Sustainable building is top of the agenda.
All over the world, both the demand for energy and the prices associated with it are rising dramatically. More and more, there is a desire to find environmentally friendly and energy-saving solutions that can be translated into sustainable concepts, with the aim of both reducing costs and achieving a strengthened position in relation to competitors. This means that energy-optimised and innovative products, as well as building management systems with control technology, are playing an increasingly important role.
Energy efficiency starts with the building envelope
Both the sustainability and the quality of buildings are inextricably linked to the components that are used and how they are installed. As far as the building envelope is concerned, ESSMANN, in its role as a manufacturer of intelligent daylight systems, is careful to distinguish between the roof and the facade, although today's lighting and ventilation demands actually have a great deal in common. When developing products, the main emphasis is the principle of sustainability rather than the idea of handling or working with purely physical energy. Firstly, better building insulation cuts heating costs in the winter by reducing heat loss. Secondly, in the summer it also slows down unwanted increases in temperature.
With its holistic approach to energy efficiency, ESSMANN concentrates on optimising the opening units in the facade and roof that are used to admit daylight and air. With regard to these openings in particular, special care needs to be taken to ensure that the requirements of the Energy Savings Directive (EnEV) are met within the context of the building envelope.
Exploiting daylight with skylights
Daylight that streams in from above is up to five times brighter than the light that enters through the windows on the side of the building. Nature has been really good to us in giving us this form of energy that we can use every day, free of charge. Because we need light to live, to work and to feel a sense of well-being. However, to make the most of these manifold benefits, there is a need for advanced products, resistant materials and durable technology. ESSMANN skylight domes and arcade rooflights, which come with a range of different glazing options, are extremely effective at capturing the light and directing it towards the areas where it is needed. This allows you to create perfectly lit, pleasant work stations, for example.
Thanks to its ESSMANN AeroTech glazing options, for example, the manufacturer is also able to offer sophisticated and energy-efficient glazing solutions that cater not only for financially attractive new build projects, but also for roof renovation projects and projects aimed at enhancing the energy balance of existing buildings.
The new i (insulation) and ih (insulation high) arcade rooflights are the latest additions to the ESSMANN range of arcade rooflight products. These premium products from the flat roof expert based in Bad Salzuflen are designed to meet the toughest of requirements in terms of energy, technology and visual appearance.
Controlled aeration and deaeration
Wherever people gather (such as in shops, schools or even production halls), the areas concerned should ideally be supplied with fresh air throughout and in a systematic way. Both these requirements can be met today by using controlled natural ventilation solutions that rely on the roof and facade and take account of the latest energy efficiency demands. Ideally, there should be no need to be constantly running air conditioning systems. However, mechanical support can be provided if necessary in the form of a hybrid system. In our experience, eliminating the need for air conditioning systems is a tried-and-tested method for improving the energy balance in administration buildings as well as at production and storage facilities.
Quality seal for high energy efficiency
ESSMANN offers custom solutions that are designed to protect the environment and the climate in the long term. It does not just see the terms "environmentally friendly" and "sustainable" as the latest trend. Rather, energy efficiency is one of the daylight specialist's core competencies. ESSMANN, energy issues are always dealt with in relation to the specific project and its environmental setting. The latest product developments bear the ESSMANN energy efficiency seal, which denotes high energy efficiency and cost savings. It is only used to identify products that meet the stringent demands of the ESSMANN GROUP with regard to energy efficiency. These are met, for example, by exploiting daylight, optimising the U value or integrating the products into intelligent control concepts or renovation projects. The product development team aims to ensure that all of its efforts generally result in improvements to overall building energy efficiency that can be verified and measured. This is also something it sets out to achieve in line with the directives of the European Parliament.
