Although the government provides support for the renovation of apartment buildings, it requires the building to meet at least an energy efficiency class A afterwards, which is costly and a deterrent for residents. Renovation would generally cost nothing to residents receiving heating support, but residents who pay little or no heating at all often do not see the need for renovation for the same reason and thus get stuck in a vicious circle. Specialists say that one of the most important factors for improving the energy efficiency of buildings is in the hands of the residents themselves.
Most apartment buildings are energy inefficient
The majority of the Lithuanian housing stock consists of apartment buildings built before 1990. Buildings of this era are energy inefficient and consume the most energy resources. The only way to reduce the dependence of such apartment buildings on large amounts of energy consumption is complex renovation. Thanks to it, an economic, ecological and aesthetic effect can be achieved. Unfortunately, in all of Lithuania out of 40 thousand less than 10% of the houses to be renovated have been modernized in the last twenty years. apartment buildings. It is clear that the pace is far too slow to increase energy independence on a national scale.
“Mano būstas” has already modernized 227 apartment buildings, and renovation works are underway in another 136 houses. According to the company’s representative, residents’ interest in renovating buildings and increasing their energy efficiency and property value has certainly not faded. On the contrary, a number of apartment buildings are waiting for the new conditions of the invitation.
It is estimated that a comprehensively modernized apartment building consumes 50-70 percent. less energy resources and, compared to energy-inefficient houses, emits 62.5 tons less CO2 into the environment. Thus, renovated houses not only significantly reduce dependence on fossil fuels, but also contribute to the preservation of the environment.
“We constantly remind residents that the size of the heating bill depends on the energy efficiency of apartment buildings. In other words, the heat supplier can improve the efficiency of the heat supply network, but if it is efficiently produced, the heat that effectively reaches the building will enter the energy-inefficient building, the residents will not experience the maximum result. Therefore, the only way to significantly reduce heating bills is to take care of the energy efficiency of the apartment building,” said Juozas Paulėkas, Head of Energy Efficiency of Vilnius Heat Networks.
This is also shown by heating bills, when residents receive 40% more for heating an apartment of the same area. or more different payment messages. For example, the coldest month of this heating season was January, so 50 sq. m. the average apartment heating bill in an energy-efficient, newly built apartment building was 41 EUR. Customers living in renovated apartment buildings had to pay 66 EUR on average. Residents of old, unrenovated and energy-inefficient apartment buildings spend the most on heat, the average heating bill for such housing was 112 EUR.
Heat systems are being modernized
The energy efficiency of buildings can be increased by different means. “Mano būstas” helped residents install solar power plants in some apartment buildings. A solar power plant has been installed on the roof of an apartment building in the zoo, which should reduce bills by about four times. After using the state subsidy, the project is calculated to pay off in less than four years.
Effective heat consumption in old multi-apartment houses depends on several essential factors: the condition of heat points, the ability to individually regulate heat, properly balanced heating systems and innovative solutions based on artificial intelligence algorithms.
“Old elevator heat points are inefficient because they do not respond to changes in outdoor temperatures and are manually controlled – completely dependent on the human factor. Therefore, sometimes residents complain that the temperature outside the window is positive, and the radiators in the apartments are blowing like crazy. The only way out is that the residents have to approve the modernization of the heat point, unfortunately, we do not always get their approval. It is worth noting that after modernizing the heating system, you can save about 10% in one season. heat, so in the long run such an investment pays off”, explained the representative of “Mano būstas”.
Another solution that ensures the sustainable use of energy resources is individual heat accounting and regulation in the apartment. Some apartment buildings already keep individual accounts and thus save heat. However, this system has its drawbacks. If the heat meters are broken, the housekeeper cannot replace them without the consent of the resident, as they are the property of the resident. The problem is that sometimes residents refuse to take care of them and there are houses where 50% and more apartment accounts are not working and the building manager can’t do anything. In this case, the energy efficiency in the house disappears and it becomes the same “waste” as the houses of old construction. To prevent this from happening, residents must listen to the recommendations of specialists and take care of the repair of non-functioning meters.
A balanced heating system is very important when the building heats up evenly. If the technical characteristics of the heat point allow, they are managed with the help of smart technologies and artificial intelligence solutions, which allow even more efficient regulation of heat distribution and consumption in apartment buildings. This makes it possible to change the heat parameters here and now in such a way as to ensure the most efficient use of energy resources. By monitoring temperature changes outside, appropriate decisions can be made quickly – to reduce or increase the heat supply. This is very important, because real-time monitoring and the decisions implemented based on it allow optimizing heat consumption in the house and reducing it by about 8-11 percent.
The representative of the company is convinced that in the long run, residents will increasingly turn to modernization: “Intelligent management of heating systems requires investments and residents, although the savings are obvious, are still slow to invest in it. However, we are sure that in the near future the situation will change and smart technologies will become more and more effective in the management of the heat economy of multi-apartment houses”.
The aim is to transfer heating management to residents
In February, “Vilniaus šilimos nettika” performed the first low temperature test during the heating season. It is explained how heat point devices in apartment buildings and administrative buildings deal with lower temperatures, what part of heat losses can be saved, how thermal parameters are maintained in the network and customer part. Customers did not feel the heating water temperature decrease, and previous tests showed that a lower temperature in the network reduces the amount of heat energy production, increases the longevity of the network, and reduces CO2 emissions.
The heat supply network is also being consistently updated, this year it is planned to update more than 7.5 km of heat supply pipelines, so soon Vilnius residents will notice these works in various parts of the city.
“The next step is heat points owned by residents. Proper operation of the heat point ensures high-quality and efficient heating of apartments. Our data shows that there are still about half a thousand old, worn out and energetically inefficient heat points in the city of Vilnius that need to be renovated. The modernization of heating points is supported by Vilnius city municipality, so residents can receive from 50 to 100 percent. seeking support”, said J. Paulėkas.
An efficiently functioning and modernized heat point can save residents at least 15 percent. of heat energy, as it becomes possible to set a lower temperature at night, on weekends or other individual parameters, and the premises are not overheated during the transition period – at the beginning and end of the heating season. Many residents mistakenly think that the heat intensity in their apartment buildings is regulated by the heat supplier. The reality is different – this temperature is regulated by the supervisor of the house’s internal heating and hot water systems.
“Energy-inefficient apartment buildings with particularly high heat losses still prevent part of the population from reducing their heating costs. The results of a thermal imaging study carried out by our experts showed how in non-renovated apartment buildings heat penetrates outside through leaky building walls or other structures. This means much higher heat losses and heating costs. Therefore, not only the heat supplier must take care of energy efficiency, but also the residents themselves,” said the representative of “Vilniaus šilumos nettki” about the residents’ contribution.
Tags: Energy efficiency multiapartments bills decrease times rush renovate
