Apartment house in Spremberg

This apartment block in 03130 Spremberg, Artur-Becker-Ring 58/60, is a conventional apartment block built in 1927 and comprises 12 residential units with a total living space of 816 m², a gross floor area of around 4,200 m³ and a ridge height of around 13 metres. After standing empty for several years, it was modernised in 1999. The building lies on the north axis with an 8° deviation from the longitudinal axis. During the inspection on 4 November 2005, it was noticeable that no algae or other microorganisms were visible on the façade despite the nearby trees.

The 49 cm brick walls with lime-cement plaster were coated with ClimateCoating® ThermoProtect. The roof slopes and the walls in the attic were coated with ClimateCoating®ThermoPlus. The basement ceiling is an uninsulated solid ceiling (approx. 80 cm above ground level), the roof insulation consists of 4-6 cm of loosely laid mineral wool. There are thermal bridges in the area of the balcony slabs on the courtyard side; there are 12 identical balconies of 6.2 metres each with 12 cm reinforced concrete slabs, which were laid on the exterior walls.

The modernisation to the extent described has proven to be very effective and economical, as no additional façade insulation was required. The property manager: “We don’t normally have such a low utility bill for heating costs. For example, an 8-family house (new build) is more expensive than this 12-family house.” The tenants are very satisfied. Axel T.: “Even in winter, there are only 3 radiators running in the flat, but only on 2-3. A great heating bill.” Mrs B. previously lived in a new-build flat, where she was always cold; she is delighted. Mrs S. is allergic: “Since we’ve been living in a ClimateCoating flat, I feel better. When you walk into a flat like this, you notice the difference between ClimateCoating® and paint.”

In terms of energy efficiency, subjective perceptions are confirmed by low heating bills. In addition, a comparison with the heating bills of neighbouring blocks of flats over a period of 4-5 years shows that the 8 cm thick polystyrene thermal insulation installed in the almost identical new buildings at the time (~1960, block construction with cottage pumice) in conjunction with the insulation of the basement ceiling did not result in any more savings. If the manufacturing costs of façade insulation and a ClimateCoating® coating are also included in the assessment, an excellent cost-benefit ratio is revealed.

Very extensive data was available for the energy consumption analysis: Heating bills over 4 or 5 years, precise regional weather data, extensive building plans (floor plans, sections, views). In addition, the envelope surfaces (roof and dormers, solid exterior walls, plastic windows, basement ceiling) were inspected.

One of the first energy performance certificates was issued in 2006 on the basis of this good data. This certifies a consumption that is 28% below the requirement calculated in accordance with the EnEV. This evaluation from 2005/2006 as well as the history of measuring the k-value (today: U-value) and its use in the calculation for the thermal insulation certificate, in addition to other analyses, provided certainty in the evaluation. A validation was carried out to the effect that 2 independently acting scientific working groups, the FHTW Berlin and the FH Lausitz in Cottbus, came to comparable results.