The energy strategy for energy saving in buildings should be based on the formation and implementation of incentives for the economical use of natural resources. The main motive for energy saving should be the preservation of the natural environment and even its improvement, as well as the protection of the interests of future generations in preserving traditional natural energy sources, but as raw materials for the chemical and medical industries.

The construction of modern multi-storey and multi-functional buildings is a young industry. As young as the ultra-progressive industries of the second half of the twentieth century - aircraft manufacturing and computer technology. However, construction in recent years has not undergone such significant changes in comparison.

The study and solution of energy saving problems that arose during the construction of modern buildings have become a powerful impetus for studying the problems of microclimate and air conditioning of a building. This explains the wide range of buildings based on various concepts of energy-efficient and environmentally friendly technologies.

The design concepts of modern buildings are based on the idea that the quality of our environment has a direct impact on the quality of our lives both at home and in the workplace or public spaces that form the backbone of our cities.

Concepts have their own name. The most famous of them:

• energy efficient building;
• passive building;
• smart building;
• healthy building;
• intelligent building;
• low energy building;
• ultralow energy building;
• high-tech building;
• bioclimatic architecture;
• environmentally neutral building;
• sustainable building (environmental conservation);
• advanced building (translation from English - improved building).

A modern building, in terms of efficiency, is characterized by consumer indicator systems. One of the main consumer building indicator systems is the building energy efficiency indicator system.

A modern, technically educated person will choose a housing energy efficiency system when assessing it as a future owner, if the need to save energy comes to the fore.

Energy efficient building is a building in which energy savings are achieved through the use of innovative solutions that are technically feasible, economically feasible, acceptable from an environmental and social point of view and do not change the usual way of life.

Energy efficient homes essentially become European standard. The following have the greatest practical experience in implementing energy-efficient passive house projects:

• countries of Western Europe, and primarily Germany;

Sweden: 2-storey residential solar houses made of wood in Karlstad (59° N), located so that there is no mutual shading;

• an energy-efficient residential area was built in Helsinki, Finland;

in London, Great Britain, the project of an energy-efficient public building of the city hall was successfully implemented;

in American practice, in “cold” areas, super-insulated houses with triple glazing of northern facades and enhanced thermal insulation of external surfaces have long been built;

in Canada, experience has been gained in the construction of super-insulated houses with low energy consumption for heating, solar houses have been built in the province of Quebec, in the province of Saskatchewan, the climatic conditions of which are characterized by a winter design temperature of -34.5 ° C;

• In Russia, in the conditions of South-Western Siberia, solar houses have been built according to 3 options since 1981.

Today, for construction in Russia energy efficient and environmentally friendly buildings, according to experts, there are two stimulating circumstances:

1. In the competitive struggle in the market of residential and public buildings, indicators of the consumer qualities of the building increasingly play a major role, the most important of which are: ensuring the quality of the microclimate and the energy efficiency of the building;
2. Investors are coming to the conclusion that it is advisable to rent out space rather than sell it, due to rising inflation and changes in the cost of housing and public premises, so they are interested in introducing energy-saving technologies in the construction of buildings and in creating their own management companies for operation these buildings.

In Russia Many components of the concept of an energy-efficient home are quite feasible. Thus, during the reconstruction of housing stock, they are successfully used technologies for priority measures to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, such as:

• insulation of facades using modern thermal insulation materials;
• installation of modern highly efficient window systems using forced ventilation schemes.

Initial investment The practical implementation of energy-saving technologies is not cheap, but there are large capital costs can be considered a long-term and very reliable investment, because they pay for themselves through further low operating costs. Operating costs, after the introduction of energy-saving technologies, are reduced by 25-30%. Unfortunately, this small difference serves as an argument for those who unreasonably underestimate the amount of initial investment in the energy efficiency of a building during construction and reconstruction. On the other hand, too high an initial investment will not be able to pay off over the entire life of the building.

Recently, due to the aggravation of problems of energy saving and environmental protection, sharply interest in the use of non-traditional types of energy has increased, such as solar energy, wind energy etc. Renewable energy sources: sun, wind, etc., have been used by humans for a long time. Solar energy applied in modern building design concepts - passive house and solar house, has a significant impact on reducing energy consumption from traditional sources - heating and cooling devices.

Distinctive features of a passive building are:

• compactness and good insulation of the external enclosing parts of the building, 2-3 times higher than the standard heat transfer resistance indicators;
• passive use of solar energy, with mandatory glazing of the southern part of the building and taking into account shading features;
• energy-efficient glazing with a heat transfer resistance of window structures of at least 0.8 m°C/W;
• airtightness, with permissible air leakage through unsealed connections not exceeding 0.6 room volume per hour;
• passive pre-heating of fresh air entering the house through underground pipes, pre-heating from contact with the soil to almost 5°C, even on cold winter days;
• highly efficient air exchange: more than 80%;
• hot water supply using regenerative energy sources: for example, solar collectors;
• the use of thermal mass made from heat-storing materials to retain heat on cold nights and to keep cool on hot days.

Heat storage medium used in thermal mass passive house, is represented by three main types: stones, water and eutectic salts (with phase transformation). The peculiarity of heat-storing materials is that they have high thermal inertia.

Thermal inertia is the ability of materials or environments to absorb heat and retain it as they heat up. If the ambient temperature decreases, the accumulated heat enters the environment, and the materials or environment themselves are cooled. But it takes some time to cool or warm up to the changed ambient temperature.

Solar energy, once inside the house, can be transferred to the surface of the thermal heat-accumulating mass, from other sunlit surfaces, due to reflection and thermal radiation. Aim to have thermal mass in all sunlit surfaces. When heat-storing materials absorb solar energy, the temperature on the surface of the materials increases. The energy absorbed by the surface is transferred into the material by thermal conduction.

Absorbency the surface of heat-accumulating materials is different and depends on:

Thermal mass, on which direct solar radiation falls, must have a significant area without excessive thickness, therefore thin heat-storing plates are more effective than thick ones. The most effective thickness for a concrete heat storage slab is 100 mm; increasing the thickness beyond 150 mm is pointless. The most effective thickness for wood is 25 mm.

Passive house floors must have a dark color, because dark color, absorbs solar radiation rather than reflecting it, and makes the floor itself warmer and easier to clean.

Thermal mass of walls and ceilings should be light, because a dark wall, quickly heating up, will create an upward thermosiphon air flow, leading to overheating of the room.

Most efficient storage containers are the walls, ceilings, roofs, internal partitions, and furniture that make up the building. Sources of energy in a residential building include a kitchen stove, working household electrical appliances, lighting lamps, people and animals, i.e. all those surfaces of bodies that have a temperature higher or lower than air temperature and emit energy in the form of waves of different lengths. For example, a person sitting quietly has a thermal power of 120 watts. In total, these heat releases reach considerable values, comparable to the power of heating systems.

Thermal mass (of the required thickness and area), absorbing heat during the hottest part of the day, cools the room, and when the air temperature drops and this air enters the building, either through natural circulation through openings, such as ventilation holes or windows, or forced by fans , the thermal mass, slowly cooling through convective heat exchange, heats the air in the room. During the period of time until the thermal mass, which has inertia, is again heated to the ambient temperature, there will be no need for air conditioning in the room.

The energy crisis of 1992 forced us to reassess the scale and methods of using energy for the normal functioning of high-rise buildings.

The main reason for the increase in energy consumption is considered to be the process of urbanization occurring throughout the world. Increased energy consumption is associated with construction, transport, and the use of ventilation and air conditioning systems. Currently, many design and engineering solutions have been developed with autonomous life support systems, as well as with passive methods with minimal energy consumption, interconnected with the natural and climatic conditions of the area. Daylighting, natural shading, energy efficiency and photovoltaic facades, wind energy systems and hanging gardens within buildings are all contributing to significant progress towards the design of increasingly autonomous and self-sustaining high-rise buildings. In addition, architectural techniques such as building orientation to the cardinal directions, taking into account the prevailing cold wind directions, maximum glazing of southern facades and minimal glazing of northern facades, which is especially important in our harsh climate, help reduce energy intensity.

The main provisions of the energy policy are aimed at designing energy-saving, comfortable buildings, which require the use of rational architectural and technical solutions. Currently, about 40% of all fuel produced in the country is spent on heating and cooling buildings, at the same time, reserves of traditional natural fuels (coal, oil, gas) are gradually depleted both in our country and throughout the world.

One of the most important problems solved in high-rise buildings and complexes is their energy efficiency. The energy efficiency of a high-rise building is influenced by such factors as the location of the facility, orientation to the cardinal points, functional purpose, volumetric and structural design, applied engineering systems and equipment. The concept of energy efficiency of high-rise buildings is to consider the problem as a single system, including the functioning of buildings and the environment, their mutual influence and interdependence on each other, and finding a joint, rational path of development.

There are four interrelated principles of energy efficiency: energy efficiency, integration, generation, regeneration.

Energy efficiency- a number of measures that ensure maximum protection of heat loss by external enclosures of buildings and create minimal energy consumption of resources to create comfortable conditions inside the building.

Energy conservation inside a building is achieved mainly by thermal protection of external enclosures - walls and windows, when effective thermal insulation materials are used, and gas-filled double-glazed windows or double-glazed windows with glass with energy-protective films and coatings are used in the windows.

Integration - combining many structural elements of a high-rise building, in particular the use of natural and passive energy sources that are located nearby under building and around the perimeter of the building. The principle of integration is applied in many high-rise buildings for various purposes: residential buildings, offices, hotels, etc.

For example, in the Pearl River Tower office building (China), the following integration systems are used (picture below):

• a wide-range photovoltaic system that integrates an external solar control system and external glazing of the facade (southern facades only);
• use of fixed external blinds and built-in electrical panels;
• wiping glass on the facade to provide high-quality natural daylight with automatic light control, which, together with automatic blinds, regulates the illumination of the premises.

"Pearl River Tower" (Guangzhou, China)

Generation- production of electricity (electrical voltage and current) by converting it from other types of energy using special technical devices. High-rise buildings use wind engines, pumps, solar power plants, vertical axis wind turbines built into the building, designed taking into account the geometry of the building in order to maximize turbine performance; autonomous power sources for microturbines, which are small gas turbines. These microturbines allow the building to generate economically clean energy using technology that can be described as “reasonably resource efficient”. A typical city power grid loses up to 30-35% of energy in the process of transforming electricity from the power plant to the consumer. The two power generators that are being developed for the Pearl River Tower are located on the same site adjacent to the tower. Their effectiveness- more than 80%.

Microturbines are capable of operating on various types of fuel, such as kerosene, biogas, diesel fuel, propane and natural gas. Microturbines are air cooled. Hot air can be recovered and used as an additional heat source for the building. This heat can be used for functions such as water heating or absorption cooling. Safety, low noise and lack of vibration make microturbines ideal for installation on a site close to home.

Regeneration - use of regeneration technologies, in accordance with which the energy expended is compensated by the energy produced inside the building. Once supplied from outside the building, energy or a resource, such as water, must be reused again and again. The Pearl River Tower example involves the use of air recirculation to pre-cool or heat incoming fresh air from outside, primarily intended for ventilation of living spaces, depending on the time of year and the condition of the outside air. As a positive example of a self-sufficient building in terms of energy consumption, as well as economical use of water, one can cite the 150-story multifunctional building “Solar Tower” (architect Kiss and Katchkart Architects), in which water recycling devices and water catchers are located at intervals of 30 floors (along the height of the building). These devices purify rainwater and domestic wastewater and make it reusable. As a result, the building discharges only 10% of its wastewater into the city sewer system.

Energy saving- one of the types of reducing costs for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration of buildings and complexes. In world practice, methods and techniques have been developed to reduce energy costs during the operation of buildings, these include:

• compactness of the volumetric-spatial form of a high-rise building;
• reducing energy consumption inside the building through energy-saving technologies;
• rational orientation of the building, taking into account insolation and optimal lighting, efficient use of solar energy by inclined solar receivers located on the southern facade;
• high heat-protective characteristics of external fences;
• application of heat regeneration and recovery systems;
• rational water consumption - application and use of groundwater for heating and cooling of building premises; use of groundwater in toilet tanks instead of drinking water;
• use of energy efficient lighting;
• comfort of the indoor microclimate (mechanical forced-air and exhaust ventilation);
• use of alternative energy sources;
• conservation of natural resources

The volumetric-spatial form of high-rise buildings can largely serve to reduce energy consumption, for example, by reducing the glazed surface of the northern facade, by creating a building form that effectively uses wind flows for natural ventilation, which will reduce the operating hours of mechanical ventilation. In addition, volumetric-spatial solutions for high-rise buildings with different energy sources differ significantly from each other. If ordinary high-rise buildings have a wind-streamlined shape, then when wind turbines are used, the shape of the building takes on a wind-catching shape, ensuring the directional movement of wind flows directly onto the screws of wind turbines vertically and horizontally. The shape of the building must ensure wind capture and a concentrated supply of air flows to wind turbines, for example, a petal arrangement of building sections is possible to form a concentrator, in the narrow part of which a wind receiver is located. An interesting form of research project for the Venitiform building, taking into account aerodynamic wind effects, was proposed by Norman Foster. The volumetric-spatial shape of the building resembles a rock, which, as a result of weathering, acquired an aerodynamic shape. This form of high-rise building, which directs wind flow to the wind turbine, helps to increase energy production. The building features a wind turbine that will generate enough clean energy to power 1,500 suburban homes designed by the same firm.

One of the effective ways to reduce energy is architectural and planning solutions - increased width of the building body (14-18 m), minimum ratio of the area of ​​external fences and enclosed area of ​​the building (compactness coefficient), three-dimensional shape of the building (reduction of wind load , reduced solar illumination of the outer surface of the building), architectural and structural solutions, engineering systems and equipment (heating, ventilation and air conditioning, as well as lighting systems).

These include:

• use of highly efficient active double walls with internal ventilation as an external enclosure with motorized shutters;
• ceiling heating radiators across the entire width of the building with a cooling system inside the beams along the perimeter of the building to create comfort;
• a disconnected (as opposed to a “dual”) ventilation system, passing under a raised floor, which provides access to it (option “with an increased level of access”);
• drying system (air) using heat removed from the facade with double walls, which are used: as an energy source;
• Low-energy, high-efficiency lighting systems that use radial lighting panels to provide optimal illumination.

An effective way to save energy resources is to use alternative energy sources using solar power plants, wind turbines, the use of earth energy, and combined systems. The installation of solar installations on high-rise buildings involves a high ratio of the façade surface to the area of ​​the land plot. In some climatic zones and regions, 10-15% of a high-rise building's electricity needs can be met by installing photovoltaic generators (collectors) on its façade. The size of the above volume of electricity production depends on the shape and orientation of the building in space, as well as on the degree of shading. The volume of electricity produced is inversely proportional to the density of high-rise buildings. It is also obvious that more rational energy consumption during the operation of the building makes it possible to cover a larger percentage of the electricity demand in the above way.

Wind turbines on high-rise buildings produce approximately 10-15% of a building's total energy consumption. Working in conjunction with solar power plants, they can reduce the energy consumption of a high-rise building by up to 20-30%. Another 10-20% reduction in energy consumption is achieved by using underground heat recovery plants, including geothermal sources.

Wind generators installed at the Tower of Power (Taiwan) generate 8 MW of electricity, sufficient to power the entire building's utilities (picture below).

Wind turbines on the building"Tower of Power" (Taiwan)

One type of resource saving is water conservation. In practice, water conservation for high-rise buildings can be facilitated by rainwater harvesting, reuse“gray” water (used in bathtubs and showers) and sea water for flushing toilets. All this will contribute to a healthier environment.

From the practice of operating high-rise buildings, it has been determined that lighting a building consumes approximately 20% of energy, operating elevators about 10%, almost all the rest of the energy goes to heating and cooling systems.

The search for new energy sources has long swept the world. Wind generators and solar panels are actively used in the energy complex of a number of European countries. For example, in the Scandinavian countries biofuels and hydro-energy are widely used (Sweden increases the share of renewable energy to 60% of the country's energy complex). Germany and Spain are the world leaders in installed wind power capacity (18.5 and 10 GW, respectively). In addition, Germany is the largest market for photovoltaic systems (1.4 GW of installed capacity of solar panels at the beginning of 2006, which is 53% more than in 2005) and solar heating systems (approximately 6.7 million installed m of collectors with a capacity of 4.69 thermal GW, and in 2005 there were 664 MW).

Many progressive high-rise buildings are increasingly using gearless elevator machines with variable speeds, which have higher efficiency and emit less heat during operation. In addition, the operation of the elevator is organized in such a way that energy is spent only on raising the cabin. The descent is carried out under the influence of gravity, while the engine slows down, which at this time converts kinematic energy into electrical energy, returning approximately 30% of the electricity spent on the ascent to the power supply system.

The introduction of alternative energy sources, equipment for the use of “grey” and rain water, and the use of architectural techniques will increase the environmental friendliness of high-rise buildings, ensure savings in energy consumption generated by conventional sources, and reduce the negative impact on the environment.

The search for new and use of existing alternative energy sources will create conditions for reducing energy consumption from central sources, increase the environmental safety of buildings, and provide a comfortable living environment for people.

According to the definition proposed by the American Green Building Council (USGBC), the concept of resource conservation, also known as “sustainable (or green) design,” includes three components: direct environmental benefits, economic benefits, and positive contributions to conservation. health and the general well-being of society. All three of the above components can be taken into account when designing the building structures.

The following is a list of environmental, economic and social aspects of resource-efficient building design as defined by the USGBC:

• improvement and protection of the environment, increasing biological diversity and its protection;
• reduction of solid waste volumes;
• conservation of natural resources;
• reducing energy consumption while increasing energy savings;
• reducing costs over the entire life cycle of an object;
• reduction of operating costs;
• health and comfort of users.

Global research has shown that double skinned building façades can reduce energy consumption by 65%, operating costs by 65% ​​and reduce CO2 emissions by 50% in the UK's cold temperate climate zone compared to a single skinned building façade.

The use of methods and methods for increasing energy efficiency and energy saving in high-rise buildings and complexes not only with the help of instruments and equipment, but also through the use of rational volumetric-spatial, architectural and planning design solutions will reduce energy consumption, negative impact on the environment, and increase the level of living comfort.

Millionaires and billionaires claim that saving money will not make you rich. If you want more, you need to learn how to properly manage the resources that you have.

This simple truth can also be applied to the concept of “energy efficiency,” which allows for the correct use of energy resources without reducing the level of energy supply.

At the same time, they organize both local ones, installing separate motion or presence sensors, and scalable systems. In scalable ones, sensors are responsible for transmitting information on presence or movement, plus provide up-to-date information on illumination.

Based on this data, the controller makes a decision to turn on, dim or turn off the lamps. Such systems are usually included in the overall building BMS system.

After an energy audit and improvement of all building systems, it is assigned an energy efficiency class.

What are energy efficiency classes?

Determining the energy efficiency class of a building means finding out what level of specific energy consumption is in the range of 5-10%. This level is considered the norm and measurements are taken relative to it.

After calculating the actual energy consumption in a building and comparing this indicator with the basic norm, it is assigned the appropriate energy efficiency class.

Class A. Buildings of this type are characterized by the lowest energy consumption. These are the most energy efficient structures. Below class C by 45% or more.

Class B. High energy efficiency. The energy consumption level is 11-25% lower than class C.

Class B+. Good energy efficiency. Below class C by 26-35%.

Class B++. Energy efficiency is above average. Energy consumption is 36-45% below normal.

Class C. Norm. The specific energy consumption level is within 5-10%.

Classes A-C can be used both in the design and in the assessment of existing buildings.

Class D Poor level of energy saving, 6-50% higher than normal.

Class E. The lowest level of energy saving, 50% or more above the norm. This is the most unprofitable option in terms of payment.

Classes D and E are used only for the assessment of existing buildings.

When calculating the energy efficiency class, the following are taken into account:

• specific heat loss through the building shell and its tightness;
• amount of thermal energy for heating;
• technical parameters of the mechanical ventilation system;
• thermal properties of partitions between energy consumers with autonomous systems;
• values ​​of building energy efficiency indicators (indicator C1 – energy efficiency of cooling, ventilation, lighting, heating systems; C2 – hot water);
• amount of energy consumed from renewable sources.

The process of calculating the energy efficiency of a building can seem time-consuming and complex. This is true. But if you entrust it to competent specialists, it will be absolutely painless and effective.

B.E.G can also guarantee the effectiveness and simplicity of the process. contact us to properly automate the lighting of your facility and get maximum benefit.

Don't forget to visit our blog so you don't miss interesting articles about energy saving.

What is energy efficiency? This is the rational use of energy resources by a business enterprise or a residential building. In other words, less electricity and heat consumption than before, but maintaining the same level of energy supply for technological processes or real estate. For a more detailed and complete display of the degrees of energy consumption in Russia, home energy efficiency classes were introduced. This indicator primarily demonstrates how much the specific consumption of electricity and heat deviates from the norm.

Home energy efficiency class - what is it?

We have established that energy efficiency is the economical use of a complex of energy resources. In other words, reducing the volume of resources used by modernizing the quality standards for their use.

Energy saving and energy efficiency are not the same thing! The first concept is reducing the use of energy resources. The second is their more correct and reasonable use.

As for energy efficiency classes in Russia, today the following are highlighted:

The highest class is A. Residents of houses of this type consume a minimum amount of energy, while ensuring normal life activities. Why is this good for homeowners? Reduced utility costs. And in general, for the country, for the entire planet - by improving the environmental situation. The less energy resources are spent, the less harmful emissions from hydroelectric power plants, thermal power plants, nuclear power plants, etc.

By the way, the classification takes into account energy costs not only for personal, but also for general household needs. This type of saving model is not new - it has been used for decades in developed countries of the world. It was on the basis of the global model that the Russian one was built.

How are classes assigned to residential buildings?

On what basis is the energy efficiency class of a residential building determined? Base - energy consumption indicators for the current year. Next, the expert compares them with similar information for last year. Based on this analysis, the energy efficiency class of a residential building is determined. The study also helps answer the following questions:

In the future, it is planned to have its own energy passport for each residential building. All data on the use of energy resources will be entered into it. The work is not at all in vain - with a competent approach, residents can save up to 30% of the amount of “payments” for housing and communal services.

Legislative regulation

Determining the energy efficiency class of an apartment building is a procedure regulated by a set of legislative acts:

Energy efficiency class table

Now let's explore the main topic in more detail. To determine the energy efficiency class of a home, you need to be aware of the brief requirements for each of them.

Class	Name	Deviation of heat energy consumption (ventilation, heating) from the norm. Inclusive, percentage (%)	Measures to improve energy efficiency
Planning, operation of reconstructed and new buildings
A++	Highest	Below minus 60	Techniques of economic stimulation
A+		Minus 50 - minus 60
A		Minus 40 - minus 50
B+	High	Minus 30 - minus 40
IN		Minus 15 - minus 30
C+	Normal	Minus 5 - minus 15
WITH		Plus 5 - minus 5	Events are not being developed
WITH-		Plus 5 - plus 15
Operation of existing buildings
D	Reduced	Plus 15.1 - plus 50	Reconstruction based on economic justification
E	Lowest	More than plus 50	The choice between reconstruction based on proper justification and demolition of the building

Now let's move on to revealing some of the features of the listed classes.

Details and explanations

Today it is unacceptable to design houses with energy efficiency class D or E. Categories A-C are assigned to buildings at the design or reconstruction stage, in relation to objects under construction. Then, when the premises are put into operation, the class is clarified as a result of energy examinations and analyses. To increase the share of categories A-B, the state at the regional level should economically incentivize developers.

A building can be assigned a house energy efficiency class B, A at the project stage if the latter includes the following measures:

Required data to define a class

To find out the energy efficiency class of a home, a specialist needs to have the following information:

• Specific loss of thermal energy through the walls of a building, degree of airtightness of the building.
• The amount of heat energy required for space heating.
• Technical characteristics of the ventilation system.
• Thermal indicators of partitions between energy consumers with an autonomous system.
• Indicators of energy efficiency indicators (hot water, cooling, heating, ventilation systems).

It is a mistake to believe that determining the energy efficiency class is a long process. Specialists perform this type of analysis in a very short time.

Methods for auditing the energy efficiency of buildings

The calculations required to determine the class of a building are one of the stages of comprehensive energy monitoring. It also includes surveys, development of energy saving programs, and their implementation. The list of criteria for calculations can include up to 80 points!

Energy efficiency audit has four main methods:

How are these classes assigned?

We have discussed how to find out the energy efficiency class of a home. It is equally important to understand the process of its appropriation. The class is assigned on the basis of an energy declaration by the State Construction Supervision Authority. Its assignment is prohibited for the following objects:

• Religious buildings.
• Objects of historical and cultural heritage.
• Temporary buildings (up to 2 years).
• Individual private houses, garden and vegetable garden buildings.
• Buildings with a total footage of less than 50 m2.
• Other structures determined by the legislation of the Russian Federation.

Assigning an energy efficiency class to a house is valid for all other buildings. The procedure is mandatory for constructed, reconstructed, repaired, and operated apartment buildings (apartment buildings). And also in relation to buildings that are subject to state construction supervision. In relation to other structures - a voluntary basis.

Who sets and assigns classes?

Determining the energy efficiency class of an apartment building is the prerogative of energy auditing specialized enterprises. In their actions they are based on Federal Law No. 261.

And the right to assign an energy efficiency class is exclusive. It is possessed only by state construction supervision authorities.

Energy efficiency class plates

How can an ordinary citizen quickly find out the energy efficiency class? It is enough to refer to the sign with which the developer must equip the facade of each house put into operation. The owners of the premises are obliged to take care of its proper condition and updating of information.

The exact location is the left corner of the house, 30-50 cm from the edge, 2-3 meters from the ground. The table shows the inscription “Energy efficiency class”, its letter (from A to E) and a description of the category (highest, normal, lowest, etc.).

This concludes our acquaintance with a phenomenon new to domestic reality. Determining the energy efficiency class of a house is an additional way to save on paying for housing and communal services for owners of apartments in multi-unit apartment buildings.

An energy efficient building is a building with low energy consumption that has correctly and successfully implemented energy conservation measures.

If a building does not require external energy supplies for heating and does not have heating devices, then it is called "passive". This means that the heat generated by electrical appliances, hot water and people in the building, received from sunlight through windows and on external walls, as well as generated by solar collectors located on the house, is sufficient to heat it and heat hot water.

If a building not only provides itself with sufficient energy for its own normal functioning, but also produces its surplus using autonomous renewable energy sources (photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, etc.), which can be supplied to the electrical network, then it is called "active".

Many energy saving measures are impossible or difficult to apply in an already built house. Insulation of external walls and other building envelopes is difficult and requires major repairs. Insulation of windows in a house is most effective if it is applied to all rather than individual windows, including windows on staircases and other common areas of the house. A ventilation system with recovery is quite difficult to integrate into existing houses. Even such a simple measure as radiator regulators, which are widespread in Western countries, is often impossible to apply in most homes, because the heating pipe distribution system does not allow this.

At the same time, if a house is designed in accordance with the principles of energy efficiency, its energy consumption can be reduced several times. Thousands and tens of thousands of such houses have already been built in Germany, Sweden and other countries. In Russia, too, many dozens of such buildings have already been built. The costs of their construction exceed the costs of building ordinary houses by no more than 10%. However, they quickly pay for themselves through energy savings.

Passive houses do not have a heating system. In any building, energy is emitted by lighting, household and other electrical appliances, it is brought in by hot water, released during cooking, and, finally, simply released by the bodies of people in the building. Reducing heat loss from a building by three times compared to existing standards is enough to keep it warm in winter without heating even at the latitude of Moscow or St. Petersburg.

But achieving this is not so easy. It is not enough to make the walls of the house three times thicker. Heat is lost through windows, carried away by warm air through ventilation and warm wastewater through sewers. Moreover, if you use energy-efficient lighting and household electrical appliances, and use them correctly, as described above, then less energy will be released in the building in the form of heat. Therefore, a set of measures is needed to make a building truly energy efficient.

Firstly, you need to attract additional opportunities for energy supply to the house. There are few such opportunities, but they contribute to energy saving:

– heating water or other coolant by the sun in solar panels on the roof of a building for heating or additional heating of water, as described in this course;

– designing a building with maximum use of natural heating by solar radiation, with large windows facing south, as described in this course;

– proper planning of green spaces around the building, as described in this course.

Secondly, it is necessary to significantly reduce heat loss from the building. The list of possibilities here is very large, and they are described in this course.

The shape of the building also determines its ability to retain heat. Heat loss is proportional to the surface area through which it occurs. Therefore, the smaller the total surface area of ​​the walls, roof and floor of the first floor, the less heat will escape from the house. All sorts of ledges and niches, wall ledges and other architectural elements, of course, decorate the house, but increase heat loss. A sphere has the smallest surface area among geometric bodies of equal volume. It is no coincidence that in science fiction films on alien planets, people’s homes are spherical. However, we are more familiar and comfortable with rectangular rooms. Of rectangular parallelepipeds of equal volume, the cube has the smallest surface area. Therefore, the most energy efficient building will be a building in a shape similar to a cube.

The use of thermal insulation materials with the required thicknesses for the external structures of the building may not be sufficient to eliminate the need to heat the room. It should be remembered that even one metal element (which conducts heat very well), for example, a nail, driven perpendicular to the surface of the wall, will create a “cold bridge” and can negate your efforts to insulate the house.