Architect at a glance: The services

• Supervises a construction project
• Responsible for planning of the new building or reconstruction
• Contact person for owners and/or builders
• Fee according to HOAI
• Works with structural engineers and civil engineers
• Larger architectural firms provide services from a single source

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Underfloor heating – models, functionality & installation options

With hot water underfloor heating systems, heating coils are laid in or under the screed and this is usually done when the house is built. However, a subsequent installation of underfloor heating is also possible. One variant is electric underfloor heating, as it is installed as a network directly under the floor covering, but other alternatives are also available.

The models – wet and dry system & the electric underfloor heating system

Underfloor heating can be installed using the so-called wet system. For this, the heating pipes are laid above the insulation layer directly in the screed. The screed is poured around the pipes in liquid form, which also gives the system its name. The heating pipes are attached directly to the insulation layer or clamped onto laying plates. A wide variety of systems can now be purchased in the trade for this purpose, such as:

• Support element system
• Tacker system
• Clamping rail system
• Or the dimpled panel system

During construction, metal-containing additional particles are added to the screed so that the heat conduction in the floor is higher and the heat can be distributed evenly.

The dry system works, as the name suggests, without the need to pour a layer of screed. Here, the pipes are installed directly under the floor covering in foam boards and then covered with dry boards. This method is particularly suitable for retrofitting, as the system only requires a low installation height and no new screed needs to be poured.

With electric underfloor heating, the heating cables are laid directly under the floor covering. As this is fairly simple, installation can often be easily done by yourself and does not require a skilled expert. The system has a quick response time and provides heat faster than the other systems. Electric underfloor heating enjoys the additional advantage of not requiring any maintenance and consequently the cost is kept quite low. However, the disadvantage is that electric underfloor heating has higher operating costs.

Advantages and disadvantages of the hot water system

Even though the hot water system is mostly used only in new buildings, it is the most common. Even if it still differs in two different installation methods, the entire system offers many advantages and disadvantages that can be decisive in the decision. Especially for builders, a comparison of the most important points is useful to consolidate the decision-making process.

Advantages of a hot water system

• Operation with low temperature
  The hot water system is operated at low temperatures, for which a flow temperature of approx. 35 degrees is specified. The water therefore does not have to be heated strongly, whereby energy can be saved. The low temperature also makes a combination with renewable energies, such as a heat pump, possible.
• Warm feet throughout the house
  Especially in winter this advantage is a real luxury, because cosy warm feet in the whole house contribute enormously to the well-being and increase the cosiness.
• Individual room design
  When designing the room, there are more possibilities with underfloor heating, because no radiator, which must not be blocked by a piece of furniture, stands in a disturbing place.
• Pleasant radiant heat
  Underfloor heating works via radiant heat, because a full 2/3 of the heat given off by underfloor heating is radiant heat. This is generally perceived as very pleasant compared to the normal heat from radiators.
• Suitable for allergy sufferers
  The underfloor heating is particularly suitable for allergy sufferers and asthmatics, because no air is stirred up and therefore the dust concentration in the air is much lower. In addition, the air is less dry and more pleasant to breathe.
• Warm feeling at low room temperatures
  Due to the radiant heat and the regular distribution of heat in the room, lower room temperatures (about 2-3 degrees less) are perceived as warmer. The heating does not have to be set so high and heating costs are saved.
• Regular heat
  Since the heat is emitted from the entire floor surface and not just through a radiator in the room, the heat is distributed very regularly in the room and unpleasant draughts are avoided.

Disadvantages of a hot water system

• Adjustment of the room temperature
  In large rooms it takes time until the whole room has reached a certain temperature. Rapid heating up is therefore not possible with underfloor heating. Systems that are laid directly in the screed are more sluggish in terms of their ability to regulate. Temperature changes are therefore a longer process, as the room temperature adapts.
• Modification to the heating system
  After the fact, change the heating system is almost impossible. There are differences depending on the model, but especially the systems laid in the screed can no longer be removed.
• Installation and maintenance costs
  On average, underfloor heating costs a little more than the installation of an ordinary heating system. Here, however, it strongly depends on the model and the individual characteristics of the property.

Renovation & refurbishment – Retrofitting underfloor heating systems

Retrofitting underfloor heating is easier than you think, because modern techniques allow the heating pipes to be inserted into the hard screed. For this purpose, milling processes are used that mill the channels for the heating pipes into the existing screed. For renovations and redevelopments the underfloor heating offers, thus likewise an alternative to further heating systems. Stay informed: real estate news. But what needs to be taken into account, where can the process be used and how powerful are the retrofitted underfloor heating systems really?

Old & new buildings – underfloor heating possible everywhere

Until now, the installation of underfloor heating during a renovation was almost impossible and was only conceivable with a new installation of the screed. Since the screed is rarely replaced during a renovation and a complete removal and re-laying is too complex and expensive, a new technique was developed to integrate the underfloor heating into existing screed. This technique can be used in all buildings, whether old or new. The advantages of underfloor heating can also be used in older buildings.

Installation – fast and low-dust despite milling technology

If the screed is fresh, the heating elements are laid first and then the screed is poured. But also the subsequent installation is simple. First the channels are milled and then the heating elements are laid and then the screed is filled in the remaining gaps. This technique maintains the height of the floor covering and doors do not have to be elaborately adjusted. Almost any screed, from dry screed to concrete, is suitable for the milling process. However, if milling does not work, dry screed boards can be used to help out. After drying out, the floor covering can be laid directly and the underfloor heating can be put into operation.

The risks – further costs and problems

If everything goes without problems, the subsequent installation of underfloor heating takes only one or two days and is quite inexpensive. However, the prerequisite for this must be, for example, that the screed is smooth and clean. Particularly in the case of renovation and refurbishment work, it can happen that the old floor covering cannot be completely removed or that other complications arise. Should this occur, you will have to reckon with additional costs for the smoothing and levelling of the floor.

Alternative energies – types, tasks & their importance

Up to now, energy in the EU has mainly been generated from fossil fuels, such as coal or oil, and to a lesser extent from nuclear fuels. Alternative energy sources, such as solar energy, hydroelectric power or wind power, have so far played a rather subordinate role. Yet these renewable energies are the future. What are their tasks, what are the different types and why is it so important to use alternative energies for energy production?

• Keyfact 1 – alternative energies are the future of energy production and must be further promoted and improved in the coming years
• Keyfact 2 – Fossil fuels are slowly running out and will sooner or later be depleted and no longer usable

Alternative energies – why are they so important?

The production of energy with the help of nuclear fuels has clearly more disadvantages than advantages. The nuclear waste that is produced during energy generation cannot yet be converted into an ecologically safe form using any technology. So the waste will always be a burden on the environment. The risk of nuclear power plants and nuclear waste repositories is therefore too high and additionally associated with extremely adverse consequences in the event of the release of large quantities of radioactive material.

But fossil fuels also have some disadvantages. Probably the most devastating is the bad impact on the environment. The burning of coal, oil and gas produces CO2 emissions that are proven to increase the greenhouse effect. The consequences are natural disasters and a steadily progressing climate change. But also security-relevant aspects are directly recognizable in the oil age with the permanent oil and gulf crises. The economic risks caused by oil have a direct influence on the world economy and regularly cause economic crises. The most important reason why fossil fuels do not represent the future of energy production is the time span of the fuels. They are non-renewable and will run out in the foreseeable future. First oil, then natural gas, and coal last. Sooner or later, fossil fuels will be used up and will therefore no longer be able to provide a source of energy.

The solution should therefore be renewable energies, which are not only environmentally friendly, but are also eternally renewable and therefore cannot be consumed. Solar energies (water, biomass, wind, solar thermal and photovoltaic) therefore show many advantages. There are closed cycles, the CO2 is spared and also with regard to the national economy the alternative energies rise. The consumers of renewable energies are not only independent of large energy companies, but also create new jobs in their own country and achieve positive effects on the balance of payments and actions. The environment also thanks us, because after decades of damage with CO2 emissions and nuclear fuels, we fall back on the basis of nature and exhaust the given possibilities.

Renewable energies – hydropower as an energy supplier

The generation of energy from hydropower is a method that is not very common so far. Nevertheless, there are some advantages to using energy from this renewable resource. The energy conversion happens here with a very high efficiency, which meant that a high percentage of the energy used can be converted into electricity. In addition, the energy production from hydropower does not release any pollutants and therefore does not harm the environment and the waste heat is also very low.

The use of these alternative energies will therefore continue to improve and spread as long as they are economically feasible and economically justifiable. Because a disadvantage shows up also here. The construction of a hydroelectric power plant usually interferes with the ecological balance of the watercourse, which is very sensitive. The planning of such a plant is therefore not necessarily easy and requires a great deal of specialist knowledge and a certain ecological orientation.

Hydroelectric power plants use the gradient of a body of water, usually a river. The flowing water is taken from the natural riverbed and directed through pipes or channels to a turbine. The water causes the turbine to rotate. The rotation generates electricity, which is converted into usable energy by a generator.

Renewable energies – wind power as an energy supplier

Energy can also be generated from wind power. For this, however, the wind must have a certain strength. In coastal areas, the wind is usually stronger, which is why more wind farms are being built here. Off-shore wind farms, which are built in the sea near the coast, also use these high wind speeds. In order for wind to be used sensibly for energy generation, it needs a speed of four to five metres per second.

Different wind turbines are used to generate energy from wind. On the one hand, there are wind turbines with 12 to 24 blades. These are mostly used for direct mechanical energy use, for example to drive water pumps. Probably the best known, however, are the wind turbines with two or three blades, which can often be seen in fields or on the coast. They generate direct alternating current through rotation and a constant speed via a generator. The rotor blades are specially designed to withstand all conditions and still work effectively.

Renewable energies – solar energy as an energy supplier

Solar energy is probably the most widespread renewable energy to date. Both as a solar system on rooftops and as solar parks on open spaces, you see solar cells again and again. The solar cells make use of the energy of the sun and convert it into usable energy. Here, a distinction is generally made between solar systems and photovoltaic systems.

Solar systems use the energy of the sun and convert it into usable heat. A solar system can therefore be used, for example, to operate heating systems in the house. For this purpose, houses are specially planned so that the sun contributes as much as possible to the heating of the house.

Photovoltaics, on the other hand, uses the sun’s energy to convert it into electricity. Photovoltaic systems are also installed on the roof for this purpose, which can capture the solar energy and convert it into usable energy for the household. This can be used to generate electricity in the house and run machines.

It makes most sense to use both systems in combination, as the household is then no longer dependent on large energy companies and all the energy for their own home is produced themselves. The advantages are enormous and the environment is protected by such houses very much. The optimal use of solar energy requires quite a bit of prerequisites the advantages compensate for this, however. Learn more about solar energy and the use of renewable energy in our great guide to photovoltaics!