* Making homes less energy intensive and more comfortable
* Master carpenters on hand for advice and tips at LIGNA HANNOVER 2009
Poor insulation, ageing windows and decrepit roofs: older buildings are major wasters of heat energy, consuming up to 90 percent more energy than their modern counterparts. And the cost cannot be counted in money alone; it is a burden on the environment as well. The solutions range from modernizing the building's energy systems to complete building refurbishment.
At the next LIGNA HANNOVER, held from 18 to 22 May 2009, the Association of Lower Saxon Carpenters (VNZ) will be showcasing these sorts of solutions at a group pavilion spanning 5,000 square meters (around 53,800 sq. ft) of net display space.
If properly planned and executed, modernization can bring older buildings up to the current state of the art. In Germany, this means compliance with stringent building energy conservation regulations (EnEV). Modernization projects for older buildings are in fact eligible for subsidies from the country's Reconstruction Loan Corporation (KfW). 'Older building' here refers to anything built prior to 1978.
Pleasantly cool in summer; cozy and warm in winter
Keeping homes at a steady 21 degrees Celsius during the day and between 15 and 18 degrees at night for very little cost in terms of energy consumption requires properly insulated external building components such as walls, windows and roofs. This prevents heat loss in winter and keeps the interior cool in summer. Adding wooden facades or even building on a new storey will also improve a house's overall thermal insulation. These solutions are easy on the wallet and the environment.
Wood is climate-neutral
One way of making a significant contribution to climate protection is to use wood as the building material for modernization projects. This is because trees remove CO2 from the air and store it. Thus, the use of wood - as a cladding over an existing facade, for example - effectively prolongs this storage effect by tens if not hundreds of years.
Modernization by master carpenters
Proper, timely planning is critical to the successful implementation of any modernization project. At the Association of Lower Saxon Carpenters (VNZ) pavilion at LIGNA HANNOVER 2009, carpentry firms will be demonstrating a range of real-life modernization projects for interested home owners.
One way achieving full thermal insulation of an entire building is to insulate the exterior walls. In terms of physical performance and installation, an external-facing insulation layer is the best solution here. For example, one tried and proven approach is to use ventilated facing cladding made of wood or board material.
An insulation layer is fitted between the substructure elements before the facing layer is attached. It is also necessary to insulate the windows and external doors. These measures are a fairly straightforward way of ensuring that older houses comply with or even exceed Germany's EnEV specifications.
Alternatively, it is also possible to insulate the internal walls. The key to achieving an optimal, damage-free outcome is to choose a system that has the right physical and technical properties.
For details of the LIGNA HANNOVER 2009 show and its featured themes and special events, visit www.ligna.de/homepage_e and www.ligna.de/handwerk_holz_mehr_e.
-Anja Brokjans-
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