Design of energy-efficient houses

Design of energy-efficient houses

Because energy prices continue to rise, the energy efficiency of a private house is becoming increasingly important. The less heat a house loses, the less the owner spends on heating, cooling and domestic hot water during many years of operation.

Can these costs be influenced at the design stage?

We believe they can — and they should be. An energy-efficient house does not start with expensive equipment. It starts with a well-thought-out design, proper architecture, good insulation, airtightness, ventilation and efficient engineering systems.

Our experience in designing energy-efficient houses

We started thinking about energy efficiency back in 1982.

At that time, our architect was preparing the theoretical basis for a research thesis on the prospects of using energy-efficient technologies in architecture and construction. The work considered the economic feasibility of building energy-efficient houses, methods of collecting and using solar heat, Trombe walls, thermal energy storage in gravel heat accumulators and other solutions.

At that time, this topic was mostly a field for enthusiasts and was hardly used in mass private construction in Ukraine. For many years, we mainly designed traditional houses. However, over time, energy efficiency became one of the key areas of our work.

First practical experience: an energy-efficient frame house

After the 2008 crisis, the approach to private house construction began to change. At that time, we were building a house for ourselves and decided to use frame construction technology to reduce the construction cost and future heating expenses. We have never regretted this decision: the house turned out to be affordable, warm and comfortable to use.

You can read more about the frame house construction here

In 2012, we started applying passive house design methods using the Passive House Planning Package PHPP v.7.

In 2013, we built a house with low energy consumption. It was an important practical step toward designing houses based on passive house principles.

The wall structure used in that project was aerated concrete 400 mm with an additional 200 mm layer of insulation.

In 2014, we began the reconstruction of a house in Kyiv using the experience we had gained. A 5 kW electric boiler is used to heat a 120 m² house. This result became possible thanks to reduced heat loss, proper insulation and well-designed engineering systems.

You can view the energy-efficient reconstruction process here

These are only a few key projects. A significant amount of work has also been carried out at the design stage of energy-efficient houses in different regions of Ukraine.

What an energy-efficient house should be like

In our opinion, a good energy-efficient house should be:

• as close as possible to passive house principles;
• realistic and affordable to build;
• comfortable for everyday use;
• architecturally attractive;
• as energy-independent as possible;
• adapted to the budget, land plot and needs of the family.

How to achieve energy efficiency in a house

1. Compact planning. The house should include everything necessary, but without unnecessary extra area that increases construction costs and future heating expenses.
2. Proper window placement. Windows should help receive solar heat in winter and avoid overheating in summer.
3. High-quality insulation and airtightness. The better the thermal envelope of the house, the less energy is needed for heating and cooling.
4. Accessible construction technologies. An energy-efficient house can be built from different materials, but it is important to choose solutions that are realistically available and can be properly implemented on site.
5. Possibility of using solar energy. The roof can be designed with space for a solar power system that can partly compensate for the house’s energy consumption.
6. Efficient engineering systems. In our projects, we actively use heat pumps, ventilation with heat recovery and modern heating control systems.

These are only some of the solutions that should be considered when designing an energy-efficient house. A house must be viewed as a complete system: architecture, structures, insulation, windows, ventilation, heating, domestic hot water and future operation.

Construction quality control

Even a good design can be spoiled by poor workmanship. That is why, during the construction of an energy-efficient or passive house, it is important to control the quality of insulation, airtightness, window installation, the absence of thermal bridges and the correct operation of engineering systems.

During the construction of a passive house, the quality of completed work can be checked with thermal imaging in winter and an airtightness test known as the Blower Door Test.

Energy-efficient house design by AkvilonPro

If you want to build your own energy-efficient house, we can help design it properly. We can also provide design and construction services for an energy-efficient house in the Kyiv region, taking into account the land plot, budget, selected materials and comfort requirements.

Contact us if you want to understand how to design an energy-efficient house, reduce heat loss and make your home more comfortable and economical to operate.

Read more about passive houses here

Read how we design energy-efficient houses here