Builders: Increasing energy efficiency may not raise the prices of apartments

Some developers need to learn how to build energy-efficient apartments.

Prague - The mandatory increase in energy efficiency of buildings may not be reflected in higher apartment prices, as some developers warn. This is claimed by builders of passive houses from the alliance Chance for Buildings, stating that they can build energy-efficient houses at the same costs as the worst constructions that still meet the current standards. Residents will also save on operating costs.
    The alliance reacted to the statements of the largest domestic developers, according to whom the EU's requirement for gradually reducing the energy intensity of buildings will increase apartment prices by up to 15%, and the savings on energy will supposedly be consumed by higher operating costs of the technologies.
    "I understand that some developers lack sufficient experience in building energy-efficient buildings, and if they were to embark on it, it’s entirely possible that they would build them 15% more expensively and with complex maintenance-intensive technologies. However, builders who have experience with energy-efficient construction are able to build an energy-saving building for nearly the same price as the worst building that still meets the current Czech standards. It is below the level of the difference that might be attributed to the location or more expensive tiles in the bathroom," said the director of the alliance Petr Holub.
    According to developers, apartments will become more expensive mainly due to technologies such as forced ventilation with heat recovery. "Technically and constructively, we have learned to use simple standardized elements, so it can be said that a smartly built passive building is cheaper than a stupidly built energy-inefficient building. However, energy costs for our clients will be a quarter of what they would otherwise be, and in the regular use of the apartment, its owners will hardly notice any difference, except that they will have constantly fresh air and an environment free of moisture and microbes," noted Jan Řežáb from the company JRD, which builds passive houses.
    Some apartments in the energy-efficient standard are being built by Skanska. "In our opinion, this is a correct approach to utilizing technologies that are already commonly available. Ordinary users cannot be aware of all the technical possibilities that the field currently offers, and therefore we welcome the tightening of legislative requirements in this area. Furthermore, the Czech regulation is set so softly that even developers specializing in lower-quality construction will not have problems with it," noted Leoš Vrzalík from Skanska.
    Mandatory reductions in energy intensity will initially apply from 2016 to some newly constructed public buildings, such as offices, hospitals, and schools. For large apartment buildings, this obligation will apply from 2018, for smaller buildings from 2019 and for family houses from 2020.