Energy efficiency

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...

Putting on a sweater, wrapping up in a blanket and heating less - two thirds of Germans would be prepared to do this in winter to make Germany more independent of energy supplies from Russia. This is the result of a survey conducted by the forsa opinion research institute on behalf of the German Federal Environmental Foundation (DBU) for the DBU Environmental Monitor "Energy...

With the interdisciplinary project "MEnergie - Meine Energiewende", the Cologne University of Applied Sciences (TH Köln) is working with cooperation partners from the education, energy and technology sectors to create greater acceptance for the energy transition in society. Social media as well as virtual and augmented reality will be used for this purpose. "The AR and...

In view of rising energy prices, the Federal Association of German Housing and Real Estate Companies (GdW) is calling not only for a temporary moratorium on layoffs, but also for support for financially overstretched households in the form of a trust fund. However, the GdW emphasizes that this support should not be limited to recipients with housing entitlement certificates...

Hajo Schörle from W&D Schörle has given some thought to how the next generation can be involved in energy consulting. The result is the book "There's a lot of energy in it". On 40 pages, children learn more about the topic - from energy-efficient refurbishment to storing energy and generating their own energy. The book...

Companies that have developed innovative and sustainable technologies for the renovation of existing buildings can still apply for the "German Renovation Award". The technologies must be designed in such a way that they meet the EU climate targets for the renovation of existing buildings. Companies can present their ideas on Friday, August 26, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the "1st German...