Energy efficiency

In Poland this winter, like in much of northern Europe, prices for electricity and heating were on the rise. The long stretch of very cold weather was felt not only in peoples' bones, but in their wallets as well.

For Jaroslaw Botkiewicz, however, the extreme cold wasn't a big problem. He and his family have lived in an energy-efficient house for the past two years. And while it cost 20 percent more to build the house, Botkiewicz expects to recoup his money over time.

"I expect that in about 10 years I will have made up the extra building costs" through saved energy costs, Botkiewicz told Deutsche Welle.

The house was built using styrofoam insulation, which is particularly warm. The windows are triple-glazed, the doors and parts of the room are insulated for warmth, and solar panels and a chimney that also heats water for home use, are the key elements in cutting Botkiewicz's energy costs threefold.

Clear decision

The decision to build an energy efficient house was not a difficult one to make, the 33-year old said.

"My wife and I discussed whether to build a standard house or a modern, energy efficient one. I read trade journals, surfed the internet, and saw what was being built in other countries. We decided on a low-energy house and we're really happy with it," he said.

When Botkiewicz made his decision two years ago, he was something of a pioneer in the region. But energy awareness has grown in Poland since then, said Andrzej Walkowicz, who was the contractor on Botkiewicz's house. The fact that more and more low-energy houses are being built means the competition in the sector is growing, and building costs are dropping. In fact, Walkowicz said, Botkiewicz's house today would cost 10 percent less to build.

Competition in the sector grows

"There are more and more companies that make energy-saving elements, which means competition is increasing and materials are getting cheaper. They are mostly Polish companies, but their know-how comes from abroad - mostly from Germany," Walkowicz said.

The boom in low-energy housing in Poland first started taking off about five years ago, shortly after Poland entered the European Union.

"The EU demanded the Polish government to look for ways to save energy, and also to protect the environment," Walkowicz said.

That ideology got a further boost when the EU recently passed guidelines that said all houses built as of January 1, 2009 need to show an energy-performance certificate that shows the house meets certain energy-usage standards.

That directive has tripled business for Walkowicz, who has had experience in building low-energy houses.

"The mind-set in Poland has changed this year to the point where people are asking of their own accord about energy-saving elements. For example, triple-glazed windows are in great demand," he said. "And people don't react badly when I suggest especially thick roof insulation, like they used to. People expect me to give them more and more suggestions on how to cut their energy costs as much as possible."

Plea for government aid

Despite this growing interest, Walkowicz says he is sure there would be even more interest in energy-saving building methods if the government were to subsidize peoples' personal investments. Unlike in Germany, there are no subventions or tax breaks for building a low-energy house in Poland. And except for one environmental bank, no banks offer cheaper loans for people who choose green building methods, Walkowicz said. The home builder pays the investment out-of-pocket.

If government subsidies had been available, home-owner Botkiewicz says, he would have gone even farther and built a complete 'passive house' instead of just incorporating some energy saving measures.

"The costs for a passive house are definitely too high. We did the math and realized it wouldn't be worthwhile if we only recouped our investment in 20 years. You don't know what will happen in such a long time span," Botkiewicz said.

Author: Justyna Bronska (jen)
Editor: Rob Turner