“We conduct these audits every year to ensure that all actions taken are effective and of high quality – it is important to us not only to take care of the renovation of the house, but also to make sure that everything inside is in order after the work done. This year, in accordance with the established criteria, we selected 15 residential buildings from various cities in the country, these were blocks of flats from Olita, Birż, Poniewieża, Pren, Wiłkomierz and Szyłel. The years of their construction fell on the years 1960-1992, the number of flats oscillated between 24-100.
After renovation, these buildings achieved energy efficiency classes B (6) and C (9), in 11 out of 15 buildings the external walls were insulated with mineral wool insulation, the other alternatives are polystyrene or polyurethane foam insulation boards,” says Edvardas Petrauskas, advisor to the Department Implementation and Supervision of Buildings Energy Efficiency Projects in the Department of Energy Efficiency of Buildings APVA.
The assessment was made during the heating season, at least two years after the modernization of a block of flats, because only after several heating seasons can conclusions be drawn on the functioning of the heating system.
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“During the inspection, an energy audit of the house was carried out, technical designs and the quality of the implemented solutions, i.e. the quality of works and construction materials, were assessed. In general, we assess the results of the inspection as good – in terms of energy savings, qualitative thermal modernization works were carried out,” says the interviewee and adds that the inspection showed that the actual energy consumption in the apartments is about 80 kWh per square meter, which is a good achievement.
“During the study of the implemented measures, it turned out that the largest heat losses after the renovation of a block of flats occur due to ventilation – infiltration, natural and mechanical ventilation of the building. Compared to the heat losses of the entire building, they averaged 50 percent. For comparison, in non-renovated residential buildings, ventilation losses are usually 15-25 percent. total heat loss of the building. However, after the renovation of the building, heat losses through leaky walls, roof, windows, etc. decrease, and thus the percentage of ventilation losses increases, so residents planning renovation should consider and decide to install mechanical ventilation devices with heat recovery,” notes E. Petrauskas.
How important is ventilation?
With proper attention to ventilation, it is possible to ensure fresh and high-quality air and the appropriate microclimate in the apartment, which is achieved thanks to the equipped recuperation system.
“The microclimate in the apartment is extremely dependent on ventilation, so residents who have installed a recuperation system have no problems with it. If this system is not available, residents should learn how to properly ventilate the apartment so that the microclimate in it is suitable for health,” says E. Petrauskas.
Too dry air in the rooms can cause health problems for residents: throat and eye irritation, especially for people wearing contact lenses, dryness and cracking of the skin of the face and hands, moreover, dry air leads to drying of the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, which leads to weakened immunity and the risk of colds and other diseases.
To increase the amount of humidity in the rooms, the simplest solution is to use air humidifiers. However, it is necessary to monitor the level of humidity, because during the cold period, mold can form in renovated buildings due to excessive moisture content.
“We are pleased that neither mold nor excess moisture was found in any of the residential buildings during this survey,” says E. Petrauskas.
Residents can read the conclusions of the audit and other relevant information on the modernization of the multi-apartment block on the APVA website www.modernizuok.apva.lt
Kotryna Grušauskaite
Zam. 2592
The project is financed by the European Regional Development Fund
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