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    11 November 2019
    Energy Efficiency Trend

    Ksenia Pashkevich

    According to experts, the required energy efficiency of buildings cannot be achieved without the use of new technologies and materials in construction, which must be financially affordable and payable. Ksenia Pashkevich, Lead Architect at Metropolis, shared her opinion on the issue of energy efficiency for "Construction Weekly".

    In recent years, a trend has emerged in Russia to increase the energy efficiency of facilities. It is due to both the introduction of new standards and requirements, and the emergence of new building technologies and materials. Experts note that at present there are many energy-efficient solutions that can be used in the construction and operation of buildings, but some of them are quite expensive. However, now their cost is reducing due to the mass production. Currently, there are several priority areas in the field of improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings. This is insulation with modern heat-insulating materials, installation of energy-saving windows, modern heating devices (for example, infrared heaters). If we talk about industrial facilities, it is also important to replace lighting devices with modern LED ones, including those equipped with motion sensors. Reconstruction of ventilation is necessary, as well as the organization of instrumental metering of energy resources and a systematic analysis of instrument readings.


    Ksenia notes that, perhaps, the most common systems for insulating building envelopes today are ventilated and non-ventilated facades. “Mineral wool boards, extruded polystyrene foam boards, basalt rock boards, foam glass boards, etc. are used as insulation for both systems. The system is very flexible and applicable to all types of buildings and structures. The heat loss coefficient of a building can be adjusted by increasing or decreasing the thermal insulation layer”, she explains. According to the expert, windows are the weakest link in a building in terms of energy efficiency. It is through them that the main percentage of heat loss occurs. The use of energy efficient windows helps to protect against this.


    “The energy efficiency of buildings is enhanced by the use of a set of new architectural and construction solutions, which, in turn, depends on the use of innovative materials and technologies for thermal protection of enclosing structures. Today, the market for building materials and technologies in Russia is wide, which partly even makes it difficult to choose. Therefore, the implementation of energy-efficient solutions involved in the facility will depend on well-chosen technologies and materials and, of course, on the experience and qualifications of the authors of the project. Then the question goes directly to the construction site. The physical potential of the building already depends on the quality of construction work and the exact compliance with design solutions.” - shared Ksenia.


    Read the full article on "Agency of construction news" website.