Mental development is underway – opinions about what is important in the house or in the apartment change, which determine the standard of home life. The trends are clear, but the changes are evolutionary – and that is the most general conclusion of the latest release of the Healthy Homes measure. The pace of transformation is hampered not only by the limited financial resources of private investors, but also by the level of awareness and strong stereotypes.
The scale is a pan-European survey conducted since 2015. Velux Polska and its partners prepare the Polish version with national context and data. The publication presents the latest results of a survey of the opinions of Poles about their housing conditions, renovation plans, attitude towards the environment and sanitary construction.
Residents who are considering buying, upgrading or renovating an apartment or house often take environmental considerations into account, although costs are a strong barrier here. Space, green surroundings, light, clean air and minimal noise become important.
According to Velux’s report, we want to “live as close to nature as possible”, although this declarative and “modern” slogan may mean different things in practice and translate differently into investor practices, preferences and decisions.
The impact of buildings on sustainable living and quality – more and more people are talking about it. However, the discussion is often very technical – noted Jacek Siwiński, Chairman of Velux Polska, who presented the sixth edition of the circular. In the report, we talk about how to achieve comfort, luxury and healthy living in residential buildings.
Meanwhile, homes and apartments account for 40 percent. The emissions and energy consumption of the country, which, according to President Siwiński, shows the huge potential to reduce the environmental impact.
Among the housing expectations and needs outlined in the research, access to private outdoor space (garden, terrace, balcony) was predominant, at 29 percent. the answers. 22 percent indicated an additional place to work. Threads.
Energy saving is important for 13%, and there are other indicators that indicate adequate access to natural light, reduced noise, and improved air quality (11%). The importance of light and surrounding greenery was indicated by about 80 percent of respondents.
75 percent improved family comfort. Of the surveyed population, it is the main driver of investment, but it is also important to reduce energy bills (31% of responses). As against 57 percent, the biggest obstacle to such activities is the financial one.
Sensitivity to the impact of building materials on the environment is growing, but we still choose what is durable and cheap. Not every fourth pole takes into account environmental motives when deciding where to live.
Time for mass thermal refresh
Among the activities that improve the standard of living and the impact of housing on the environment, thermal retrofit is frequently mentioned.
– We encourage a comprehensive treatment of these activities – Siwiński resumed during the Prime Minister’s accompanying discussion of the barometer. At the same time, half-measures prevail, an example being the replacement of furnaces, which do not reduce energy consumption and still generate high emissions.
He argued that investment in thermal modernization could be a very important driver of the economic situation in the economic recovery process from the epidemic crisis.
– Financial issues are very important – said Joanna Zhdanowska, division head of the Department of Air Protection and Urban Policy at the Ministry of Climate and Environment during the discussion. – We have launched a number of support tools, not only related to replacing the heat source with environmentally friendly ones, but also activities related to thermal retrofit. We convince you to combine heat source replacement with thermal retrofit.
Also check: Great green potential for the National Reconstruction Plan
Zdanowska stressed the importance of the pilot program “Clean Air” with a budget of 100 billion PLN, mainly targeting single-family homeowners. The program has been modified according to the needs of the beneficiaries. About 3,000 applications are submitted every week – a representative of the ministry added.
– An old apartment, not isolated in a large panel, consumes power equal to 6 new apartments from a developer – confirmed Konrad Buchuki, Director General of the Polish Association of Developers.
It also drew attention to the misconception but firmly established that thermal modernization should be concerned primarily with the walls and elements of the building’s structure. 94 percent is lost through ventilation and household hot water. Only 6 percent get away with it, Piochocki said, which is what we’re devoting our attention to.
Wood and green
Kamil Wiezkowski, Chair of the Poland Council for the United Nations Global Compact Network, spoke about the use of wood in construction, stressing its advantages with energy-consuming materials such as cement, glass or steel.
From a UN perspective, construction is the best way to use wood from a climate change point of view – in the context of urban energy consumption – Wyszkowski emphasized. The judicious cultivation of forests as an alternative to energy-consuming cement or steel production is a counterargument to those who see the use of wood in construction as “cutting down forests”.
According to Wyszkowski, the use of natural materials that provide ventilation and heat insulation, and at the same time available, is the future of construction, as evidenced by examples of eco-buildings in Scandinavia or Germany. In Poland, according to Wyszkowski, we are also in the process of a renaissance of traditional shapes and materials.
Prefabrication – both wood and concrete – has also been mentioned within the offensive trends in construction. Here the stereotypes slowly change – wood is healthier, and the building should not be less durable than brick masonry.
The conclusions of the first discussion stated that regulations should promote mental changes.
– The legislative perspective should include a better and wiser definition of the target situation that the building must meet – Siwiński postulates. Also from the point of view of air quality, lighting and other conditions that are becoming more important to people. And the developers should be left free to achieve these goals.
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