Modern house is low energy consumption house
Is it worth to modernize?
Profitability?
What can you find out from this page?
Wersja polska / English version
Currently, the topic of environmental protection and energy savings are widely discussed almost everywhere and for good reason. Wasted energy means wasted money and higher emissions of carbon dioxide and other harmful gases into the atmosphere. An energy-intensive house contributes to increase of the greenhouse effect and drains wallets. Even with an old single-family building, it is difficult to achieve a low-energy consumption, but to some extent we inhibit unnecessary CO2 emissions and the leakage of zlotys.
Installations cost a lot of money - it's true, but in the long run energy is saved and it simply pays off - for the environment, health, and household budget. Considering the short time, the expenditure of several or tens of thousand of zlotys seems pointless. A simple payback period of 10 years? - it's a waste of time. But how many people live in one place? 20-30 years and sometimes whole life. Energy is getting more expensive. Energy system failure and there is no electricity - we must set electronic watches again. With your own power source, things are different. Today 10 years, but 20 years ago was the price of 1 kWh of electricity over PLN 0.60? No, it was about 35gr. And if in the next 20 years it will be over PLN 1.5? In many cases, the lifetime of photovoltaic panels or thermal collectors is over 30 years. It is worth thinking ahead because in the long run - it simply pays off.
The website contains basic information about the most commonly used renewable energy sources (RES) technologies installed in detached houses. The page’s most important sections are simple RES selection calculators. After providing some basic information, you can receive data which tell you what initial solutions would be appropriate for the given conditions and calculate potential savings. After choosing the thermomodernization section you can receive similar information about thermal insulation of the house. You can also click due to curiosity.
Remember that the calculations are estimates only and the calculators are for educational purposes only and shouldn’t be used for commercial purposes in part or entirely ©
Photovoltaic installation - a type of installation in which the solar radiation energy (light) is transform (convert) into electricity as a result of the photovoltaic phenomenon which takes place. The installation consists of semiconductor modules connected together. Photovoltaics cells are used as durable and reliable sources of energy in solar power plants, calculators, watches, backpacks, artificial satellites, hybrid cars, as well as in automation - as photoelectric sensors and photodetectors in photometry.
Input data for calculations:
Computation results:
Estimating energy production chart:
Solar thermal collector - a device for converting solar energy into heat. Solar energy reaching the collector is converted into thermal energy of the heat carrier, which can be a liquid (glycol, water) or a gas (e.g. air). Common types of collectors are flat plate collectors and evacuated tube collectors. Solar collectors are most commonly used for heating utility water, heating swimming pool water, supporting central heating, cooling buildings, and producing technological heat.
Input data for calculations:
Computation results:
Estimating energy production chart:
Heat pump - a device working similarly as a refrigerator. It collects heat from the lower source of energy, e.g. soil, pond, air, and returns it to the upper heat source, i.e. to the rooms in the house. A heat engine that forces heat to flow from a lower temperature area into the higher temperature area. The heat pump achieves the highest energy efficiency in combination with low-temperature heating (underfloor heating). In the case of old buildings, where the building has not been thermomodernised, it is not recommended to use a heat pump without its prior insulation, because the efficiency of the pump will then be negligible and it will start to work as an "expensive heater".
Input data for calculations:
Computation results:
Estimating energy consumption chart:
Wojciech Kłoszewski
Graduate from Gdansk University of technology
M.Sc. Energy Power department
Sometimes it is worth sacrifice the time to implement your ideas into reality, because when they are implemented, the end result should be a pleasure for the soul. Persistance is needed to achieve goals.
Certainly forest trips and swimming in the lake on summer days are great fun.
Energy Power is an interesting topic. Many people are considering insulation of their home to lower their utility bills.
When you decided to modernize there are questions such as: is it worth modernizing? How much will it cost?
Will I save money? Hence the idea for a thermomodernization calculator and the selection of renewable energy installations for detached houses, which can be helpful for a person planning to modernize their home.
ECO - MODERNIZATION
Environmentally friendly detached house
Photovoltaic installation
Solar settlement in Freiburg, Germany.
source: wikipedia.org
Calculator for selecting of photovoltaic installaction
Estimating power of initial selection of instalation
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kWp
Number of panels
0
Estimating area of PV installation
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m2
Estimating annual electricity production from instalation
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kWh annually
Estimating annual monetary value of produced energy
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zł annually
Set unit price per 1 kWh electrical energy
zł/kWh
Estimated cost of installation (2020)
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zł
Estimated simple rate of return SPBT
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years
Solar thermal collector
Two installations of solar thermal collectors. Source: wikipedia.org
Calculator for selecting of solar thermal collector
Estimating computated area of installation absorber
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m2
Initial selection of heat storage tank
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liters [dm3]
Estimating annual average power of collector
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W
Estimating amount of generated energy
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GJ annually
Estimating cost of installation (2020)
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zł
Estimating value of simple rate of return SPBT
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years
Heat pump
Sample of ground heat pump
Source: wikipedia.org
Calculator for selecting of heat pump
Initally selected power of heat pump
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kW
Estimated area of land for horizonal exchanger
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m2
Estimated deepness of single borehole
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m
Estimated energy consumption by heat pump to work
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kWh annually
Estimated cost of heat pump work (central heating+hot water)
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zł annually
Estimated actual cost of central heating+hot water
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zł annually
Estimated energy cost savings due to heat pump installation
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zł anually
Setting unit cost of fuel to heat pump
zł/kWh
Estimated cost of installation (prices 2020)
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zł
Estimated value of simple rate of return SPBT
0
years
About project
M.Sc. Energy Power department
A little about myself
The idea of calculator
Good practices during house modernization
Thermomodernization
According to the guidelines, since 2021 the heat transfer coefficient U for façade windows should not exceed 0.9 W/m²K, and for roof windows 1.1 W/m²K. It is worth checking whether U is given for the entire window instead of only for frame or glass If it is possible, the window should be embedded in the insulation layer, i.e. as part of the warm installation of windows. It consists the usage of three sealing layers: middle, inner and outer. The middle layer is thermal insulation. Otherwise, the purchase of energy-saving windows will not be a profitable investment because of too much heat loss to the environment. In the case of very tight windows, the phenomenon of excessive tightness of the building may occur. In such a situation, water condensation on the windows is visible in the morning. For this reason, there should be air vents in the window frame. The situation is slightly different in the case of electronically controlled mechanical ventilation. In the case of thermal modernization, it is very important to find and eliminate as many thermal bridges as possible. Most often, thermal bridges are located in lintels, connections, chimneys, windows and doors frames. Thermal bridges can cause significant heat loss to the environment despite the use of building insulation. This is why their elimination is so important. Mechanical supply and exhaust ventilation with recuperation enables heat recovery during its exchange with the environment, thanks to which ventilation losses are much smaller. Ideally, the ventilation should be electronically controlled based on installed sensors that measure, for example, the concentration of carbon dioxide in the environment. Wooden buildings require an appropriate technology of building insulation enabling the discharge of water vapor migrating through partitions. In the case of poorly applied insulation, we can deal with wood rotting or mold formation on the walls. Do not confuse wind insulation, i.e. a film that allows water vapor from the sheathing to the outside, blocking the passage of water in the form of a liquid, with a vapor barrier, which is intended to prevent water vapor from the house filter in the wall. When insulating the building, modernization should be carried out properly and in accordance with building procedures. Before starting work, the substrate should be properly prepared by dedusting and cleaning it to ensure proper adhesion of the glue to the substrate. The glue should be applied evenly to the polystyrene boards. It is a bad practice to stick polystyrene boards on the so-called pies. Pins and anchors should be fixed into the load-bearing layer by at least 5 cm. More durable fastening is required at the corners of the building due to greater sensitivity to gusts of wind. The use of a starting strip adapted to the planned insulation thickness enables proper leveling of the first row of insulation. In the case of large industrial or office buildings, it is more and more common practice to provide in the contract in terms of payment the information that the entire amount of money will be paid only after the modernization has been approved by an independent external company that inspect the building with a thermal imaging camera.
Heat pump
In the case of a heat pump with a horizontal exchanger, horizontal slinky loop should be installed below the ground frost zone. For the Pomeranian Voivodeship, on the western side, it is about 0.8 m, and on the eastern side, about 1 meter in the ground. Also, do not place the lower heat source too deep. In the case of heat pumps, it is better not to place this type of solution when the house is energy intensive. A heat pump works best in well-insulated buildings and during warm winters. In the case of a heat pump installation, it is better to oversize the heat source system (i.e. more loops) than to undersize it. Remember that common sense and engineering calculations are necessary. The heat pump will work better if the ground is swampy and near source of underground water than in the case of dry sandy soil. A favorable situation is when there is a water vein under the terrain. The most favorable situation is the area with increased volcanic activity, as in the Iceland. If there is a compact rock with high thermal conductivity nearby (and preferably a nearby volcano), then it is worth to installing a heat pump with a vertical boreholes. It should be taking into consideration that in the case of vertical drills, high cost of drilling should be taken into account.
Photovoltaic installation
At the design stage, it is necessary to take into account the shading of the installation and maintaining the correct spacing between the modules. One PV panel should not be shaded by another. Selecting the right inverter is very important for the correct work of the installation. The warranty period of the inverter is also important, because often the PV panels themselves can work for over 30 years. Before starting the investment, it is worth checking whether it is possible to connect to the power grid. Off-grid operation in an off-grid system is also possible, but high costs of electricity accumulation should be taken into account. When installing PV, pay attention to how the panels are installed on the roof, because if installed incorrectly, the roof structure will be damaged and the roof will leaks.
Solar thermal collector
When choosing the type of solar thermal collector, it is worth paying attention to the surface of the absorber. Cheaper solutions may not have a special layer that prevents excessive heating (overheating) of the installation It is not worth oversizing the collector installation, because then in the summer we will have too hot working substance, which may damage the installation In the case of a roof installation, remember about special seals to prevent a leaking roof situation