BUILDINGS WITH ALMOST ZERO ENERGY CONSUMPTION

TBC review and its economic impact on the sector

The revision of the TBC, of September 2020 (2020 building regulations), in its BD HE, establishes what the total energy consumption of new buildings will be.

The concept of NZEB or Nearly Zero Energy Consumption Buildings appears for the first time in Directive 2010/31/EU of the European Parliament on the energy efficiency of buildings.

The modifications that are proposed in relation to the Basic Energy Saving Document, fundamentally affect how the energy demand of buildings is evaluated and must be foreseen when incorporating active and passive thermal conditioning strategies, as well as the evaluation of energy consumption.

Therefore, the low energy demand required by the NZEB requires the incorporation of maximum energy efficiency facilities.

Within the passive strategies, the most important will affect the thermal envelope.

Increasing the insulation and tightness of the envelopes, guarantees, together with forced ventilation systems, the quality of the air inside the houses with almost zero consumption. Strict control must be carried out on unwanted air inlets and all thermal bridges that may appear.

Building with almost zero consumption: current situation in the construction sector

The new provisions pointed out in the last revision of the TBC of September 2020, so necessary to adapt the sector to the new times and improve the benefits of the buildings, inevitably raise the cost of the execution of the work.

In economic terms, the construction sector is in an almost perfect market, where almost all the suppliers are in contact with almost all of the applicants.

This absence of market imperfections means that the sale price (equilibrium point in the supply-demand graph) of each unit of work is at prices that can hardly be bettered.

To correct the increase in costs associated with the new CTE ordinances, we therefore must implement a series of alternative measures that current technology allows us.

Many of them are included in the new transformation of the sector, called Construction 4.0, namely:

• Industrialization in construction processes. Eliminating manufacturing on site and focusing the work of the operators on the installation of the products. The speed of execution affects the returns on investment and the satisfaction of the end customer.

 

• Maximum incorporation of technologies. Use of new materials that maximize performance in minimum thicknesses, granting a gain in terms of useful square meters of the homes, and applying the concept of DRY WORK as much as possible.

• Modularity to make the response on site as flexible as possible. Prefabricated systems but with on-site adjustment, which allow us to continue their execution in the face of problems that are inevitably generated during their construction.

• Light and resistant elements, which avoid the use of large cranes, and optimize the dimensioning of the foundations and support structures.

The implementation of these measures will allow us to enter this new era, without the need to increase the cost of work and therefore pass it on to the end customer.

 

What does the TABIHAUS® Efficient Construction System contribute to NZEBs or Nearly Zero Energy Buildings?

By building with the Tabihaus® System, we achieve:

• Meet TBC requirements.
• Minimum transmittances in minimum wall thickness. Gain of useful square meters.
• Flame retardant (EI 120 or EI 180), water repellent, antibacterial, permeable to water vapor.
• Very high speed of work, without waiting times. Installation even on rainy days.
• Prefabricated product, but extremely light, and adaptable on site.
• On-site repair possible.
• Dry work, almost total elimination of the mortar on site.
• UV protection, durability.
• Debris removal.

Elimination of large cranes and transportation costs.