosing structures in combination with the most modern and technological solutions for construction and repair.

The main technical feature of a passive house is a continuous thermal insulation loop, from the foundation to the roof. This “thermos” retains heat well, but not all materials are suitable for its construction.

Materials for thermal insulation

Expanded polystyrene is not applicable in such volumes; it is flammable and toxic. In a number of projects, this is solved by adding a fire-retardant layer near the load-bearing pillar and under the façade finishing, which leads to an unjustified increase in cost. The use of glass and mineral wool also does not solve the problem. Pests (insects and rodents) actively inhabit it, as well as expanded polystyrene, and the service life of cotton wool is 2-3 less than that of the passive house itself.

A material suitable for passive house purposes is foam glass. A brief summary of characteristics: the lowest thermal conductivity of known widely used materials, complete environmental friendliness due to the inertness of glass, simple processing and good gluing ability. The downside is the high price and complexity of production, but the material is definitely worth the money.

A less expensive material, but suitable for insulating a passive house, is polyurethane foam. Technically, such houses cannot be called passive; their heat loss is 30-50 kWh per square meter per year, but these figures are quite acceptable. Polyurethane can be installed as a sheet material, or applied using shotcrete plastering.

Roof and warm attic

Another key difference between passive houses is the presence of an unheated attic or warm attic and high-quality roof insulation without cold bridges. With this approach, two temperature boundaries are identified: on the ceiling of the upper floor and in the roof itself. Thanks to the separation of the thermal protection, the formation of condensation in the roof insulation is guaranteed to be eliminated and heat loss is significantly reduced.

The ceiling of the upper floor is usually framed on wooden beams, the voids are filled with a layer of medium-density mineral wool 20-25 cm thick. It is better to insulate the ceiling with sheet materials with a cross-cellular frame and precise adjustment of insulation boards. All seams and joints are filled with special glue or foam. Particular attention is paid to the installation of a protective belt at the point where the rafter system rests on the walls.

A warm attic is arranged according to the principle of recovery of the ventilation system. The exhaust ventilation ducts go directly into the sealed attic space, from where they are discharged through a single opening with forced outflow. Often this channel is equipped with a recuperation unit that transfers part of the heat from the exhaust air to the supply air.

Windows, doors and other leak points

With windows for a passive house, everything is simple: they must be of high quality and must be certified for use in the energy saving industry. Signs of a suitable product include double-glazed windows with two or more chambers filled with gas, low-emission glass of different thicknesses and a double connection of the double-glazed window to the profile, sealed with rubber tape. For doors, it is important to have a honeycomb filling and the presence of a double door around the entire perimeter. It is equally important to follow the rules for installation and protection of junction points.

A passive house has its own foundation design features. To protect the concrete structure, it is hydrophobized by injection and additionally protected with an outer layer of coating waterproofing. The insulation goes down to the entire depth of the foundation, so the ground floor becomes the second buffer zone after the warm attic.

Energy supply of a passive house

Gas is usually not supplied to a passive house; a single-phase electrical network is completely sufficient for domestic purposes and heating. With electric heaters, everything is simple: no matter how many kilowatts are invested in the house, so much remains in it, the efficiency is almost 99%, unlike gas boilers.

But the electrical network as the only source of energy supply has a lot of disadvantages, which mostly consist in unreliable connection. Often, houses are supplied with a fairly complex electrical network, including an emergency generator with automatic start, or they use a battery bank or solar panels for backup power.

Heating of water for domestic needs is usually carried out by solar collectors, mainly vacuum ones. In general, autonomous energy sources are quite diverse; among the varieties, you can choose the optimal solution for objects with different conditions.

In order to save natural and energy resources, humanity has developed comprehensive measures to insulate buildings and bring the level of thermal insulation to a value close to absolute. This material will reveal the essence of a passive house as a modern and economical type of housing.

Concepts of passivity and energy efficiency

Our review will bypass the generally accepted list of advantages and technical indicators. For example, a building is considered energy efficient if its heat loss does not exceed 10 kWh per square meter during the year, but what should this tell the reader? If you count it, then in a year a small (up to 150 m2) house consumes approximately 1.5-2 MW of energy, which is comparable to the energy consumption of a regular cottage in one winter month. The same amount is consumed by 2-3 incandescent lamps of 100 W each, turned on constantly for one year, which is equivalent to 200 m 3 of natural gas.

Such low energy consumption makes it possible, in principle, to abandon the heating system in the house, using the heat generated by humans, animals and household appliances for heating. If a house does not require targeted energy expenditure for the operation of heating systems (or requires a small minimum), such a house is called passive. In the same way, a house with very high heat losses, the need for which is replenished by its own power plant running on renewable energy sources, can be called passive.

So an energy-efficient house does not necessarily claim to be passive; the opposite is also true. A house that not only covers its own energy needs, but also transmits some type of energy to the public network is called active.

What is the main idea of ​​a passive house?

All three of the above concepts are usually combined: a passive house has the most expanded set of measures to ensure energy autonomy. In the end, no one is interested in testing their home for years, achieving heat loss standards in order to receive an honorary title. It is important that the inside is dry, warm and comfortable.

There is an opinion that today any new building should be built using passive house technology, fortunately, there are technical solutions even for multi-story buildings. This makes sense: the cost of maintaining a house during the period between renovations is usually even higher than the cost of construction.

A passive house, with a larger initial investment, requires practically no costs throughout its service life, which, moreover, exceeds the service life of conventional buildings due to the absolute protection of load-bearing and enclosing structures in combination with the most modern and technological solutions for construction and repair.

The main technical feature of a passive house is a continuous thermal insulation loop, from the foundation to the roof. This “thermos” retains heat well, but not all materials are suitable for its construction.

Materials for thermal insulation

Expanded polystyrene is not applicable in such volumes; it is flammable and toxic. In a number of projects, this is solved by adding a fire-retardant layer near the load-bearing pillar and under the façade finishing, which leads to an unjustified increase in cost. The use of glass and mineral wool also does not solve the problem. Pests (insects and rodents) actively inhabit it, as well as expanded polystyrene, and the service life of cotton wool is 2-3 less than that of the passive house itself.

A material suitable for passive house purposes is foam glass. A brief summary of characteristics: the lowest thermal conductivity of known widely used materials, complete environmental friendliness due to the inertness of glass, simple processing and good gluing ability. The downside is the high price and complexity of production, but the material is definitely worth the money.

A less expensive material, but suitable for insulating a passive house, is polyurethane foam. Technically, such houses cannot be called passive; their heat loss is 30-50 kWh per square meter per year, but these figures are quite acceptable. Polyurethane can be installed as a sheet material, or applied using shotcrete plastering.

Roof and warm attic

Another key difference between passive houses is the presence of an unheated attic or warm attic and high-quality roof insulation without cold bridges. With this approach, two temperature boundaries are identified: on the ceiling of the upper floor and in the roof itself. Thanks to the separation of the thermal protection, the formation of condensation in the roof insulation is guaranteed to be eliminated and heat loss is significantly reduced.

The ceiling of the upper floor is usually framed on wooden beams, the voids are filled with a layer of medium-density mineral wool 20-25 cm thick. It is better to insulate the ceiling with sheet materials with a cross-cellular frame and precise adjustment of insulation boards. All seams and joints are filled with special glue or foam. Particular attention is paid to the installation of a protective belt at the point where the rafter system rests on the walls.

A warm attic is arranged according to the principle of recovery of the ventilation system. The exhaust ventilation ducts go directly into the sealed attic space, from where they are discharged through a single opening with forced outflow. Often this channel is equipped with a recuperation unit that transfers part of the heat from the exhaust air to the supply air.

Windows, doors and other leak points

With windows for a passive house, everything is simple: they must be of high quality and must be certified for use in the energy saving industry. Signs of a suitable product include double-glazed windows with two or more chambers filled with gas, low-emission glass of different thicknesses and a double connection of the double-glazed window to the profile, sealed with rubber tape. For doors, it is important to have a honeycomb filling and the presence of a double door around the entire perimeter. It is equally important to follow the rules for installation and protection of junction points.

A passive house has its own foundation design features. To protect the concrete structure, it is hydrophobized by injection and additionally protected with an outer layer of coating waterproofing. The insulation goes down to the entire depth of the foundation, so the ground floor becomes the second buffer zone after the warm attic.

Energy supply of a passive house

Gas is usually not supplied to a passive house; a single-phase electrical network is completely sufficient for domestic purposes and heating. With electric heaters, everything is simple: no matter how many kilowatts are invested in the house, so much remains in it, the efficiency is almost 99%, unlike gas boilers.

But the electrical network as the only source of energy supply has a lot of disadvantages, which mostly consist in unreliable connection. Often, houses are supplied with a fairly complex electrical network, including an emergency generator with automatic start, or they use a battery bank or solar panels for backup power.

Heating of water for domestic needs is usually carried out by solar collectors, mainly vacuum ones. In general, autonomous energy sources are quite diverse; among the varieties, you can choose the optimal solution for objects with different conditions.

Energy efficiency is a fairly new word in the construction of residential buildings. With rising energy prices, the need to save heat and electricity in homes has increased. This savings is especially noticeable in the example of multi-storey buildings, the insulation of which has come to the forefront in increasing their energy efficiency. Let's take a closer look at what the energy efficiency class of an apartment building is and where this concept came from.

In order to deal with the insulation of apartment buildings, the state is ready to do anything except introduce appropriate changes to the Civil Code. This document does not spell out a clear scheme for the improvement of buildings that are in co-ownership. Therefore, it is practically impossible for residents of such houses to come to a common opinion. But in the charters of condominium associations, this point is almost always fully covered, and the issue can be resolved without the unanimous consent of the co-owners.

What is energy efficiency of apartment buildings

Rising prices for electricity and fuel have prompted many to look for alternative solutions. What has been available in Europe for a long time is only gaining momentum here. New concepts have recently appeared in everyday life: passive and energy-efficient houses. But they cannot be considered synonyms.


A passive house is designed so that it does not use a heating system. It is built taking into account minimal heat loss, and the architectural design is thought out in such a way as to absorb solar heat as much as possible. For this purpose, the climatic characteristics of the regions are taken into account. It is impossible to build the passive house of your dreams throughout the entire territory of the Russian Federation, since the climatic component is very changeable. Therefore, an energy efficient house can be a compromise on this issue.

Important! When building an energy-efficient house, special and careful attention is paid to the selection of building materials, environmentally friendly in composition, for walls, insulating materials, and finishing inside the building. The principle of such a house is ideal insulation and artificial ventilation for air exchange. If you ignore this point, then the toxins contained in low-quality building materials will be released and may even exceed the permissible concentration, greater than in ordinary houses that have additional ventilation due to cracks in the building envelope.

How to determine the energy efficiency class of a home

Energy efficiency is determined by the energy standards of European countries and those established in the Russian Federation. The very concept of energy efficiency may differ in different regions and countries. For example, the EU countries are currently addressing issues of achieving zero energy consumption. We are struggling with other questions: how to reduce heat loss and develop other energy sources. Therefore, in our country, at the stages of design and commissioning of a building, a special passport is filled out - an energy passport. There are still no rules for determining the class established in strict order by law at the state level, however, this passport indicates the energy efficiency class of the building: A, B, C:

  • Class A - very high. Allows you to save the maximum amount of energy resources and thermal energy.
  • Class B - high. May be assigned if more than half of the requirements for energy efficiency rules are met.
  • Class C - normal. As a standard, they decide to assign it to real estate built more than 10-15 years ago.

Benefits of Energy Efficient Homes

The high class of energy efficiency of an apartment building is characterized by airtight construction. According to the principle of operation, it is somewhat similar to a thermos: it does not let in cold, but retains heat. In such houses, serious attention is paid to tightness in all places and nodes where heat leakage is potentially possible: this is the connection of the roof with the load-bearing parts of the building, window and door openings. Even the shape of the building and its location in relation to parts of the world are taken into account. Windows are almost always provided on the south side, for better flow of heat and light. From communications, such a house needs only electricity and water to meet the necessary needs. In the event of an emergency power outage, a passive house cools down very slowly, by only one degree in 24 hours, if the temperature outside the building is 15 degrees Celsius.

Important! An automatic ventilation system with a heat retention function must be designed in it. This system is equipped with a recuperator - a heat exchanger that converts the energy of used air in order to heat the incoming air flows. Atmospheric air enters the heat exchanger not through a conventional ventilation pipe, but underground, equipped with a recuperator.

In the German town of Darmstadt, an institute for the study of passive house technologies was formed, dealing with design issues, new research, and consulting assistance in this area. The goal of such a house is to achieve almost complete independence from the costs spent on maintaining the desired temperature in the premises. Heating of the room is carried out due to the heat generated by the people living in it, the equipment used in the building, and the energy of the sun. Western Europe is rich in passive houses, their number numbers in the thousands. Both private mansions and public buildings have been converted into passive houses, and eco-villages of such houses have been built in Finland, Denmark, and the Czech Republic. To introduce technologies that save energy, government programs are being developed to ensure that all construction projects lead to very low energy consumption.


As mentioned above, in our country these technologies are just beginning to occupy their niches. Since 2010, the Government of the Russian Federation has supported the idea of ​​​​building low-rise villages according to the standards of the MKD energy efficiency class. To date, energy-efficient buildings and entire villages have been built in many cities of the Russian Federation.

Problems with energy efficiency of apartment buildings in Russia

Representatives of condominium associations can seek advice from the company, which will determine what measures should be taken to improve the energy efficiency class of an apartment building. The main methods of energy saving in residential buildings include insulating walls and roofs, replacing old windows and entrance doors, both in apartments and in staircases.

Individual basic control of heat consumption by the residents themselves can play an important role. For this purpose, meters and control valves can be installed on heating radiators. Thus, it becomes possible to use heating equipment not in a single mode throughout the entire heating season, but to control its intensity in accordance with the vagaries of the weather. Year-long, phased work to address energy efficiency issues can improve the building's class.

Important! The procedure for insulating houses itself seems understandable and feasible, and besides, the cost savings after modernization cover all costs within a year or a year and a half. But this idea can only be realized if you have a large amount of money, which is simply nowhere to be found.

The state does not allocate much for home repairs, and basically all the money is spent not on insulation, but on extending the life of dilapidated buildings. The residents of apartment buildings themselves are also not always able to contribute the necessary funds, since the average income level is several times lower than the amount required for insulation.

And even a legal entity HOA cannot get a loan from a bank, since it will not provide guarantees of its repayment.

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