The basics of thermal insulation
Properly installed thermal insulation , which is the reason for the greatest renovation and refurbishment requirements, especially in old buildings, can be used to maintain the house and the Energy consumption be minimized in the long term. In addition, however, a proper ventilation is necessary to improve the indoor climate and in particular to prevent mold. In addition, the thermal insulation increases the value or preserves the value of the property, which is particularly important in a tense real estate market in order to be able to participate in the value increases.
In this article, we explain the basics of thermal insulation and give you tips and Practical information.
Insulation is not the same as insulation
Simply starting with a massive outer wall insulation and thinking that this would have done the job for some time will be a mistake. In particular, when working by less knowledgeable people or simply by Baupfusch, there is a high risk that all remedial measures must be removed and additional costs. In the specific case, for example, a gap between insulation boards was filled only with construction foam, but this in no way corresponds to the current state of thermal insulation. As a result, enclosures of windows were clad with construction foam , where previously only laboriously lined up insulation panels were created. Furthermore, some panels became so unstable shortly after plastering and fell off that proper completion was out of the question.
Therefore, it's important to first identify Energy Weaknesses at your home and review them which measures can be applied logically. The energy consumption of a house is largely determined by the efficiency of your plants, but also by the regular maintenance and own methods at home. Low energy consumption means lower CO2 emissions, the climate is spared and green electricity is the ideal complement to this area.
Utilizing technical aids
It's now time to work holistically necessary to resort to further technical aids and thereby really recognize all problem areas of the house. As a rule, this also includes an analysis by means of a thermal imaging camera, which is used at low temperatures and whereupon a so-called thermogram can be created. In this thermogram, energetic weak points are revealed, taking the surface temperature of the relevant points and measuring the actual values via infrared. Warm is represented by pink, red or yellow, cold as blue or green. Measurements are basically only for the heating season, so in the fall and winter of a year feasible. You work either at night or early in the morning to get the best results without external influences. The costs for this are regularly in the range of 100 to 150 euros per house, but are worth the effort in any case.
There are subsidies from the KfW development bank, for example, which promotes or possibly subsidizes energy-efficient renovations. It also includes measures for preparation or analysis, ie typical ancillary costs of the actual measure.
The term airtightness measurement is a standardized procedure for detecting so-called leaks in an airtight building envelope. It produces a differential pressure of 50 Pascal, so that a so-called hourly air exchange rate can be determined compared to the outside air pressure. This is also called the n50 value. On the basis of individual factors, the airtightness of the building envelope is evaluated. It is made visible by means of smoke. However, if there is a negative pressure in the building, then you use the above-mentioned thermal imaging camera.
The above-mentioned air exchange rate is a first starting point for possible renovations at the house. The smaller the number, the more airtight and efficient the building is. A value of less than three is required for buildings without so-called air conditioning systems, those with systems below 1.5 and passive houses below 0.6. Such systems, which are designated as RLTs, are primarily used in hotels and restaurants, but not in residential buildings.
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