Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
renovated means not having to worry about increases in energy prices in the years
to come.
14.1.1 Carbon-Neutral Standard Prefabricated Houses
Most of the climate-protecting measures available in building construction are rela-
tively unspectacular. The fi rst example shows an average single-family home in
Berlin with about 150 square metres of living space (Figure 14.1). It was built in
2005 using wood frame construction. Compared to solid construction, wood frame
construction offers good insulation values even with thinner walls. With a house of
this kind, 8cm of additional outer insulation in a total of 32cm reduce heat loss
through the walls. The standard thermal windows were replaced using triple-glazed
windows with a high insulation value. A controlled ventilation system with heat
recovery reduces ventilation losses and increases comfort levels. These measures
alone will enable this house to reach the standards of a three-litre house.
Figure 14.1
Left: Family home in Berlin with carbon-neutral energy supply. Right: Heating cellar with
buffer storage tank, solar cycle pump, controlled heat recovery system and wood pellet boiler.
A wood pellet boiler and a 4.8 square metre solar thermal system cover remaining
heating needs and supply hot water. A pellet store 5 square metres in size stores
about 6 tons of wood pellets. This covers heat energy requirements for three years
and is even enough to bridge periods when prices for fuels are particularly high. A
7.4 square metre photovoltaic system with output of one kilowatt peak feeds its
power into the public grid.
The additional costs for the measures described compared to the minimum new-
build standard in 2005 amounted to around 30 000 euros. The costs of wood pellets
and electricity for the ventilation motors and heating pump are around 400 euros
per year. The energy credits for feed-in solar power are roughly equal to this, so
this house actually has no additional heating costs.
