Villa Pinta rakentumassa

Single-material Villa Pinta is a climate-friendly wooden house

The energy-efficient single-material wooden house Villa Pinta boasts a small carbon footprint. The house’s energy efficiency is guaranteed by carbon handprint-increasing Termex Cellulose insulation.

 

A professional in striking interior surfaces who has become known as an apartment flipper, Kati Jensen has produced an exhibition house, item 13, that is both energy-efficient and climate-friendly. The apartment area of the house is 182 m2 and its calculated energy consumption value is 77. For the heating of premises and domestic water, electrical equipment and cooling only use a calculated 13 437 kWh of purchased energy in a year. Villa Pinta thus belongs to the B energy class according to the 2018 energy certificate regulation.

Villa Pinta also got a good result in the calculation of climate impact. Its carbon footprint is 11.02 kg CO2e/hum2/a and its carbon handprint is -5.13 kg CO2e/hum2/a. The building’s total emissions during the evaluation period were only 109 carbon dioxide equivalent tonnes. The climate effects of Villa Pinna were analysed by Insinööritoimisto Vesitaito Oy, which performs energy and carbon footprint calculations on new buildings. The calculation was made using the One Click LCA program containing environmental impact profiles of construction products and materials. It is a browser-based cloud service for the environmental and life-cycle assessment of buildings.

 

Minor climate harm

A building’s carbon footprint consists of, for example, construction site operations, manufacturing of construction materials, and energy consumption during use. Emissions are reported in kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent per heated net area per year. 

Carbon handprints are made up of climate benefits resulting from construction, such as reuse of building parts, recycling of materials, and produced extra renewable energy. 

– Nowadays, in practice, half of the climate emissions of a new building are caused by energy consumption during use and half by the materials used. The more energy efficient a building is and the less emissions the energy it uses produces, the more the impact of the building materials used is emphasised in climate impact calculations, ECIA’s (European Cellulose Insulation Association) technical expert Juho Laaksonen emphasises.

The majority of Villa Pinna’s emissions came from the manufacture of construction materials. The next highest emissions are caused by energy consumption during operation. – Together, the construction phase, repairs and maintenance, and dismantling cause a relatively small share of total emissions, says construction engineer Anniina Pienimäki from Vesitaito Oy.

The reuse and recycling benefits of the materials used in the building are part of its carbon handprint. Villa Pinta’s wood-based materials bind atmospheric carbon dioxide, which is taken into account and evaluated in the carbon handprint as a carbon storage effect. 

 

Insulation ensures good indoor air

Kati Jensen invested in the energy efficiency and ecology of her house. The house and its domestic water are heated by an air-water heat pump, and the annual efficiency of ventilation heat recovery is 76 per cent. The house has the most energy-efficient structural solutions possible.

Villa Pinta’s single-material wood fibre structure is insulated with machine-blown Termex Cellulose insulation.

Using products containing recycled material is an effective way to reduce emissions. The fire- and moisture-proof Termex, made by defibrating ecologically sorted recycled paper in Finland, has a high specific heat capacity, meaning a high resistance to temperature changes. This property evens out sudden fluctuations in room temperature in relation to the outdoor temperature. The insulation material’s excellent thermal insulation properties are based on the seamlessness of the insulation, the breathability of the porous wood fibre, and its low air permeability.

Humidity affects the quality of room air. The breathable structure evens out the humidity fluctuations in the indoor air, keeping the humidity at a comfortable level.

The airtightness of Villa Pinta’s structures is brought about with Eltete Oy’s laminated diffusion-open Termex Kraft air barrier paper, made of wood.

 

Negative overall carbon balance

The carbon footprint of the wood-based Termex Cellulose insulation produced from recycled fibres is very small. Its total carbon balance in a life-cycle analysis can even be negative, as it stores more than ten times more carbon dioxide during the life cycle of a building than is emitted in its production.

Wind power certified by the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation and meeting the international EKOenergy criteria is used in the production of Termex. At the end of a building’s life cycle, the insulation can be either recycled back into thermal insulation or used, for example, as asphalt fibre.

– As an efficient and climate-friendly thermal insulator, Termex is perfectly suited to a climate-friendly and energy-efficient house like Villa Pinta. You can only be satisfied with the results of its climate impact calculations, says the CEO of Termex-Eriste Oy, Markus Rautiainen.

 

Calculations to become mandatory in 2025

The carbon footprint and handprint calculations of exhibition houses were already presented at Lohja’s Asuntomessut house exhibition last year. – In 2025, we will move from an energy rating control related to energy consumption to a life-cycle model. In addition to energy calculations, a separate climate report must also be prepared, Laaksonen says.

The average figure for the carbon footprints of the Lohja exhibition houses was 14 kg CO2e/m2/a. The life-cycle emissions of a detached house in the area were, on average, 106 carbon dioxide equivalent tonnes.

Villa Pinta’s carbon footprint is about a fifth (21.43%) smaller than the average of Lohja’s exhibition houses.

 

Almost to the finish line

Kati Jensen, who got started with her construction later than the other exhibition builders, after getting a plot through a cancellation, was able to catch up well with her neighbours. She says the strenuous building process went well. She is the most satisfied with the versatile, beautiful surfaces of her house. Kati is already looking forward to the start of the exhibition and welcomes visitors to get to know her house. – Of course, the end date of the exhibition is also marked on my calendar. After that I can move in!

 

Juho Laaksonen’s instructions for building a climate-friendly house:

  • Maximise energy efficiency.
  • Favour carbon-storing materials produced using low-carbon energy.
  • The materials should be recycled and easily reusable or recyclable.
  • Design the building to be durable and reasonably repairable if necessary.

Item: Number 13 Villa Pinta

Builder: Kati Jensen

Design: Kati Jensen and Bellarc Oy / Nina Helin CA

Floor area: 301 m2

Heated net area 182 m2

Energy class: B

Wall structure: U=0.16 W/m2K (Termex Cellulose 250 mm)

flat roof structure: U=0.08 W/m2K (Termex Cellulose 500 mm)

Calculated purchased energy consumption: 13,437 kWh/year

Air leakage rate q50: 2.0 m3/hm2 (airtightness measurement not done)

Carbon footprint of the building: 11.02 kg of CO2e/hum2/a

Carbon handprint of the building: -5.13 kg CO2e/hum2/a

Building’s total emissions during the assessment period: 109 t CO2e

Carbon footprint of the building site: 1.18 kg of CO2e/hum2/a

Carbon handprint of the building site: -0.16 kg CO2e/hum2/a

Building site’s total emissions during the assessment period: 12 t CO2e