Housing in a brick house offers comfort and energy savings

Energy savings in housing is the number one topic. A significant influence on how much we will heat in a future home also depends on the choice of building material. Although many do not want to believe it, the numbers speak clearly: energy-efficient housing can be obtained even from single-layer brick masonry – that is, without additional insulation!

“Fired bricks have been a popular building material for several thousand years,” says Ing. Richard Slavík from Wienerberger. “They offered high strength, long lifespan, and simple construction. The internal structure of the brick and the properties of fired ceramics also prevented heat loss through the walls while allowing water vapor to pass through, thus guaranteeing living conditions without unpleasant stuffiness inside the house.”

One system for all housing
Due to their properties, fired bricks are still one of the most commonly used building materials today. Although new constructions mainly utilize brick blocks, classic small bricks have definitely not disappeared. “People prefer brick blocks mainly because of the wide range of products with absolutely unique properties,” explains Slavík. “Our POROTHERM range not only offers top products but also a complete bricklaying system, allowing them to build an entire house using products from one brand.”

How to achieve energy savings
“Today's modern brick systems have such properties that allow for the construction of energy-efficient housing even in the form of single-layer masonry (without additional insulation). The demands for energy consumption for heating in these houses are indeed very low,” warns Richard Slavík.
For the construction of energy-efficient houses, the POROTHERM range includes special super-insulating bricks POROTHERM Si and POROTHERM Ti. In both cases, these products meet the demands of builders for bricks that minimize heat loss through the walls while also allowing water vapor to pass through.
“Although many may see the requirement for vapor permeability as an unnecessary luxury, it is a fundamental condition for comfort in living,” points out Ing. Petr Veleba, who deals with the internal climate of housing at Wienerberger. “When combined with the excellent thermal insulation properties of the brick, this creates an ideal prerequisite for creating pleasant and energy-efficient housing.”

POROTHERM Si in two forms
Special thermal super-insulating brick blocks POROTHERM Si are available in two variants for wall thicknesses of 40 or 44 centimeters. Both bricks, POROTHERM 40 Si and POROTHERM 44 Si, including accessories, meet the requirements for thermal insulation properties of external walls. In the case of finishing this masonry with properly applied plasters, its capabilities increase, exceeding the required values and even the values recommended by standards.
“The POROTHERM Si bricks have very high thermal resistance values and conversely a low thermal conductivity coefficient. They can therefore retain heat well in the room while preventing its escape through the walls. With proper ventilation, there is no need to fear unpleasant cold in these houses, hence no need for additional heating,” explains Slavík.
The POROTHERM Si bricks are intended exclusively for external load-bearing walls. In addition to their top thermal insulation properties, they offer additional advantages. The tongue-and-groove connection simplifies, speeds up, and enhances the precision of construction. Thanks to the wide range of accessories, including end, half, and corner bricks, it has simplified the previously challenging masonry work where walls join at corners or in areas where windows and doors are installed.

POROTHERM Ti with internal filling
The specific feature of the recently introduced bricks POROTHERM 36.5 Ti is the internal perlite filling that comes directly from production. “Builders do not need to fill the bricks or insulate them in any other way and can be assured that all bricks are of the same quality,” states Richard Slavík.
The POROTHERM 36.5 Ti bricks combine the benefits of solid brick masonry and masonry with thermal insulation, which is not needed here. This effectively prevents heat loss through the walls, while the house can "breathe." The lifespan of the structure is as high as in the case of traditional brick masonry. Along with the full brick, a supplementary brick POROTHERM 36.5 ½ Ti is also being introduced, designed for finishing walls.
The POROTHERM 36.5 Ti bricks are precisely planed to a height of 249 mm. Due to this adjustment, the masonry has a bed joint thickness of only 1 mm. The combination of tongue-and-groove connection and the method of thin joint masonry speeds up, enhances precision, and reduces costs due to minimal mortar consumption. When purchasing bricks, builders receive special mortar for masonry free of charge. The application set (mortar cart), which is required for thin joint masonry, can be borrowed upon request from technical advisors at Wienerberger.

POROmetr for a perfect overview
“If builders want to have an overview of how much heat is escaping from their walls, our latest innovation – the POROmetr – will help them,” says Petr Veleba. “The POROmetr also allows for calculating lost heat in monetary terms.” This unique gauge offers a comparison of walls made from all types of POROTHERM bricks intended for building external walls.
For the calculation, you only need to know the size of the area of the outer wall of the house, excluding the areas of windows and doors. In the upper right box of the POROmetr, simply enter the size of the outer wall areas. From the data displayed in the other boxes, you can immediately get an overview of the annual energy consumption requirements of the house. The upper figure indicates the heat requirement for heating, covering losses due to heat escape through the walls, while the lower figure converts this value "into money" when using a conventional gas boiler.

More information can be found at
www.porotherm.cz and www.porometr.cz.