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Now all new buildings are under construction in Lithuania, for which a building permit was issued after 2018. January. 01 d. it will not be lower than energy class A +, but from 2021. requirements for buildings will be even higher: building permits will be issued only for those residential buildings that will be energy class A ++, according to a press release .
A ++ buildings should have even better thermal characteristics than class A + buildings under construction and, if installed, should have a more efficient recuperative ventilation system, which guarantees a high quality microclimate, clean air, protection against the mold and other negative effects.
“However, even now, many energy class A + apartment buildings are distinguished by good tightness, high-quality thermal insulation materials and some of them, like all Omberg projects, have recovery ventilation systems installed. The main advantage of a class A ++ apartment building is that at least 50% of the primary energy used will have to be produced from renewable energy sources. Therefore, the heating bill for residents and the impact of building in nature will be even smaller ”, says Linas Šalčius, Director of Real Estate Development at Omberg.
Differences between classes D, C and B.
A total of nine energy performance classes are calculated for buildings, from the current highest A ++ class to the lowest G class. For almost 15 years, buildings under construction in Lithuania have been subject to increasingly higher energy class requirements.
“Most of the houses built in the Soviet era are in energy class D or even E. This means that they consume a lot of thermal energy, much of it is lost through walls, windows, roofs. These buildings were built at that time without taking into account ecological problems and cause a number of problems to the people who live in them today due to low thermal resistance ”, says L.Šalčius.
Since 2006 Buildings under construction must have at least energy class C. There were house airtightness requirements for this class, but no requirements for thermal energy consumption.
After 2014 the poster was raised to energy class B for started buildings. According to L.Šalčius, the requirements for class B are quite simple: the house only has to be warm, and this can be achieved by investing in tighter windows and building insulation.
Transition to Class A.
Since 2016 buildings under construction had to be at least Class A. These buildings have significantly higher criteria than Class B: greater tightness, less heat loss and a more insulated facade.
“The transition from buildings from Class B to Class A has been very significant in terms of thermal energy consumption. For example, the price of heating in a class A apartment building can be twice as low as in a class B apartment building ”, says L. Šalčius.
According to EU requirements, current older buildings, which are lower than energy class C, will have to be renovated in the long term, so living in lower energy class houses not only leads to higher heating bills, but also additional renovation costs in the future, notes L. Šalčius.
2018 The requirements for the energy efficiency of buildings have increased further and building permits have been issued only for buildings of energy class A +.
“Class A and A + buildings differ in their technical requirements, such as energy consumption to heat a house, the airtightness of the house and thermal resistance. The construction of a building that meets these criteria is guaranteed by the technical supervision of the construction of the building in accordance with the approved technical design and the requirements of the legal acts in force, ”explains L.Šalčius.
The transition is gradual
Although the requirement for class A ++ was introduced from 2021. January 1, this does not mean that all buildings erected next year will already comply with this class.
“As in previous transitions to higher energy class, the requirement will now only apply to buildings that will be subject to a building permit starting next year. If the building permit was issued earlier, the requirement will not be valid. Therefore, the transition to class A ++ will take place gradually, ”says L.Šalčius.
Although, according to L.Šalčius, it is natural that property developers need time to adapt to the new requirements and costs, sometimes there are cases of abuse in the market.
“The transition to energy class A apartment buildings was mandatory four years ago, and to A +, two years ago. However, even today we see newly built apartments in Class B apartment buildings for sale on the market. We therefore recommend, regardless of the year of completion of the construction of an apartment building or a house, to always find out what its energy class is, ”says L.Šalčius.
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