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Renovation work leads to 94% reduction in annual CO2 emissions
28 February 2011
The energy demand in 264 apartments in Cologne-Niehl, Germany, has been significantly reduced following renovation work. The apartments have been well insulated and this combined with the efficient distribution of heat via Danfoss flat stations means that the total CO2 emissions for all the apartment blocks are now almost next to nothing.
Residents of the 264 renovated apartments are saving money on their heating bills after a two-and-a-half-year modernization process. The blocks of flats, constructed between 1950 and 1951, were originally intended to house workers at the Ford factory in Cologne-Niehl.
Before the refurbishment, coal furnaces were the primary source of heating and the energy consumption of the buildings was approximately 290 kWh/m2/year. CO2 emissions were around 3,000 tons, which equates to 10 tons per apartment. Following refurbishment, the buildings are now so well insulated and efficient that energy consumption has been reduced to an average 47 kWh/m2/year.
“We have minimized the total annual CO2 emissions to only 180 tons, which is less than 0.7 tons per apartment per year. It is a dream result,” says Project Manager Monika Rösener.
Exceeding German legislation
The energy concept for the Ford buildings was developed by Jürgen Kannegiesser from the engineering company KaTplan GmbH in Münster. The concept ensures that the buildings’ total energy consumption is more than 30% below the level set by the German energy-saving scheme (Energieeinsparverordnung, EnEV) pertaining to new buildings.
“One of our goals was to improve the energy efficiency of the buildings,” says Project Manager Monika Rösener, commenting on the environmentally friendly concept, in which they invested almost 27.5 million euros.
How the energy-efficient heating system works
The optimized heating system has hot water directed through three local heat supply systems and is used for heating. The energy is supplied via calorific gas-fired boilers together with solar panels (vacuum tube collectors) installed on the south-facing roofs of the apartments. 60% of the water is heated using solar thermal collectors, and the solar heating is stored in three 15,000 litre underground tanks and fed into the local heating network. The heat is distributed via a Danfoss Ltd flat station installed in each apartment. Thanks to the optimized system operation, the residents benefit from the increased energy efficiency
About the Ford buildings
Originally there were 300 apartments with an average living area of 47m². Today, there are 264 family and single-occupancy apartments. The creation of particularly high-quality living space was achieved through the addition of an extra floor consisting of 81 maisonette apartments. The refurbishment began at the end of 2007.
In Germany, installing certain renewable energy sources such as solar panels is permitted by law in renovated buildings. The Ford buildings were refurbished with new windows and doors with solar heat protection, resulting in efficient insulation.