Neuland Home - Energy Consultant

Hello dear forum members,

I hope I have arrived in the right thread.

I bought my parents' house in March 2020. It is an old building (built in 1964). Over the years, my parents really didn't invest much in the house. When we moved in 20 years ago, only the windows were replaced. The windows and shutters don't really match.
At the beginning of the year, the house entrance is supposed to be renovated (covered entrance area). By the end of 2021, the facade and roof should be insulated. The windows will probably be due in the following years.

How should I proceed best? What is best to do first? What does the energy consultant do? When will the energy consultant first cost me money? Do I have to implement the Kfw programs if I have hired the energy consultant? Can I commission him for an inventory without then carrying out the KFW programs and still receive the BAFA subsidy for the energy consultant's costs?
I am completely new in this field and look forward to an active exchange.

Welcome to the forum.

I will try to answer in an unsorted way:

The energy consultant tells you which renovation measures lead to energy savings and which combinations make sense. For example, new highly insulated windows without facade insulation can lead to mold risk.

In addition, he tells you how much you need to insulate at least in order to receive any funding at all. And of course, the energy consultant is a necessary prerequisite for KfW funding.

You pay the energy consultant as soon as you officially commission him. The first appointments are usually free, after all he wants to win you as a customer. Just pick some and call them. The rest will follow.

How do I proceed best? What is the best thing to do first of all?

First of all, you have to think about which renovation measures you actually want to do and how much you can or want to afford. New bathrooms, floor plan changes, underfloor heating instead of radiators, etc. partly fall outside the scope of an energy consultant and he will only be able to advise you minimally or not at all on those. A complete renovation of a house from the 60s can quickly cost 100,000€ to 200,000€, depending on your requirements and wishes. Depending on the scope of renovation, it would make sense to look for an architect alongside the energy consultant at first, who plans all this with you.

So what condition is the property in and what do you want to do?
Floor plan changes?
New electrical system?
New sanitary installation?
Conversion to underfloor heating?
New bathrooms?

What budget do you have?

The energy consultant tells you which renovation measures lead to energy savings

He mainly also tells you which measures you have to do in combination, because if you renovate once, you cannot just do anything arbitrarily. For example, the windows together with the facade are probably mandatory, and this is meant not in terms of building physics but legally.

Thank you very much for the information!

You pay the energy consultant as soon as you officially commission him. The first appointments are usually free; after all, he wants to win you as a customer. Just pick some and call them. The rest will follow.

Is the cost coverage by BAFA or KFW tied to an application for, for example, individual measures, or can I claim the energy consultant’s service at 80% or up to the maximum amount of €1,700 even without a later submitted application? Background: I don’t want to take out a loan and instead carry out the measures with saved money. If the energy consultant now says I have to have both windows and facade insulation done, then roughly estimated I am quickly looking at at least €60,000-70,000.

So, what condition is the property in and what do you want to do? Floor plan changes? New electrical system? New sanitary installations? Conversion to underfloor heating? New bathrooms?

- I would describe the condition as good. No mold or anything like that. The plaster is crumbly in just a few very small spots. - Floor plan changes are not planned. The house is fully occupied. - According to my electrician, electrical work is currently too expensive due to the construction boom. I had asked him casually once. - Our tenants’ bathroom was completely renovated only 2-3 years ago. Our bathroom is actually due for renovation. - Conversion to underfloor heating is not planned.

Just pick some and call them. The rest will follow.

Yesterday I found two energy consultants in our area and will call one.

He will especially tell you which measures you have to do in combination, because if you renovate once, you cannot just do anything arbitrarily. For example, the windows would have to be done together with the facade, and this is meant not physically but legally.

What is meant by the legal aspect? For example, I wanted to insulate the upper floor ceiling (not walkable) in the next few days. After reading a bit especially about moisture and escaping etc., I am better off waiting and doing it all at once. At my 195 cm height, it would have also been a struggle.

This means that the legislator obliges you not to do things halfway. Therefore, I would definitely seek professional advice, not only regarding the question of what must be done (together) in case of emergency but also how. In the matter of insulation, but especially sealing, even the smallest mistakes can have catastrophic consequences, and nobody needs that.