Source: Unsplash Josh Hemsley
Architecture
3 August, 2021

Energy-efficient house – important changes in building industry

Do you dream of your own house? Or maybe you want to extend your existing building? People who are building or modernizing their homes have to remember about changes introduced from 1st January 2021. More restricted standards regarding energy efficiency have been introduced than in previous years. It will be warmer, but more expensive? Check what you have to be prepared for in these situations.

Tightening of regulations is related to their adaptation to the EU standards and the development of building technologies. This is the third such update in the course of last 7 years. Introduced changes influence not only energy saving of buildings, but ultimately reduce the formation of pollution and protect the environment.

Energy standard TC2021

New Technical Conditions 2021, in short TC2021, relate to:

  • Thermal transmittance value – respective elements of the building such as the roof, floors, walls, windows, etc. should lose less heat;
  • house’s demand for non-renewable energy – the main target is to create a house more ecological and energy-efficient;
  • popularizing ecological heat sources – such as modern heating boilers or heat pumps supported by photovoltaics.

These changes relate to all buildings for which application a building permit was submitted after 31st December 2021. What is important, they also apply to existing houses which will be modernized or extended.

These new regulations won’t relate to the building permits submitted before 31st December 2021 – these investments apply to gentle regulations, even if the official permit was issued in 2021.

Thanks to the introduced changes new buildings will become even more energy-efficient because permitted limits of the thermal transmittance coefficient have been lowered.

What does it mean in practice? Materials of better quality or the necessity of using thicker insulation. For example, thermal transmittance coefficient for outer walls, when the indoor temperature is greater than or equal to 16 degrees Celsius, is now 0.20 (before 2017 it was 0,25), when it comes to roofs it is 0,15 (before 2017 it was 0,20). These changes relate also to windows and doors, but the restrictions are more favourable.

They won’t be difficult to meet, because manufacturers have been preparing for the these changes for a long time and many materials which are available on the market have long been meeting these requirements. Unfortunately, it is true that construction costs will rise when TC2021 is introduced. The most pessimistic forecasts assume a 30% increase in financial outlays, while the more optimistic – an increase by a few percent. These costs should pay off in the long term when using the building thanks to lower heating bills.