Frequently asked questions

Do you have question? Ask us, we are here to help you.

 

How to choose a right site?

Which kind of site is good? Thats the question you have to answer first. Right orientation is a base. Dimension is a second factor, third is terrain sloping.  This factor very often influence your budget.
Site orientation is very important. If your site doesn´t have the best orientation, your spectre of variantions narrows. It influence not only  sufficient house sunlit, but also comfortability of dwelling, which you reach thanks to the sun. Sun is very important psychological element,which support your good mood. Each room in the house has appropriate orientation, e.g. living room on south, bedroom on west, kids bedroom has ideal east orientation, kitchen north etc. This is not a tabular determination, but fact based on long years architecture experience, feng shui etc.
Site dimension is another important aspect influencing good feeling of dwelling in a family house. It actually doesn´t matter how big the site is, but what is ratio. E.g. 20×30 metres is ideal site for ioptimal financing. Site in square size is not really ideal. E.g. plot of 20x20m has a small garden. Site of 30x30m has a vast garden all around.  On site 40x40m you can already build 2 houses. So it always work to stay in dimensions of 20 – 25m on width and longer dimension to the garden.  Obviously, we talk about ideal orientation. With north orientation of the site is right to buy a plot wide minimum 30 m, as 6m will take only garage and entrance road.
Site on a slope or on a flat is real question of budget and luxury. House on a slope is something, what would love to have most of the Slovaks. It is all about the view. If your house is situated on a slope, your expences spend on a foundations rapidly increase, pivnici vo svahu, so ground work, retaining walls and reverse dusting. This is everything what is necessary, if you build a house on a slope.  Price is around 30% to 80% of price for house on a flat, with mild slope it makes 15%-25%.


What does include project for building approval ?

  • Architecture
  • Statics
  • Fire safety
  • Energy bilancy
  • Professions
  • Electricity
  • Heating
  • Sanitary (with connections)
  • Gas

What kind of heating exist? Heating variations

  • Gas boiler, floor heating – most popular – economical
  • Gas boiler, radiators – often used – economical
  • Gas boiler, floor convectors with floor heating – economical
  • Electrical floor heating(DEVI) – without possibility of connection to the gas fixture – expensive but comfortable
  • Electrical boiler, radiators, without possibility of connection to the gas fixture– uneconomical
  • Electrical boiler, floor convectors with floor heating – uneconomical
  • Heat pump GROUND – WATER, floor heating – saving mode around 45% ,but  higher initial expenses approx. 150%
  • Heat pump WATER – WATER, floor heating– the highest saving mode untill 65%, but higher initial expenses approx. 230%
  • Heat pump AIR, floor heating – less savings, ale predsa 15% higher initial expenses approx. 50%
  • Heat pump GROUND- less savings , around 20% and higher initial expenses approx. 100%
  • Wood gasifying boiler – the highest saving mode
  • Hot-air ventilation(recuperation) – passive house. The highest saving, but house need to be passive or plus house
  • Solar panels– saving as addition to the final heat up of hot water
  • Hot-air heating in fireplace (air ducts) – it worth for reasonable price. Work as a heating in the fireplace

Gas boiler, floor heaing?

Gas boiler in combination with floor heating. Boiler propose heating engineer based on energy bilancy of the building.  It could be condensation or turbo boiler. It depends on specific house. Floor heating is possible to combine with radiators, but also ladder radiators, typical for bathrooms in combination with warm heating network.

Gas boiler, radiators?

Gas boiler in combination with radiator heating.Boiler propose heating engineer based on  energy bilancy of the building.  It could be condensation or turbo boiler. It depends on specific house. Radiator heating is rather used if client choose classic parapet window instead french windows. In market are available also 40cm radiators, which are more aesthetic and remind convectors.

Gas boiler, floor convectors?

Gas boiler in combination with radiator heating.Boiler propose heating engineer based on  energy bilancy of the building.  It could be condensation or turbo boiler. It depends on specific house.  Floor convectors are used in case of sizeable windows orientated to the exterior and by their position they do not hinder in transition. Floor heating for sizeable window surfaces doesn´t suffice and can water can condensate around. It is possible to combine it with heating body.

Electrical floor heating (DEVI)?

Today is more often used electrical floor heating, which have a lot of advantages. First of all, it is double tariff electricity. In low-energy house you spend 20 to 35 EUR monthly. With such a low price it worth to have floor electrical heating and save in use of electrical energy. With heating setting will company regulate fine time range to heat, to prevent expensive tariff. Second advantage is speed of heating-up and saving on heating. When you turn on electrical floor heating, floor is warm within 15 seconds. On the other hand, in case of water medium, it is necessary to wait 15-20 min to heat-up a water, which prolong your heating and also expense. Another advantage is, if you will invest in floor, you won´t vaste heating energy and you don´t need to change floors.

Electric boiler, radiators?

In most cases, if you won´t get double tarif, due to lack of capacity of electric energy in certain locality. Mostly cottage areas, where gas is not available, either fund of electrical energy in network. In this case are used electrical heaters (radiators) hanged on the wall, which have their consumption. Itis the most expensive heating, which worth to use only in passive house.  Or there is second alternative, electroboiler, which heat medium – WATER, which inject into classic radiators.

Electric boiler, floor convectors?

This type is mostly used if you won´t get doublw tariff, due to lack of capacity of electrical energy in certain locality. Mostly they are cottages, where isn´t connection to gas, but also no capacity of electricity network. It this case is used electroboiler, which use as warm up medium WATER, which drives it into convector even in low-energy house.

Heat pump WATER, floor heating?

Heat pump WATER rank betweenmost used heat pump in the world. Energy is taken from air and is mixed with medium energy. Temperature difference worth in summer months, but also today when you can use energy even in -20°C. Simply explained, it works as bottom up fridge. Energy save with heat pump WATER is around  30%. It is very well combines with floor heating in low-energy house, where this combination works. Heating-up is today secure via electricity or gas. With electricity you can ask for double tariff rate.

Heat pump AIR, radiators?

Heat pump AIR is most used heat pump in the world. Energy is taken from air and is mixed with medium energy. Temperature difference worth in summer months, but also today when you can use energy even in -20°C. Simply explained, it works as bottom up fridge. Energy save with heat pump AIR is around  30%. It is possible to combine with  radiator heating, you just need to count with higher amount of spend energy, because of higher temperature of medium in radiator. Finish heat-up is provided by electricity and gas. With electricity you can request double tariff rate.

Heat pump EARTH, floor heating?

Heat pump GROUND is the cheapest variation of heat pumps on the market, that´s why it has the smallest saving amount. It is a snake underground your site, where medium circulates. It take on certain energy, which is later transfered into heat pump and used for water heating and helps also house heating. Substantiality of heat pump GROUND is around  15%. Disadvantage is that in places where is heating snake is not possible to park  a car or transit heavy vehicle. Grass doesn´t realy grow there, also anything else and  return is the longest from all type of heat pumps. It worth for people living abroad, who get  public funding for heating, in countries as Austria, Germany, Switzerland and other developed countries.

Heat pump GROUND, radiators?

Heat pump ground is the cheapest variation of heat pumps on the market, that´s why it has the smallest saving amount. It is a snake underground your site, where medium circulates. It take on certain energy, which is later transfered into heat pump and used for water heating and helps also house heating. Substantiality of heat pump GROUND is around  15%. Disadvantage is that in places where is heating snake is not possible to park  a car or transit heavy vehicle. Grass doesn´t realy grow there, also anything else and  return is the longest from all type of heat pumps. It worth for people living abroad, who get  public funding for heating, in countries as Austria, Germany, and other developed countries.

Gasification boiler (wood)?

Gasification boiler is interest technology, which has traditional character rather than modern. It is also used for heating a water. Incredible performance can be achieved at lowest energy class C. It’s actually a furnace which serves as a boiler. One log about every 12 hours and water and air are  still war. You can also use briquettes.

Hot-air heating (recuperation)?

Recuperation of air means natural air exchange in  passive houses. In passive house is not necessary to have any heating, as it is perfectly insulated and doesn´t have any thermal bridge. This is reason for ventilation in passive houses. House which doesn´t breathe moist. Recuperation with heating-up use as a heating medium, which has minimal consumption and warm air is trasfered in ventlation duct system into the rest of the house. Warm air which is used, device mix couple of times and reause again for another heating-up, to save in use and energy supplementation for heating medium AIR.

What is thermal bridge?

Thermal bridge is possible to characterize as a part of construction, where  significantly changes internal surface temperature.  This is connected with the change of thickness in building construction. Firstly, because of different size of internal area, which accept heat, and external area, which submit the heat(e.g. corners of the wall, floors, etc.) Thermal bridges arise around  spots like over-window and over-door lintels, wall edges, attic, in place where roof load-bearing elements join with external wall around balcony and loggia. All spots with thermal bridges is necessary to overlay by thermo insulative material with such a thickness, to ensure that decrease of internal surface temperature is the lowest possible. In any case we can not reach a limit of rise of  mold, as they are serious problem and influence human body in very negative way.

Solar panels?

Solar panels are supplement to existing heating devide, as a boiler or heat pump. It is great in the summer time, when it has the highest coverage and delivers energy from the WATER media  for water pre-heat and possibly to heating. It is very often with exterior pools, where you can have warm water untill october.

Hot-air fireplace heating (air distribution)?

This type of additive heating is one of the other possibilities of heating and at the same time use of fireplace device. If you have fireplace insert  from 6 to10 kW performance, you can use it not only for heat-up a living room, but also on distribution piping hot air, which is possible to connect untill 5m distance and won´t loose on intensity of heat air. Disadvantage is noise, which spread via piping. Another disadvantage is dought. Such a high temperate dry heating space and it is necessary to provide a place with diffusion materials such as e.g. unburnt clay.

Ventilation (passive house)?

Ventilation connects with recuperation, but heating is not necessary to use. If you are not supporter of air-condition devices, we recommend you  ventilation with air cooling. It is healthier and use les energy. It is often used in the slope, where is not possible to ventilate naturally and is necessary to have ventilation air-conditioning.

Ceiling cooling system?

Ceiling cooling system is ideal for clients with high claims, who want to avoid noise produced in ventilation ducts and don´t like air-condition. This type of system is based on floor heating, but with opposite temperature of medium. Water in snakes cools, doesn´t heat. Cold air falls from th ceiling, or in case of windows it falls from the walls, what produce great climate in the house. Disadvantage is consumption and initial investment.

Why do I need heat pump?

Heat pump produces energy for heating and  preparation of domestic hot water. From nature it removes low potential heat (from ground, water, air),either from industry ( garbage heat) and converts it into heat with high potential, which can be very practically used for heating( especially for low-energy houses), heating- up water ( heat pump can also pre-heat a water, which is later discharged into heating system) or also for cooling ( in this case works heat pump oppositively – takes heat from rooms and cools them via work substance, which  heat back to nature).

What is recuperation and how it can improve dwelling quality in my house?

In passive, low-energy, but also standard family houses, ventilation via traditional way (windows) means quite high loss of heat energy and temperature uncomfortability (wind, cold air). That´s why were developed system of controlled ventilation, which optimize change of air in dwelling unit and also increase dwelling comfort. Moreover it is possible to add a unit with reverse heat acquisition – heat exchanger, thereby reduce thermal energy loss. Ventilation system with recuperacy ensure a steady supply of fresh air to the  living spaces of residential buildings and create internal air comfortability and moreover heat from the exhaust air with over 60% efficiency transmit fresh air supplying.

How is counted heating price?

Into expences for heating falls price for heat, but also price of heating devices possible repair and maintanance. Price of heating device is topped with price for combusted fuel used during the lifetime, plus price for maintanace if it is significant number. This number is divided by years of lifetime and you will get year expences. Huge impact presents  thermo insulation characters of walls, roof, floors, windows, doors, but also heating an ventilation.

How much can be your site upbuild and what is building line and regulations?

Under the term upbuild area we understand plan area, which is defined by an outer peripheral wall structures. Building line form a boundary between build and unbuild site area. This line belong between basicregulations and is mostly set out in zoning plan. We distinguish : fixed, with possibility of unilateral deviation. Also exist kind of reccomended building line. Zoning plan of township can, but doesn´t need to include other regulations,which is necessary to respect: functional use of the site, site utilization rate (ratio area which is built, floor space index, …), limit the location of the building, street line, the height adjustment (maximum number of storeys, building heights), guideline architectural appearance (roof types, building division, …) the entrance location etc.

What is building tightness and how does it impact ventilation?

Low-energy houses and passive houses are characterized by use of energy and primary energy demand. Required values are reach by thermal-insulation characters of building cover. Important character play building tightness. Tightness should minimize heat loss and air lossvia building cover, as energy loss in case of passive house can represent tens percent of whole heat loss.  As well it should secure environment for the correct operation of ventilation with heat recovery. This kind of device significantly meliorate energy bilancy, which is a necessity with this kind of houses. Perfect building tightness should stop transfer of moist interior air into building cover and prevent the condensation in the structure and thus its permanent impairment.

What is the difference in price of lo-energy house and passive house?

Initial expenses in passive house are approximately 5% higher than low-energy house.

What is the advantage of electrical heating, especially floor heating?

Electrical heating can be operationally most economical way of heating compared to any other source of energy.  Plus other important factors as ecology and health.  The most important advantage of electrical heating is a good heat distribution in the room. Comparable to heating via radiators, it is possible to reach energy saving of  10 – 15%. With floor heating doesn´t arise undesired flow of air followed by swirling of dust and another allergens. It prevents the formation of mold and mites. Electrical heating is clean, productive, quiet, easy to maintain and regulate.

What include project for gas connection?

gas connection

Gas connection is necessary to propose if you want to bring gas tothe house.

gas distribution in the house

Gas distribution is necessary to propose in case, if you want to connect home devices on a gas. E.g. gas cooker, gas, boiler or if you want to connect gas to heat pump.

How is technology return used in construction of low-energy house?

Return depends on used building system, whole concept and used technology, which span on a level of 10-17 years. How is garage and foundations insulated ? Exists couple of variations. With pre-fabricated  system are used polystyrene concrete blocks. In case of brick house is possible to use all types of thermal insulation. With passive house is insulated ground part of the building, which is part of the passive system.