Day care centre in Pankow 01

Day care centre in Pankow

Facade coating in 2004: ClimateCoating® ensures a beautiful building and a healthy climate at the St. Maria Magdalena day-care center for children

Berlin, August 9, 2004. While politicians are still discussing better funding for childcare, Berlin’s daycare centers are increasingly receiving support from the business community. The daycare center of the Catholic parish of St. Maria Magdalena in Pankow, for example, is pleased to celebrate its 10th birthday over a refurbished building. Thanks to the support of two Berlin companies, the formerly grey house at Boris-Pasternak-Weg 16-20, near Schönhausen Palace, will shine in a beautiful shade of terracotta for the big birthday summer festival on 29 August.

The main sponsor is the Berlin-based SICC GmbH, which is one of two companies worldwide that manufactures the innovative ClimateCoating® surface coating and distributes it exclusively in Germany, Europe and the Middle East. SICC GmbH provided around 1000 litres of its ClimateCoating® ThermoProtect product free of charge and financed the painting work. The company Hoffmann Gerüstbau provided the necessary scaffolding free of charge for the duration of the renovation work.

Thanks to ClimateCoating®, the approximately 70 children at the St. Maria Magdalena daycare center can now be cared for in an environment that is as beautiful as it is healthy. Because ClimateCoating® not only reduces annual heating costs by up to 30 percent, it also protects the building from mold, algae, cracks and environmental pollution. Thanks to an optimum humidity of around 55 percent and even heat distribution, a building coated with ClimateCoating® has a permanently healthy and pleasant feel-good climate, especially for children with allergies and asthma. And in the hot summer months, the rooms no longer heat up so unpleasantly.

“We parents are very happy that the kindergarten now looks so nice and that SICC GmbH is doing so much for our children,” explains the chairman of the parents’ association Wolf Dornblut. Ursula Erler from the building department of the archbishop’s office is also enthusiastic: “When the parish of St. Mary Magdalene took over the responsibility for the daycare center ten years ago, the rooms were renovated on the inside, but there was simply never any money for an exterior renovation. That’s why we were very pleased with the offer from SICC GmbH to renovate the daycare center free of charge.”

After approval by the responsible monument authority – the daycare center is located in the access road to Schönhausen Castle – construction work could begin at the start of the daycare center holidays at the beginning of July. Everything should be ready in time for the big summer festival on 29 August. On this day, children, parents, educators, community members and residents will celebrate the birthday and the completed renovation together with the employees of SICC GmbH and the company Hoffmann Gerüstbau. Interested visitors are cordially invited. “This project has been a lot of fun for us and we will certainly continue to work in this direction,” said SICC Managing Director Waldemar Walczok. “After all, our children are the most important thing we have.”

Apartment blocks in Botkyrka 01

Apartment blocks in Botkyrka

A striking application for the ClimateCoating® calculation values. 12% energy savings through façade renovation with ClimateCoating® ThermoProtect

The Botkyrka apartment blocks were two large apartment buildings with the address Branta Backen 7-15 and 17-29 in Tumba, Botkyrka municipality near Stockholm in Sweden. Botkyrka is a municipality in the Swedish province of Stockholms län and the historical province of Södermanland. The main town of the commune is Tumba.

In 2009, preparations for the facade renovation were underway. This included inspections, consultations and a projection of the expected energy saving potential. Using the ClimateCoating® calculation values, the Berlin engineering firm DIMaGB determined a ΔUäqu of 19%, which leads to a savings potential ΔQ = 12% when the building geometry is taken into account.

As a result of a profitability analysis, the housing company decided to renovate the façade with a ClimateCoating® ThermoProtect coating. In February 2014, ÅF-Infrastructure AB, an international Swedish engineering / consulting company conducted an evaluation of the monitoring. “For Branta Jaws 7-15, the decrease [of energy consumption] corresponded to 11.0% and for Branta Jaws 17-29 to 13.2% during the same period.”

Kindergarten in Vilnius 06

Kindergarten in Vilnius

Double-skin masonry 2 x 11 cm, cold winters. Instead of facade insulation with polystyrene on the advice of a German building expert: Core insulation with cellulose and ClimateCoating® inside and outside; Golden Globe Award 2011

Short summary
The kindergarten “Saules Gojus” (Sun Grove) is located on the outskirts of Vilnius. With approx. 500 m² the house offers space for up to 45 children. As part of the first renovation phase in 2004, core insulation made of cellulose flakes was blown into the air gap of the exterior walls. In the second phase, the interior and exterior were painted with the thermoceramic membrane technology ClimateCoating® to improve thermal insulation. As a result, heating costs were reduced and cooling times extended – with improved thermal comfort and a reduced risk of mould even in problem areas. In addition to long-lasting weather protection of the dehumidified wall, the coating protects against heat radiation in winter and heating up in summer.

Evaluation criteria

  • Project Objective:
    energetic retrofitting, max. Results with a small budget of a young family-run company (economic efficiency), durable ecological building materials with structural-physical and health safety.
  • Innovative approach:
    not doing what everyone around is doing – instead combining technologies/systems, using surface active coating.
  • Cost/Benefit:
    maximum upgrading of the building at modest financial cost (see also: project objective), long maintenance intervals, the objective (high benefit at low cost) was achieved.
  • Multiplicability:
    In principle, yes, although the individual case must always be examined – in this case the special feature was the core insulation, other combinations are also possible (cf. project “Wood fibre ETICS in Berlin”).
  • Environmental Sustainability:
    is given to a high degree, toxic and pollutant-free building materials, as a result emission reductions are given.

In the first stage of the renovation, the sanitary facilities and the entire electrical system were renewed and the house was adapted to the needs of the children. It was important to improve the energy efficiency of the exterior walls, which were double-shell masonry with an air gap of 7 cm and a U-value of 0.8 W/m²K. Although the U-value is not the only decisive factor for the energy balance of the building, it is nevertheless a parameter that must be taken into account in winter temperatures of around -20°C.

The expert advised against covering the façade with polystyrene panels as an ETICS, as was often and readily done throughout the country. One important reason is that it is considered absurd to build tighter from the inside out – even more so when it is known that calculations according to standards, including the Glaser method, do not produce realistic results (Hauser, 2003).

The U-value could be improved to 0.37 W/m²K by core insulation with EKOVATA cellulose flakes, whereby a decisive advantage is that in the end a fully sorption-capable wall construction with capillary conductivity is available.

In February, construction measures were discussed during a property inspection with the following focal points: Rainproofing of windows in the attic, plaster repairs to the façade, insulation of soffits, replacement of foam under the window plates, painting of the façade and interior, renewal of the south wooden gable, painting of the wooden gable aisle strips, reduction of vibrations in the grid ceiling above the basement.

On 11.02.2007 it was -23°C at the outskirts of Vilnius. On average, room temperatures of 19°C and wall surface temperatures of 16°C were measured. The measurements with the pyrometer for non-contact temperature measurement showed considerable temperature differences of the wall surface temperatures of the facade. This shows what the term “solar gains of opaque components” means: the heat flow from 20°C to -10°C is less than the heat flow from 20°C to -20°C.

In order to improve the energy quality of the exterior walls, the building expert advised the use of ClimateCoating®. Reasons for this include protection against solar load in summer, compensation of thermal bridges, protection against driving rain, improvement of thermal comfort. The practical benefits have proven this planning approach right, the following experience report is self-explanatory.

“We used ClimateCoating® for renovation work on our kindergarten in the summer of 2007, both inside and outside. While at the beginning we had to reheat in the middle of the night and during the day, the house can now be kept warm with two heatings, even at temperatures of -20 (January 2009). We are thrilled with the properties: despite the extreme Lithuanian conditions of -20°C in winter to almost 30 degrees in summer compared to Germany, ClimateCoating® does not fade and no cracks are visible at all, neither on the wood cladding nor on the plaster – a major problem of many paints in this country and observable on almost every corner when walking through Vilnius.”

Apartment house in Jonava 03

Apartment house in Jonava

14% heating energy savings after the façade renovation carried out in 2009, certified consumption values for the period 2008 to 2014

The apartment block is a prefabricated building. The address is Chemikų gatvė 112, Jonava 55231. This is in Lithuania, near Kaunas, centrally inland, at a latitude about the same as Saßnitz (Rügen). The building has 5 floors, 2 staircases and 20 apartments. The facade coating with ClimateCoating® ThermoProtect was applied in September 2013. Photos of the object were provided by the company UAB “Termofasadai” from Kaunas, Lithuania. The visual difference between “existing” and “renovated” is clearly visible. The evaluation of the heating energy consumption values is based on notarized consumption data for the period 2008 to 2014.

While heating energy consumption averaged 209.2 MWh from 2008 to 2012, it decreased to 187.7 MWh in 2013 and 170.3 MWh in 2014. In 2013, the distribution was 128.4 MWh before retrofit and 59.3 after retrofit (2.16 : 1). Calculated on average, the reduction in heating energy consumption is around 14%. The 2013 figure includes the heating period parts before and after the renovation and so the result is somewhat diluted.

Here, too, the use of ClimateCoating® ThermoProtect proved to be an economical measure. The IWO states the savings potential of facade insulation at 19%, co2online gGmbH Berlin states 19% (02.2014) and according to Heizspiegel Deutschland 2014 it is only 12% (10.2014).

Apartment blocks in Perleberg 01

Apartment blocks in Perleberg

Scientific studies from 2001 and 2006 prove the energetic effectiveness of ClimateCoating® ThermoProtect and provide the basis for the ClimateCoating® calculation values.

The two blocks of flats in Karstädt and Perleberg were reported on in the specialist book “Die neue Energieeinsparverordnung unter Berücksichti- gung der Bestandsimmobilie” published by Hammonia Verlag in 2002. Here it was found that the coating works in practice. In addition, 2 practical examples with facts and figures are presented. The author reports on his own investigations on apartment blocks in Perleberg (Brandenburg) coated with ClimateCoating® ThermoProtect, which prove a reduction of the heating energy demand by 20%.

An April 2004 press release stated: “Wolfgang Gelleszun, member of the board of the Perleberg housing cooperative, sums up the experience so far: “Our tenants have been able to save significantly on heating costs. In addition, we have virtually no problems with mold, because the moisture in the rooms is transported from the inside to the outside. Since the coating protects the facade from dirt and environmental influences, the houses still look as if they have been freshly renovated after five years. In short, ClimateCoating® delivers what it promises.””

The painting company Krause from Bremen has been coating apartment blocks of the housing cooperative Perleberg with ClimateCoating® ThermoProtect since 1998. In May 2008, there were already more than 25 apartment blocks. Master painter Hans-Joachim Krause already pointed out another advantage: “A conventional apartment block renovation takes about six months. For a refurbishment with ClimateCoating® you only need six weeks, and it costs just under half.”

In November 2009, representatives of the Swedish company ThermoGaia SA visited WBG Perleberg to get a first-hand report on the results of facade coatings with ClimateCoating®. At that time, the WBG had already had 28 apartment blocks (a total of approx. 1,100 units) coated with ClimateCoating®, i.e. in the period 1998 to 2009. The energy savings were 14-24%, which corresponds to a reduction in heat losses through the external walls in the order of 30-40%. For this purpose, consumption was continuously recorded for comparison with the reference data for the period 2000 to 2006.

The evaluations of the residential blocks of WBG Perleberg provided both the evidence for the energetic effectiveness of ClimateCoating® ThermoProtect and the empirical basis for the calculated values of ClimateCoating®.

Perleberg is the county seat of the Prignitz district in the northeast of Brandenburg. With about 12,000 inhabitants it is the second largest town in the district after Wittenberge. The expert opinion of 06.08.2001, prepared under the direction of Prof. Dr.-Ing. M. Sohn, FHTW Berlin, was commissioned by the housing cooperative Perleberg, which had provided extensive data material for this purpose. The SICC GmbH was founded in 2003.

The background for the expert opinion was the WBG’s wish for scientific validation of the results. The housing association was interested in the study because it had used ClimateCoating® for the exterior wall coating on several apartment blocks and wanted to be sure that an energy-saving effect really existed. As a result of the processing, the doubts could be dispelled.

A total of five properties were included in the investigations, two properties at the Perleberg site and three properties at the Karstädt site. In all five properties, the energy-saving effect of ClimateCoating® could already be seen on the basis of the measured consumption values. In the case of five large objects, there is sufficient static safety to clearly confirm the influence of the ClimateCoating® coating

A further energy consumption analysis was carried out by Prof. Sohn in 2006. This concerned exemplarily the block of flats in the Dobberziner Str. 22-27. It concerns a 5-storey building with year of construction 1977, 86.60 m long and 10.15 m wide. 3,602 m² of living space are allotted to 60 apartments. In the so-called 1.1 Mp block construction method, the external longitudinal wall elements were produced in a single layer from lightweight aggregate concrete or aerated concrete, in a wall thickness of 30 cm at the Parchim plant since 1977.

This study was commissioned by SICC GmbH. The aim was not so much to prove the effect of ClimateCoating®, but rather to make a first attempt to include the effect of ClimateCoating® in the calculations of the energy balance of buildings on the basis of the procedures according to DIN 4108 Part 6 and to carry out a balance according to DIN EN 832 and DIN 4108 Part 6 that is specific to the building and the location.

In addition to the extension of the evaluation period from the original 1994 to 2000 by the period from 2001 to 2006. In addition to the repeated confirmation of the energy-saving effect of ClimateCoating®, an important result was that “The application of ClimateCoating® factors in the context of energy demand balancing for residential buildings (…) showed very good agreements between the calculated demand values for the final energy demand with billing values of the energy consumption”.

References Energy Master House 09

Energy Master House

In this detached house, the combination of solid construction with ClimateCoating® ThermoProtect and infrared heating with ClimateCoating® ThermoPlus ensures an exemplary feel-good climate and outstanding energy efficiency. Measurement evaluations prove the effect of solar gains.

The energy master house is located in Eidenberg, Austria, at 683 m above sea level. It has 53 cm thick walls of 50 brick masonry, plastered inside and out. The exterior wall is coated with ClimateCoating® on the outside and inside, and the rooms are heated with a ceiling or infrared heating system. A detailed description is available on the website www.energiemaster.at.

The combination of a proven construction method with highly efficient systems and products creates a pleasant, comfortable indoor climate. The exterior wall coating reduces heat loss and protects against driving rain, among other things. The combination of IR-radiation heating and IR-reflective interior coating significantly reduces heating costs through improved thermal comfort.

The concept implemented here – apart from PV and solar thermal energy – does not really fit in with the theoretical distorted picture provided by some regulations on thermal insulation, including the associated calculations. However: nothing is more honest than practice. This is shown by the example of a measurement series evaluation of solar gains via the outer wall.

From 10:00 to 17:00 (the numbers are approximate), the effects of solar irradiance are seen from 09:00 to 15:00. Not only do solar gains occur through the transparent components (heat gains through the windows) – there are solar gains from the opaque components. The plastered brick wall is opaque (i.e. not transparent), it absorbs heat which is transported inwards. This is a flow of heat from the outside to the inside as a result of solar gains.

From 10:00 to 15:00 the temperature rises 10 cm below the surface. From 13:00 to 17:00, such a high thermal barrier (heat = temperature + material) is built up that the room temperature does not exceed the temperature of this barrier. Without a temperature gradient there is according to. First law of thermodynamics no heat flow. This means: no heat loss via the outer wall for 4 hours from 13:00.

For the U-value theory, one has set the storage fraction to 0 in Fourier’s heat conduction equation; not because it is so in practice, but so that the theory can be calculated: q = U (θi -θe).

The censored Wikipedia explains: “The definition equation assumes stationary conditions and is not suitable for calculating the respective instantaneous heat flux density q(t) at time-varying temperatures. For example, during a heating process, due to the heat storage capacity of the component, distortion effects occur which are not taken into account when attempting to calculate the surface heat flows using the equation. In the subsequent cooling process, however, the error occurs in the opposite sense. If heating and cooling are symmetrical to each other, the two errors cancel out.”

From this argumentation it is deduced that in the end it makes no difference whether the heat flow is considered stationary or transient. For this purpose, measurement graphics are shown where a transient case is simulated by means of modulated temperature. This is the appropriate measuring device for the theory, but the outer wall is exposed to a few more influencing variables than just the outside temperature.

Weather isn’t just about the temperature outside either. In addition, there is sometimes a large difference between arithmetic and geometric mean (average and median).

The graph for the evaluation of the measurement series explains this clearly: the heating process is faster, the cooling process is slower. This is illustrated by the slopes of the yellow and blue lines (no symmetry). This delay is due to the storage capacity. This means: energy gain. Thermo-Shield Exterior reduces energy losses via the façade and supports solar gains via the exterior wall (“endothermic effects”).

ThermoActive roof coating

Schindler factory in Slovakia

In Dunskajá Streda, Slovakia, around 14,000 m² of roof surface of the elevator manufacturer Schindler výtahy a eskalátory a.s. was coated with ThermoActive in 2019. The executing partner was the company HOFER SK, s.r.o., 01001 Žilina.

The problem
High temperatures in the production halls due to heating of the roofs. The roof temperature outside was 51.4°C in a comparative measurement.

The solution
Passive cooling through a high-tech coating based on reflective membrane technology: ThermoActive. This passive cooling is achieved by the extremely high sunlight reflection and by evaporation processes. Sunlight is reflected up to a value of 91.4% (total solar reflectance, TSR).

The result
After coating with ThermoActive roof paint, the roof temperature outside, measured under identical conditions, was only 28.2°C. Thus the temperature could be lowered by 23.2°C. This temperature reduction can save energy consumption for active cooling of the production halls. Less energy consumption means a reduction in CO2 emissions. This makes an active contribution to climate protection.