It is common to see in our cities scaffolding erected around buildings for the rehabilitation of the facades . It is not so common, however, that this rehabilitation meets any type of energy criteria. Fundamentally, they limit themselves to consolidating and repairing damaged elements to avoid putting the safety of pedestrians at risk, or stopping the degradation of the building due to lack of conservation. In any case, the work usually responds to the dimension of the actions previously indicated by an architect in the report of the Technical Inspection of the Building and seeks, only, to obtain the certificate of aptitude of the building. But the operation is not used to give it any added value.
From my professional point of view and as a user, it is a mistake not to take advantage of the need to carry out these works to improve the energy performance of buildings . As in order to rehabilitate a facade, a series of resources must be mobilized that have a significant impact on the cost of the work (scaffolding, machinery, personnel movements), the added investment that an energy rehabilitation requires compared to a conventional rehabilitation does not it is very high and recovers quickly (within approximately five years). The energy savings involved in heating and air conditioning can be up to 80%, which is a series of benefits that have a positive and transversal impact on our lives. On the one hand, there is the direct benefit of having the money saved for other things . In the family economy it can allow us, for example, to buy higher quality food, pay the gym fee or have more money for leisure. In the business economy, reduce costs and be able to offer better prices for our services or products. In addition, we would be improving the energy certification of the building , with the increased value that it entails. On the other hand, by reducing energy consumption we will be contributing to the quality of the environment, sustainability, and reducing the struggle for energy resources and energy poverty. And finally, improve the economy of our country by reducing foreign energy dependence.
We can conclude that you can get a lot out of the rehabilitation of a facade . You can even improve the world.
Sergio Sanz
Architect of KAITEK ARQUITECTURA
