Science fiction has always tried to imagine What will the homes of the future be like?Managed by robots, with communications via holograms and sensors on all sides, or converted directly into spaceships. But, in fact, if there is a parameter that’s all Homes of the future are about to be climate responsible And by the way, let its residents Save on your energy bill. Indeed, this is already a current issue, given the urgent need to reduce polluting emissions to avoid a rise in the planet’s average temperature of more than 1.5 degrees.
In Spain, 20% of total energy expenditure comes from residences. Within this percentage, 47% of home energy consumption corresponds to heating, according to data from the Institute for Diversifying and Saving Energy (IDAE). This is therefore an area that can and should be improved, especially as winter approaches. It’s a gesture that would also mean savings for families on their bills. Fortunately, there is Different strategies to reduce the energy consumption that a home needs to heat itself. Some even start at the moment they are built, e.g Bioclimatic condition of the house. This video explains its main features:
>
So a bioclimatic home is just that It is specifically designed to take advantage of natural resources for air conditioning, reducing the need for energy to a minimum. It is not only about innovation, but also about restoring traditional building techniques. Architect Julie Capella explains it clearly in the article “The House of the Future: Like the Good Houses of the Past” on the occasion of the celebration of the 45th anniversary of El Periódico: “The new house will necessarily be environmentally friendly, like the new house.” Traditional folk architecture taken into account Orientation, cross ventilation, sunlight, views. (…).Every home should embrace the concept of a passive home, more efficient, zero energy, or even better, generating surplus energy.
Rehabilitation with energy standards
It is clearly not possible to completely demolish and build housing again, so the concepts associated with the bioclimatic house must be realized above all through a tool that has been defined as fundamental to achieving emissions reduction targets: Energy rehabilitation. In this sense, of the 19 million existing first homes in Spain, half were built before 1980 and will need to be modernized, according to Capilla. for this reason, European Next Generation funds have focused on this practice and entities such as BBVA manufacture products e.g And an energy efficiency loan, to address those repairs that allow reducing energy consumption. For example, insulating facades and replacing windows, among other works.
In reality, About 25% of the heating used in a home is due to heat loss through windows. Therefore, installing more efficient systems that conserve heat and insulate against the cold will be an investment that will pay off in all seasons and, in a period of less than 10 years, will save more than 1,500 euros in energy. In addition, it represents a significant reduction in polluting emissions. On the other side, Proper insulation of facades helps to cope with excessive air conditioning consumption. Due to poor construction. This can be implemented in different ways: with an insulating panel on the outside, with an air chamber inside the wall, or with internal layers.
Solar panels and geothermal energy
There is another common element in energy rehabilitation In integrating photovoltaic solar panels on the roof of the building. These can be of two types. On the one hand, there are solar thermal panels, which aim to use the sun’s energy for domestic water heating or heating. For the other party, Photovoltaic panels designed for self-consumption of electricity either in common areas in landlord communities or in homes. Another common procedure is to renew the central boiler with one of sustainable origin, such as biomass; Or changing old air conditioning systems to a high-efficiency system, such as Air temperaturealso known as a heat pump.
It’s been clean energy ever since It converts energy stored in the form of heat outside to provide hot water, heating and cooling of the home with high efficiency. For every kilowatt-hour of electricity the aerobic system consumes, it provides 4 kilowatt-hours of heat. Another system that gains followers is… Geothermalwhich takes advantage of the high temperatures of the Earth’s interior to generate cold and heat in the home.
Small gestures of sustainability
Finally, there is a strategy that does not require any kind of outside work or action to reduce the energy consumption of air conditioning: Implement small, sustainable habits. Something that includes who Disinfection of water radiators -Most common in Spanish homes- so that the presence of air does not reduce its effectiveness or Dressing the house in winter With insulating elements such as carpets and thick curtains.
Related news
Another one of the most effective and easiest measures is to reduce the temperature of the thermostat. IDAE recommends that, whenever possible, set your thermostat at 20-21 degrees Wear warm clothes when at home, lower the curtains at night so that heat does not escape, and pull the curtains to avoid the cold from the windows. At night, it should be turned off or in very cold areas or poorly insulated homes, set the thermostat to 15-17 degrees.
As the General Authority states, for every degree Celsius that the temperature of the building or house rises, andEnergy consumption increases by 7%, as do heating costs and carbon dioxide emissions. It is up to us to avoid that.
(tags for translation) BBVA
