View From Within: Heat Lost Through Walls

Nevertheless, energy saving technologies market in the capital is growing. International operators who have already established their presence here (ABB, Siemens, Mitsubishi, Danfoss and some others) anticipate further 5 to 10 fold growth in the near future. Moscow builders actively introduce heat and power saving technologies and construction materials when raising houses in the capital.

Saving by Law

“In Russia energy and heat consumption is traditionally too high. Energy saving technologies and materials in residential and non-residential construction were largely disregarded even only a couple of decades ago,” Vladimir Baranov, head of property management at RIGroup, admits. “Thermal protection used in developed buildings was not efficient. The heat literally leaked through the walls but it never occurred to anybody to install heat meters; nobody paid attention to that. Overconsumption of thermal energy was brought about by low efficiency of independent heat generators, large losses in central heating systems, lack of control over operation of heat generating units, etc.”

“Heat is lost mostly through walls and windows. That is why when designing modern buildings of any type special attention is paid to heat-conducting properties of construction materials,” Anna Shakina, construction materials specialist at the development company Siti - XXI Vek, says. Today’s requirements for materials and aggregates used for construction of residential and public buildings are laid down in the building rules and regulations – the main document governing energy saving for newly built properties in Moscow.

In 1994, Moscow city hall adopted the municipal building regulations (SNiP) “Energy saving in buildings”; a year later, the government adopted amendments to SNiP “Heating engineering in construction”; the federal government issued a decree “On urgent measures for energy supply”. The federal law “On energy saving” came into effect in 1996; two years later the federal target-oriented plan “Energy saving in Russia” was adopted.

Gosstroi (the State Committee for Construction and Housing), too, has made its contribution to energy saving policy by issuing decrees “On energy saving during design and construction” (No18-14, June 6 1997) and “On thermal protection of buildings and installations under construction” (No18-11, Feb 2 1998.) The committee ordered the Russian Academy for Architecture and Building Sciences to develop guidelines for designers “Designing thermal protection of buildings.” The regulations governing thermal protection of installations were drawn up on the basis of consumer approach towards building design. Analogously, the building regulations “Energy saving in buildings” were adopted at the request of the Moscow government (MGSN 2.01-98).

“Lately, the requirements of federal and municipal regulations on energy saving have toughened significantly,” says Sergei Sergeyev, head of the Hermitage Plaza project by Forum Properties. “Quite often laws in effect in Moscow are tougher than federal laws.” As an example, Sergeyev cites the municipal law “On energy saving” (No 35, Jul 5 2006).

That law obliges developers to bring facades of old developments under reconstruction in accordance with effective legislation. In other words, if a developer undertakes to refurbish an old building he will have to provide heat insulation for the fa?ade and carry out all necessary works, i.e. change window openings and doorways, architectural lighting, external drainage systems, etc “Quite often it happens so that the cost of reconstruction of a fa?ade proves to be much higher than the cost of heat supply in the course of many years,” Sergeyev admits. “That’s why investors often try to evade this law simply renaming reconstruction as current repairs. After all, in Moscow today there is no acute shortage of heating facilities.”

In July 2006, the Moscow City Duma (municipal legislature) passed the law “On energy saving in the city of Moscow” (No 35 Jul 5 2006. The law obliges individuals and companies to use energy efficiently and sparingly and promote development of alternative energy sources, and urges physical persons and legal entities to install heat meters and pay conscientiously for volumes actually used. The city energy saving policy is embodied in the target-oriented plan, designed to solve socio-economic, environmental and energy problems of the capital and to be financed from the municipal budget and external sources. Companies who save energy and teach others to do so by developing energy saving technologies are offered tax benefits.

Moscow developers, on their part, attach much more importance to sufficient heat supply to buildings under construction. “The main problem in Moscow is its infrastructure, roads, connection to power lines, water mains and sewage,” Sergei Polonsky, president of the corporation Mirax Group, admitted in an interview for the magazine Automation of Buildings. “Those are the pitfalls that disrupt all ambitious plans to boost construction volumes. The cost of connecting 1sqm of a completed property to external mains stands at $500.”

Speaking at the September session of the city hall, which reviewed the results of work of the municipal construction department in the first six months of 2006, Alexander Levchenko, head of economic development directorate, said that 5.8 million square sf space would be raised in Moscow in 2007, with a total power capacity of 605 megawatt. To that end it is necessary not only to overhaul the existing energy supply system but to build new networks – at least 200 to 250 of communication lines (power and heat mains) next year. Nowadays, the fuel and energy department and the department for urban planning are working on a plan to increase energy supply to the city.

Moscow city hall and RAO UES, Russia’s national power grid company, have reached an agreement on joint work. “In the course of the next two years Moscow is to eliminate the shortage and fragility of energy systems,” first deputy mayor of Moscow Yuri Roslyak told TV Center in a live interview in July. The official said that construction of power feed units, distribution networks and replacement of worn-out mains is underway in Moscow.

For the time being, in Central Administrative District alone many developments have been suspended only because of unavailability of power access, Sergeyev says. “The city hall’s move to increase the charges for the right to use power capacity has not solved the problem. Investors are forced to introduce energy saving technologies based on real-time monitoring of energy consumption in buildings. This allows to save power supply costs and distribute load on electricity networks efficiently,” Sergeyev says.

For most tenants of commercial properties power supply is critical, despite the acute shortage of office space in Moscow, he adds. “If a landlord fails to guarantee a would-be tenant required energy capacity, the latter will lose interest in the property. Nobody is interested in space, even in prime locations, where power outages occur regularly,” he concludes.

Foreign Technologies

International developers of high-end energy saving technologies are ready to render assistance to Russian builders. “One of the most efficient energy saving techniques is the use of variable frequency drives for pumps, ventilators, compressors, etc,” says Konstantin Ivanov, engineer at Danfoss. “That is a universal technology that may be applied both in homes and commercial properties.”

Ivanov says that Russia’s market of energy saving technologies began about a decade ago. Today the competition is quite strong. For example, Danfoss faces as many as 50 rivals today – a considerable increase from 1993 when the company launched operations in Russia. The company focused on the local real estate market less than a year ago although in Europe it has been working in that field for many years now.

“For the first tower of the Federatsiya complex the company provided 100 variable frequency drives and is bidding for a contract for the second tower, which will require 200 drives,” Ivanov says. Frequency converters are quite expensive. The estimated cost of equipment for the Federatsiya towers is 0.5 million euros. But then, the technology helps reduce energy consumption by 20-30% and pays back in 1 to 3 years, Danfoss says.

In order to persuade potential clients to purchase its drives Danfoss points out that energy saving technologies are widely applied in the West. “Such converters are very popular in Europe. Engineering systems in all sorts of buildings are equipped with them, from homes to hotels and supermarkets. But electricity costs in Europe are higher than here,” the expert admits. “In addition to energy saving, converters make spaces more comfortable to stay in, owing to very precise regulation of temperature and humidity levels. This is a costly but very comfortable solution for any building.”

“The market is saturated with all sorts of materials,” Shakina says. “While only eight years ago the main suppliers were foreign manufacturers today we have quite a wide choice both of domestic and international plants, to suit any taste and any budget.” The competition is strong, she says, and developers vie for customers by upgrading energy saving technologies.

Theirs and Ours

Already today Moscow developers are using a large variety of thermal protection systems. “The most efficient devices in terms of energy and heat saving are mineral wool and polymeric insulation materials,” Shakina says. “A combination of various materials and layers helps reduce heat losses and heating costs.”

“Construction materials used by commercial property builders, which may be called heat saving are not unique. Those are heating elements for facades (mineral wool, cellular polystyrene, etc) and glazing units, such as vacuum double glazing panes,” Sergeyev says. “To improve energy saving properties of facades builders make heat insulation layers thicker and take measures to improve heat insulation by glazing.” Shakina adds that high-speed construction with sandwich panels and metal structures and ventilated facades are very popular with commercial developers. Walls in residential buildings most often comprise three layers – stone blocks, insulating layers and coating.

For example, the building concern Krost equips its developments with heat saving structures manufactured by the company’s own production facility Mazhino. The residential estate Union Park uses three-layer protection modules manufactured with top quality concrete and efficient insulation materials. Krost’s engineers insist that such structures save more heat than traditional brickwork. Union Park’s facades are covered using the so-called matrix technology where a clinker (brick) is fixed to a slab as early as during its production instead of being attached or inserted in cells on ready-made surface as other builders do. As a result, a durable slab of top quality saves heat and at the same time serves as a decoration.

Inside Union Park’s homes two-pipe vertical heating system is installed, allowing unimpeded access to steel pipes which makes their maintenance easier. Apartments are equipped with steel Korado radiators with thermal regulators allowing residents themselves chose temperature regime in the rooms.

The company PIK’s houses KOPE, KOPE-M and Parus use three-layer outer wall panels and insulating materials cellular polystyrene 15A and laminated foil produced by Tigi Knauff Marketing and Mosstroiplastmass. KOPE houses use three-layer glazing of windows and balcony doors with double glass panes by German firm KBE, equipped with special valves making it possible to air the room without opening windows. Aluminum glazing of balconies improves heat and sound insulation, making homes more comfortable. Houses of the 111th series by 100KZhI are remarkable for top quality of thermal protection.

By introducing energy saving technologies the company has managed to reduce energy consumption by 46%. Outer walls of apartment blocks of the P111M series comprise three-layer 350mm panels manufactured with 80mm polystyrene. In terms of thermal insulation such structures are as efficient as 9 meter thick brickwork. PIK develops houses of that series chiefly in remote parts of the Moscow Region.

“Correctly chosen energy saving technologies help minimize building maintenance costs and the total cost of the project on the whole,” holds Damir Kaftaranov, general director at City Hotel. The company’s hotels are equipped with automated engineering systems including energy consumption measuring systems. Hot water supply is equipped with meters; meters to measure energy consumption and automated cut-out devices help minimize energy costs, Kaftaranov says. In order to reduce heating costs buildings use heat re-use ventilation. To ensure efficient thermal protection City Hotel also used insulating materials for walls, ceilings, basements and entrance doors. “Correctly chosen materials and technologies help save heating costs, especially in cold months,” Kaftaranov is convinced.