“Of course, each apartment is individual, just like the air conditioner – the capacity and efficiency of the air conditioners differ, so our calculations have an error. However, by taking several equal indicators and home energy costs, average costs can be compared.
The number of air conditioners is increasing both in newly built houses and in older houses. The energy class of the latter is lower than the ones under construction at the moment, so the energy consumption of the air conditioners operating in them is obviously different,” says Ieva Genevičienė, Development and Commercial Director of Omberg Group.
Analysts of real estate development companies “Omberg group” derived a formula that allowed to compare the costs and expenses of the air conditioner in various conditions. The biggest influence on them is the outside temperature and the model of the air conditioner itself, but the calculations showed that the condition of the house is almost as important.
“When measuring the costs of an air conditioner while maintaining a normal room temperature, we chose as a reference point the Bajoru laji project in Vilnius, which is currently under construction with the highest, A++ energy class, and the average apartment area (50 sq.m.), while the lowest energy class we can estimate , is G. These are mostly apartment buildings built 50-60 years ago.
The electricity consumption of the same air conditioner varies threefold between these two classes of housing. In other words, it costs three times more to cool an apartment of old construction than the currently built apartments of the highest energy class”, explains I.Genevičienė.
Experts also evaluated the most popular buildings in the capital, D and E, built in the Soviet era and since 2006. the cost of C energy efficiency class apartments that would start to be built.
According to the calculations of Omberg group analysts, to cool an A++ energy class 50 sq. m. on average, an apartment needs about 2.5 kWh of electricity, classes A and B – 3.5 kWh, C – 5 kWh, D and E – 6.5 kWh, and classes F and G – 7.5 kWh of electricity per hour.
“Such significant differences arise due to extremely different requirements for the quality of materials and the permeability of walls, roofs, floors, windows, and technological solutions available nowadays for maintaining a constant microclimate and temperature, which requires heat retained in the apartment in winter and coolness in summer.
Until 2006, the requirements for energy efficiency were extremely low, so people living in older houses face various inconveniences due to high permeability in all seasons. The building’s energy class also has a significant impact on heating and other costs,” says the Omberg Group representative.
How much does a cool summer cost?
It is calculated that if the air conditioner were to work 8 hours a day every day for the whole summer (90 days), this would mean additional costs of 180 kWh for the residents of an A++ energy class apartment, A or B classes – 252, C – 360, D and E – 468, and F and G – 540 kWh of electricity.
“As electricity prices are constantly changing, it is difficult to predict future trends, but experts unanimously say that hotter weather also causes price increases,” says I.Genevičienė.
Applying the average price of electricity in June (0.197 EUR/kWh), the electricity consumption prices of the air conditioner can vary from 35 to 106 euros in apartments of different energy classes throughout the summer.
“We see that the price jumps between energy class types are quite significant. For example, a cool summer would cost 35 euros for residents of an A++ energy class apartment, and almost 50 euros for A class. For those who live in twenty- or ten-year-old apartments, the amount doubles – 71 euros, while the lowest, F or G class costs would exceed 100 euros,” says the Development and Commercial Director of Omberg Group.
The company’s experts note that the air conditioner is far from the only way to cool the house, for this, other solutions are being developed in modern houses, such as recuperation systems, heating pumps or a simple life closer to nature.
“Green spaces naturally lower the temperature, so living near them ensures a higher quality of life. Evaluating future climate prospects, we try to create our projects very close to nature: the settlers of “Bajoru Lajai” live right next to the forest, the “Vyšnii” settlement in Pilaite will be surrounded on three sides by a park, a heath and a cherry orchard,” says I.Genevičienė.
2024-08-20 06:03:34