Seminar and social evening

New trend: Energy certification of buildings

Knauf Insulation, a leading manufacturer of insulation materials, organised on the occasion of the IBF construction trade fair in Brno a professional seminar, followed by a social evening for business partners and the press. Participants of the evening could make use of the chance to measure their strengths in a variety of team sports, such as table football. Great attention was devoted to the energy certification of buildings, in which the company is taking an active role.

Regarding the new directive making it mandatory to issue energy certificates for buildings (EPBD) Doc. Ing. Jiří Hirš, CSc. and his assistant Ing. Horák spoke in detail. Knauf Insulation was presented by its sales director, Ing. Karel Klátil; the use, application and advantages of glass wool in building construction were discussed by Ing. Ladislav Dvořák. The product manager from Nová Baňa, Miroslav Zliechovec, introduced to the audience the use and application of stone wool in buildings.

from right: Karel Klátil - sales director of Knauf Insulation, Doc. Ing. Jiří Hirš, csc. and the marketing director for eastern Europe, Jana Nedasová, discuss the energy labeling of buildings

The urgent need to address climate change was clearly expressed by the European Union in its clearly stated legislative regulations, to which the Czech Republic reacted with its declaration 148/2007 Coll., on the energy consumption of buildings, which is based on the directives of the European Parliament and the council of the EPBD. Criteria set in the declaration define the conditions for assigning a building to a certain energy class, and delimit the parameters for the exterior and interior insulation of buildings.

The energy certificate of a building classifies it into seven categories, from the extremely efficient (A) to the exceptionally wasteful (G). The "certificate" expresses the fulfilment of the required values of comparable indicators of the heating-technology qualities of the building and its construction, underscored by the fulfilment of the requirements of heat retention and low energy demand. The second instrument is the energy lable for the building's envelope. Starting as of January 1, 2009, both labels will be a required part of project documentation for the construction of new buildings, reconstruction of buildings with a floor area greater than 1000 m2, and the sale and lease of buildings.

Knauf Insulation has been actively concerned with the question of energy certification for over a year. Under its sponsorship, a unique project started last year that is part of the European campaign Display: buildings are divided into energy "efficiency classes" and simultaneously, evaluation is performed of their total environmental impact. Included in the project was the Masaryk Primary School in Krupka, and the public should be offered information on how energy is handled in local public buildings. Knauf Insulation collected data and information in two buildings of the primary school necessary for creating the Display energy label - the building's energy balance for the previous two years.

Also present at the event were members of the "energy patrol" - students dressed in police costumes, who will, as part of the street promotion "Stop spending on energy " inform the residents of ten large Czech towns on the necessity of saving energy expenses up to September, a project that Knauf Insulation started for the occasion of Earth Day this year. It focuses on increasing the information level of the public on questions of energy conservation. Chief emphasis is stressed on the monetary savings for energy in buildings in which 40 % of all energy is consumed, particularly for heating and air-conditioning. From April to September, the inhabitants of these ten towns across the Czech Republic will meet on the street these information-distributing "energy patrols" of students dressed in police costumes, who will inform the public of several new innovations in the field of energy consumption now being prepared. In particular, these include the energy certification of buildings, which should become a requirement as of January 1, 2009.