From Calls on Paper to Real Actions: Energy-Efficient Housing

The updated State Building Codes (SBC) in Ukraine concerning the design of residential buildings, with their heightened demands for energy efficiency, have become a challenging hurdle for many developers.

Indeed, it is a formidable challenge. However, Enhance Development has long adopted a guiding principle: all our projects are inherently linked to energy-efficient solutions.

How Enhance Development Overcomes the Challenges of Modernity

We firmly believe that the present demands the creation of contemporary living spaces. It is a time to transition from mere declarations on paper to the actual implementation of energy-saving and renewable technologies.

These technologies offer resource efficiency, reduced negative environmental impact, energy independence for residents, and investments in a sustainable future.

To achieve our energy-efficient goals, we conduct heat loss calculations: identifying areas within the premises where heat is being lost and determining the intensity of these losses.

This is a crucial tool for assessing a building's energy efficiency and for developing strategies to improve it, which may include:

• Utilizing Heat Pumps

Heat pumps harness energy from the surrounding environment, including air, ground, or water. They provide consistent heating and cooling as well as hot water supply, all independent of traditional fuel sources. This equipment is eco-friendly and offers significant cost savings. In fact, heat pumps are twice as economical as gas boilers and five times more efficient than electric ones.

• Harnessing Solar Panels

The sun serves as an ecologically clean, free, and virtually inexhaustible energy source. Incorporating solar panels into buildings reduces reliance on coal, oil, or gas, and reduces dependence on commercial electricity providers. The result is substantial savings on utility bills. Solar panels transform properties into long-term investments, since solar energy is projected to become the primary energy source in the coming decades.

• Utilizing Energy Storage Systems (Batteries)

Storing electrical energy generated by solar panels requires the use of batteries. These reliable alternative power sources operate independently of the electrical grid. Batteries enable households to meet their essential needs during military conflicts, emergency power outages, or any disruptions in the energy supply.

• Employing Central Air Conditioning Systems

This system allows centralized control of temperature and other air parameters throughout all rooms from a single point. It optimizes energy usage and avoids inefficient cooling or heating of individual zones. Modern systems come equipped with advanced technologies, such as inverter compressors, heat recovery systems, zone control, and intelligent thermostats. These technologies help reduce energy consumption and enhance the system's efficiency.

• Implementing Balanced Ventilation Systems

Balanced ventilation ensures the simultaneous supply of fresh air and the removal of stale air from the interior spaces. Modern systems utilize inverter motors that consume less electricity while providing the necessary airflow volume. Additionally, energy-efficient balanced ventilation systems can be equipped with heat recovery systems, which recover heat from the exhaust air before releasing it outside. This helps minimize heat and energy losses.

• Utilizing Window, Facade, and Thermal Insulation Systems

High-quality windows with energy-efficient glazing can help reduce energy consumption for heating and cooling indoor spaces.

Quality facade systems provide excellent thermal control and prevent the infiltration of cold air into the building. This can lead to significant energy savings, with up to 50% reduction in heating costs and up to 80% reduction in cooling expenses.

Using top-notch thermal insulation materials in walls, roofs, and floors can help retain heat inside the building, leading to lower expenditures on heating and air conditioning.

• Implementing a Smart Home System

An innovative home system encompasses a wide range of technologies and devices that are interconnected to automate and manage various aspects of the house using the internet, sensors, and other electronics.

Smart-home technology integrates numerous intelligent systems, including lighting, thermostats, household appliances, locks and security systems, ventilation, and air conditioning control.

All of these elements work together to create a home that is maximally comfortable and energy-efficient.

The Energy Efficiency of Our Projects - At the Highest Level

The updated standards of the State Building Codes (DBN) in Ukraine regarding energy efficiency are not the sole benchmark for Enhance Development. Our standard is to align our projects with the highest international norms.

We prepare our buildings to obtain LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) certifications.

These are recognized certification systems that evaluate and reward buildings with high sustainability and environmental efficiency standards. They assess a building's impact on the environment, energy efficiency, use of renewable energy sources, water resource management, construction materials, indoor environmental quality, and more.

The preparation process involves meeting systematic requirements, collecting and providing necessary documentation, analyzing criteria compliance, and developing and implementing strategies to enhance the building's sustainability and environmental efficiency.

Energy-Efficient Solutions: A Win-Win Situation

Constructing modern energy-efficient housing is a challenging and time-consuming process. However, implementing energy-efficient solutions is beneficial for both developers and apartment buyers in the long run.

Developers have the opportunity to optimize processes, reduce costs, and attract clients. Residents, on the other hand, enjoy comfortable living spaces with lower utility expenses and profitable investments.