EPB + Blower door test

EPB.

Who builds or renovates today, largely controls how the energy consumption will look like in the future. To control them (builders and house owners) by law, the energy consumption is regulated accordingly. We talk about “Energy Performance and Indoor Climate”, abbreviated EPB (“Energieprestatie en Binnenklimaat”).Construction and renovation projects for which a building permit or notification is required, shall meet the requirements EPB procedure. The requirements are regularly adjusted and the goal is to reach by 2021 the level of “nearly zero-energy building”.

Until 2021 the E level will be regularly squeezed:

2015 E60 (this is the year what is relating on me, because I gave in my building request)

2016 E50, 2018 E40, 2020 E35

And from 2021 every new home must at least meet the requirements (almost energy neutral) meet. This means that from 2021 planning applications or notifications must respect the E30 standard.

Calculation. There is companies with some program were it is calculating your E level. In simple words, you give in data from your building materials (walls, floor, roof, windows and doors), each of them have the R and U value (For some partitions are maximum heat transfer coefficients (U-values) imposed; other partitions subject to minimum thermal resistance (R-value) ) + most important think where you get points off is solar panels and blower door test.

So the goal actually is easy to reach E 60, that is why we choose higher goal, below E30, if you reach this level you get preemie from government (EUR 1800) and 5 year discount on you annual tax for house (total in 5 years around EUR 5000), + every single point less than E30 will give you extra EUR 50 per point.

Blower door test.

Like I mentioned most possible points to get off, is from blower door test, because this is the test where you can really check your house is there some gaps or not. A blower door is a machine used to measure the air tightness of buildings and to help physically locate air leakage sites in the building.

Maximum what you can get is 0 (the best) 12 (worse), 12 is like you leave open window and by test you receive 12. For passive houses this number is below 0.6 and average in Belgium is around 5. How do you think what I got ? Yes, I was shocked, I got 0.47, what is like passive house, me happy, of course, and it gave me maximum points off.

Dessert.

There was a hope for preemie, so below E30, but when company send me result I was super happy, my E level is 9, yes, I send back to double check, and it is so 🙂 So if you like to calculate, what is my reward, go ahead, my solar panels is for free Ernest 😀

If someone wants to check detailed report, feel free to ask me, I will share.