Energy efficiency

KfW points out which aspects owners must pay attention to when insulating facades and installing solar shading with regard to funding opportunities. For example, the application for funding must be submitted before construction companies and tradesmen are commissioned. Contracts for planning, on the other hand, can be awarded in advance, for example to energy efficiency experts. In addition...

Thermal insulation of buildings is effective and easy to implement - this is the view of the FMI Mineral Wool Industry Association. Mineral wool can also help to achieve the climate targets in the building sector, writes the trade association on its website "der-daemstoff.de". To achieve this, however, the house must be insulated from the roof to the façade to the basement ceiling. For...

Owners of buildings with a central gas heating system and six or more residential units must have a hydronic balancing of the heating system carried out in the coming years. Owners of ten residential units and more have until September 30, 2023 to do this, while owners of six to nine residential units have until September 15, 2024.

In view of the energy price crisis and the increased demand for stoves and fireplaces, the energy advice service of the consumer advice center has compiled important aspects for dealing with them. For example, it points out that every fireplace must be approved by a chimney sweep. If this is not done, according to the consumer advice center, there is an increased risk of flue gas poisoning and...

Prof. Dr. Harald Funke and his team at the Department of Aerospace Engineering at FH Aachen - University of Applied Sciences have received the German Gas Industry Innovation Award in the "Efficient Application Technology" category for the co-development of their H2 micro-mix burner, which enables hydrogen to be burned in gas turbines with low emissions, safely and in a CO2-neutral manner. Already in...

How can apartments and houses be designed to be barrier-free and energy-saving at the same time? The energy advice service of the consumer advice center provides several tips on this. For example, owners have design options with regard to entrance doors, balcony and patio doors, bathrooms and smart homes. When converting the entrance door, it is important to ensure that new steps are as...

Whether it's a ceiling solution for a multi-storey timber construction, a dry stacking system for masonry blocks or a smart bike parking system - the Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMUV), the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) and the International Design Center Berlin (IDZ) have announced the 28 nominees for the Federal Ecodesign Award 2022. Interested parties can find out more about the nominees and their projects at...

Researchers in building physics at the University of Weimar are investigating how they can improve the energy balance of existing buildings and urban districts and reduce CO2 emissions. Using a digital architectural model, they are also looking at the effects of temperature developments in the interior of a building. In doing so, they take into account, for example, how windows,...

Owners or tenants who do not have space for a solar system on the roof can instead equip their balcony or terrace with a so-called plug-in solar device. The energy advice service of the consumer advice center now points this out. These plug-in solar devices are approximately 1.00 x 1.70 meter modules with an output of around 300 watts. To install such a...

If owners want to renovate their façade, they can also install new doors and windows at the same time. Martin Brandis, energy expert at the consumer advice center, advises this. The reason for this is that heat can be lost through old windows, for example. According to the consumer advice center, the heat loss factor (UW value) of old windows is 3.0 or more and therefore exceeds the legal...