Project Lowenergy

From consuming 1970’ies single family home to low energy

The ‘Project Lowenergy’ has gone in-depth with energy renovating a typical Danish high-energy consuming 1970’ies single family home. The house has been fitted with a façade renovation, new energy friendly doors, windows, and a new heating and ventilation system, which all together has reduced energy consumption with 65%. It is a major energy renovation, but with a minimum of interference with the family’s everyday life, because the main part of the renovation has taken place from the outside. The family is thrilled with the house makeover, and even if the renovation work has been on the exterior of the house, it is the interior improvements, that the family benefits from.
“I no longer wake up in the morning with condensation on the inside of my windows, and it is not cold indoors any longer,” the eldest daughter reports. The increased comfort based on a better indoor climate is the vastest improvement to the family home. But also, the economics benefits. Before the energy renovation, the energy consumption was 115 kWh per m2 annually. Now the energy consumption is below the Danish requirement for a low energy type 1 house, which is approximately 42 kWh per m2 annually. The total investment is 800.000 Dkr (€10.600) and the property value has increased with 500.000 Dkr (€6.600). Besides the improvements in comfort, an energy renovation also holds an economic point and it is worth an energy check-up by a professional to gain overview on which profitable improvements are possible in a classic Danish 1970’ies single family home.