Relevant for home buyers: requirements for buildings are changing this year, making construction more expensive

We will build other buildings

As of January 1, 2021, all new buildings under construction must have the A ++ energy efficiency class. According to the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Lithuania, Darius Kvedaravičius, this means that all buildings should be constructed in such a way that they consume almost no energy.

“These are very energy efficient buildings with almost zero or very low energy consumption and most of the energy consumed comes from renewable sources, as well as local and nearby renewable energy”, explains D. Kvedaravičius.

According to the interlocutor, such changes initiated by the European Union, has set an ambitious goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80-95% by 2050 compared to 1990. The targets for reducing gas emissions greenhouse gases are also included in the program of the Government of Lithuania.

“It just came to our attention then. First we looked for Class A, then A + and now A ++. In addition to the economic benefits, such as significantly lower energy costs, there are less clearly and unequivocally measurable benefits, such as a cleaner air and the prevention of climate change, ”said the Vice Minister of the Environment.

There may be problems finding qualified professionals

These changes are relevant to developers, designers, builders, and residents alike. According to Dalius Gedvilas, president of the Lithuanian Builders Association, the changes that came into force in the construction sector did not scare me, as employees began preparing for the requirements that came into effect this year five years ago. According to him, today there are qualified and competent builders on the Lithuanian job market. However, according to D. Gedvilas, problems can arise in finding specialists who can install and install complex technologies in buildings. The need for such experts has already been felt recently.

“I think the main challenge is for the builders and designers. Because construction starts with the terms of reference first, building design and builders can implement individual constructions and are preparing for it. <...> Designers must choose the optimal power generation system, because the building is actually 50 percent. energy must be self-sufficient. I think the big challenge is to design the building efficiently so that it does not become more expensive, the operating costs do not increase, and what we do not hear or see today is the complexity of the building engineering systems, another challenge who should supervise those systems engineering ”, emphasizes D. Gedvilas.

The interviewee goes on to say that probably all buildings will become an electrical system or power generator in the future, and if each building produces electricity or thermal energy, then each of them will also need qualified maintenance.

“The construction community, if there is a well prepared work project, a designed building, can build an efficient A ++ class building today. However, there are other requirements, such as the obligation to do a structural leak test, customers still don’t really understand what to do here, but really building testing will become the norm, and we will all have to do it. ” , says D. Gedvilas.

In addition to the new requirements for the tightness of the building, this year more changes related to the construction of buildings came into force, for example, we will have to pay attention to the roof, windows, doors, walls.

“We have built class A + buildings and the thermal conductivity of the partitions is higher than those of the A ++ classes, which means that the roof structures must have a lower thermal permeability, as well as partitions, windows and doors . All these elements must be more hermetic and less conductive of heat. In this case, if we design the building well, it uses less energy, it does not require the classic large radiators, smaller heating equipment and there must be a more efficient recovery system, by the way, as I mentioned, special maintenance equipment is needed to operate these buildings ”, explains D. Gedvilas.

Construction prices will rise and house prices may change slightly

All the changes, according to D. Gedvilas, will require builders to open their wallets more widely. The president of the Lithuanian Builders Association points out that for buildings to meet the new requirements, they will have to buy more expensive building materials, install more expensive and smart systems to generate thermal energy in the building, hire more qualified and better paid specialists . On the other hand, depending on the interlocutor, it will be possible to save in some places.

“After all, we will use less thermal energy, which will definitely save us here. <...> In any case, all the changes that I have listed should not increase the price of the building by more than 7-10% ”, says D. Gedvilas, adding that when residential buildings are built, multi-apartment buildings are supplied centralized heat, 1 m2. m price should not rise sharply. Price changes will affect those planning to build individual homes the most.

Mindaugas Statulevičius, president of the Lithuanian Real Estate Development Association (LNTPA), says there are fears about a possible rise in construction prices. According to him, developers still remember the period 5 years ago, when Lithuania switched to energy-efficient class A building design, and construction prices rose significantly.

“Investors compare investments in energy classes, and when the transition from energy class B to A 5 years ago, the investment jump was high, in our estimate the investment should have been 10-15%. This also reduced the affordability of the house, so we are very happy to have been listened to, the parameters sought were reviewed and a rational solution was found, ”recalls M. Statulevičius.

According to the interlocutor, in this case, when the designed buildings are to be class A ++ as of this year, the growth of investments should be negligible, it should not reach 5%, of course, depending on the purpose of the project.

“The change in the amount of investment for residential buildings can be the same, for commercial and commercial buildings due to the increase in prices for engineering systems: slightly different, higher. <...> What may be relevant to home buyers is probably the cost of a repossession system. The recuperators will be more expensive, although they are not mandatory for the construction of A ++ buildings, the same parameters can be achieved in a sealed building and with the possibility of ventilating the room by opening the windows. But recuperators have already become the standard for saving heat, ”explains M. Statulevičius, adding that the increase in the cost of the recovery system will be especially felt by builders of commercial and commercial buildings or residents of apartment buildings where central recovery equipment will be installed.

A puzzle for those who plan to build an individual house.

The LNTPA president goes on to say that those planning to build a gas-heated building will have to turn their heads. As of this year, the projects that will provide gas heating (especially those that must be coordinated with the city or district municipality according to the technical building regulations) will not see the light of day.

“It will take a lot of effort for residents of individual houses to understand and choose another type of energy. Even, for example, the air and water system. <...>, – it will not be easy to achieve the energy efficiency class A ++ either, it will be necessary to use additional solar panels, etc. But the goal is to have sustainability and benefits that will be felt for a longer period of time. That initial investment will pay off in 5 to 10 years, ”says M. Statulevičius, adding that the developers evaluate the changes positively.

I think we could have postponed the change

The developers who built the A ++ energy efficiency class buildings say there really were challenges. Agnius Tamošaitis, head of Inreal’s property management department, says that at the end of last year, he completed a commercial object with an energy efficiency class of A +, although the developer originally planned that the building’s energy efficiency class would be A + +.

“We have modeled several times to make the building’s energy efficiency class A +, but we noticed that to achieve this, we must change the solutions for the walls, roof, windows, roofs of the building. We should also have changed the ventilation system. <...> It would be a bit more expensive to build a building of this type, around 10-15%, but we estimate that the current building that we build in class A + is very efficient from an energy point of view, so we did not see much sense in keep improving its properties, ”explains A Tamošaitis adds that Lithuania may have had to wait a few years and not rush to increase the requirements for buildings.

“Technology is evolving very fast; those technologies for which we should now pay more will probably be considered mandatory and irreplaceable in a few years, and would not cost much more ”, says the expert.

On the other hand, according to the interlocutor, the energy efficiency class A ++ should not be considered unnecessary. According to the expert, first of all, devices that perform the same function should consume less electricity.

“Another advantage of class A ++ is the promotion of renewable energy sources. <...> In both commercial and residential buildings, the higher the energy class of the building, the higher its energy efficiency, so, for example, residents would have lower bills for heating and electricity consumption, ”explains A. Tamošaitis.

The interviewee continues that the company has already calculated how much the new energy performance requirements for buildings, which came into effect this year, will cost it. According to A. Tamošaitis, costs grow between 5% and 10%.