The popularity of modular houses is steadily growing, which is mainly due to their advantages. They also include energy efficiency, which translates into low operating costs. What energy-saving solutions are used in modular homes? What to look for when choosing a specific project? These and other questions are answered in this article.
Modular energy-efficient houses, you what?
Energy-efficient modular houses are buildings manufactured in modular technology, i.e. made of ready-made elements. These, in turn, are produced in specialized factories, and only assembled on the construction site. Depending on the manufacturer, even 90-95% of the house is built in the factory. What allows us to classify a modular house as energy-efficient? It is worth knowing that energy-efficient modular houses are buildings with an energy demand of no more than 40 kWh / (m² · year). Such parameters are achieved mainly thanks to the use of the highest quality materials and a simple body without the occurrence of thermal bridges.
What energy-saving solutions are used in modular homes?
Energy-efficient modular houses are buildings with a simple shape, the structure of which reduces the risk of thermal bridges, and thus, much less energy is needed to heat them. In addition, modular homes also use energy-saving solutions to reduce energy demand. Among them, the following are distinguished primarily:
- very good insulation - the modular technology uses materials with the best parameters in terms of thermal transmittance. The skeleton structure of the building allows the use of mineral wool in the middle of the walls, which allows the building to be insulated and soundproofed. After the walls have been insulated, the external façade is also made, which gives the building its character and ensures that it does not differ from brick houses;
- correct location in relation to the sides of the world - the energy demand of the house is also influenced by its location in relation to the sides of the world because it is possible to heat the house with solar energy. For this purpose, it is recommended to place large glazing on the south side, which allows not only to illuminate the room, but also to warm it. However, windows on the north side should be avoided, because the glass panes have lower thermal parameters than the walls;
- appropriate location of the rooms - the residential part (living room, kitchen, etc.) should be on the south side, and on the north side, it is worth placing a bathroom or utility room.
In addition, modular houses are often also equipped with recuperation, photovoltaics or solar collectors, however, these solutions do not make the house energy-efficient, but can make it a passive building.
Is energy saving in modular homes profitable?
It is worth remembering that energy efficiency in modular houses definitely pays off because it directly translates into the operating costs of the building. Energy-efficient modular houses are gaining more and more supporters, for whom the costs incurred for heating the building are important. This is especially important in the face of ever-increasing energy costs and increasingly stringent climate policy. The decision to buy an energy-efficient modular house is a sign of awareness that caring for the natural environment is as important as the wallet’s content. The fact that more and more people agree with this is evidenced by the popularity of searching on the Internet for the term: energy-efficient modular houses 70m².
Are energy-efficient modular homes expensive?
Talking about energy-efficient modular houses, it is impossible to ignore their cost. Therefore, it is worth asking yourself: are energy-efficient modular homes expensive? Certainly not, because modular technology assumes the use of the highest quality materials, regardless of whether our goal is energy efficiency or we just want to build a modular house. Of course, the disadvantage, in this case, is the need to have the entire amount of money, which is due to the speed of building a modular house. It is also worth considering that the cost of an energy-efficient modular house is somewhat compensated by the low cost of its operation. Another advantage is the fact that modular houses up to 35 m² can be built without a permit, which saves time and money on obtaining it.
What to look for when choosing an energy-efficient modular house?
When choosing an energy-efficient modular house, attention should be paid primarily to the type and quality of the materials used, as well as the building design in terms of its location in relation to the directions of the world and the arrangement of rooms. What else is important at this stage? First of all, the area of the house translates directly into the comfort of its use. It is also worth paying attention to the possibility of increasing the surface in the future, which occurs due to "glueing" subsequent, identical modules. An example of such a solution can be the CUBEEKO MINI project, which can be transformed into CUBEEKO MEDIUM "L" / "Z". In this case, they are modular houses with an area of up to 35 m², therefore their construction does not require a building permit. Modular houses without a permit are all-year-round buildings that ensure high comfort of use and are cheap to operate.
Summing up, it should be said that energy-saving modular houses are a technology with a future. Their popularity in Poland is systematically growing, because these are solutions that are successfully built all over the world, e.g. in Canada, Germany or Scandinavian countries. What's more, they function not only as houses but also as modular offices.