If you are planning a renovation in Lviv and want to make it not just beautiful, but also functional, this article is for you. Energy efficiency has long ceased to be something from the category of «expensive and difficult». Today it is about specific materials, solutions and technologies that pay off in 2–5 years, and then simply save you money every month. DimProBud will tell you what is really relevant now, what is ordered most often and where it makes sense to spend money right away, so as not to redo it later.
Tariffs for gas, electricity and heat in Ukraine have increased significantly over the past few years, and this trend continues. An average family in an old panel house can spend 2–3 times more on heating and hot water than a family in a properly renovated apartment of the same size. And it's not just about utility tariffs - the comfort in a well-insulated, ventilated and "smart" home is completely different.
Another argument is that when selling real estate, energy-efficient apartments and houses cost more. The energy efficiency class of a building has already begun to affect the price of objects. That is, proper renovation is not an expense, but an investment in the future.
Lviv is a city with its own specifics, which are important to consider when planning renovations. First, a significant part of Lviv's housing stock is pre-war tenement houses and buildings from the 50s–70s with brick walls. Such walls have good heat capacity, but poor thermal insulation: in winter they take a long time to warm up, and give off heat quickly. That is why insulation has a particularly pronounced effect here.
Secondly, Lviv is located in a climatic zone with wet winters and frequent temperature drops near zero - this contributes to the formation of condensation and freezing of junctions. Correct "warm installation" of windows and competent vapor barrier are even more important here than in the drier climate of eastern Ukraine.
Thirdly, the market for new buildings in suburban areas of Lviv is actively developing - Ryasne, Sykhiv, Pasyky, Lychakiv. Apartment owners in new residential complexes often make repairs to their liking from scratch, and it is here that it is easiest to immediately lay the right energy-efficient solutions, without having to redo anything later.
The first thing you should start with for any energy-efficient renovation is insulation. If heat is escaping through the walls, floor, or roof, no smart thermostat will save you.
The most effective is facade insulation (external). Mineral wool or foam plastic with a thickness of 100 mm on the facade reduces heat loss through the walls by 60–70%. But if you live in an apartment and the facade is not your area of responsibility, internal insulation remains. PIR plates (polyisocyanurate panels) are popular here - they are thinner than foam plastic, but have better thermal insulation characteristics. At a thickness of 50 mm, PIR gives the same effect as 100 mm of ordinary foam plastic. For apartments where every centimeter of area counts, this is important.
Another option for internal insulation is thermal insulation plaster based on aerosil or perlite filler. It is applied in a layer of 20–40 mm and significantly reduces the thermal conductivity of the wall without significant losses in area.
Modern requirements for an energy-efficient window are at least a double-glazed window (three layers of glass) with a Warm Edge spacer frame and argon or krypton filling.
DimProBud tells what people are choosing now:
Profile: Profile widths from 70 mm are the standard for energy-efficient solutions. Passiv series profiles from various manufacturers have a heat transfer coefficient Uf of up to 0.8 W/(m²·K) - this is a very good indicator.
Low-emissivity (Low-E) glass: A special coating on the glass reflects infrared radiation back into the room in winter and out in summer. The difference in heating bills after replacing windows with Low-E can be 15–25%.
Warm installation: This is often forgotten. Proper installation of a window with vapor barrier on the room side and windproof film on the street side is critically important. Without it, even the best window will produce condensation and frost in the abutment area.
Doors: Entrance doors with a heat transfer coefficient of up to 1.0 W/(m²·K) and a properly installed seal are a must in an energy-efficient home. Doors with a thermal break and a hidden porch are currently very popular for private homes.
One of the most popular requests in renovation circles over the past two or three years has been recuperators. And it's no wonder: when a house is well insulated and the windows are tightly closed, natural ventilation practically does not work. But opening windows in winter means throwing money out the window.
A recuperator is a device that removes exhaust air from a room and simultaneously supplies fresh air, but at the same time transfers 70–92% of heat from the exhaust air to the fresh air. That is, you ventilate the apartment, but almost do not lose heat.
Decentralized heat exchangers are popular for apartments - small devices that are mounted in the wall (one per room or several). They are compact, relatively inexpensive (from 5,000 UAH for a quality device) and can be installed in a few hours.
For a house or a large apartment in a new building, a centralized supply and exhaust ventilation system (SVV) with a recuperator is often installed. This is a full-fledged system with air ducts, filters, and control via a smartphone.
A water-based underfloor heating system in a private house with a heat pump is probably the most efficient heating method available today. The low-temperature heating system (35–45°C instead of 70–80°C in radiators) is ideal for heat pumps and significantly reduces heating costs.
Electric underfloor heating is a more affordable solution for apartments. It does not replace the main heating, but as an additional source of heat and comfort in the bathroom, hallway or children's room - an excellent choice. Modern mats and cables have a very thin profile and can be installed under any covering.
An important point: underfloor heating must work with a programmable thermostat. This is the only way to get real savings - the floor heats when needed and turns off according to a schedule.
If you are building or renovating a house, a heat pump should be considered as the main source of heat. The technology works on the principle of a refrigerator in reverse: it takes heat from the air, ground or groundwater and transfers it to the heating system. The coefficient of performance (COP) of modern air-to-water heat pumps is 3–5, meaning that you get 3–5 kW of heat from 1 kW of electricity.
Inverters, geothermal systems, heat pumps in conjunction with solar panels - today these are no longer exotic, but a real alternative to a gas boiler, especially in conditions of unstable tariffs.
«A "smart home" in the context of energy efficiency is primarily climate automation. Not porcelain switches and voice control of curtains (although there are such things), but precise temperature control in each room, automatic shutdown of the heat when you are not at home, and monitoring of electricity consumption.
What really saves money:
Smart thermostat — a device for 1,500–4,000 UAH that learns your habits and maintains a comfortable temperature only when needed. According to manufacturers, heating savings are 10–23%.
Radiator heads with thermal management — replaces manual battery-powered controls. You can set different temperatures in each room and on a schedule. Cheaper than a full-fledged smart home, but the effect is tangible.
Meters and monitoring — smart sockets and electricity meters show exactly what is consuming in your home and how much. When you see the numbers, you begin to understand where you can really save.
LED lamps have long become the standard, but the nuances remain. Firstly, a high-quality LED from a proven manufacturer can last 25,000–50,000 hours and really consumes 8–10 times less than a conventional incandescent lamp. Secondly, motion and twilight sensors in corridors, bathrooms, and on the street are automatic savings without any effort on your part.
A popular solution now is controlled lighting systems (Philips Hue, IKEA Tradfri, Zigbee-compatible devices): You can set up scenarios, timers, and control from your smartphone. Night duty, morning wake-up, "no one is home" - everything is automatic.
If your budget is limited, here is the priority order for investing in energy efficiency:
First, windows and doors (if old), then insulation of the coldest surfaces (external wall, floor above the basement, attic), then ventilation with heat recovery, then climate automation. Generation (solar panels, heat pump) - at the end, when the house's thermal circuit is already tight.
Don't try to do everything at once: energy-efficient renovation is a strategy, not a single purchase. Each step pays off, and the next step becomes cheaper because you already know how much heat is left inside.
If you want to calculate what is right for your property in Lviv, contact the specialists of DimProBud. We will select a solution for your budget and the real conditions of your accommodation: whether it is a tenement house in the city center, an apartment in a new building in Sykhiv, or a private house in the suburbs.
The cost depends on the area, condition of the premises and the list of works. The basic package - insulation of external walls from the inside, replacement of windows and installation of a heat recovery unit in an apartment of 50–60 m² in Lviv will cost approximately UAH 150,000–250,000 "turnkey". If you add underfloor heating and a smart thermostat, the amount increases, but all these investments pay off in a real reduction in utility bills.
Yes, and it is especially worth it. Brick walls of tenement houses have a thermal conductivity coefficient much worse than that of modern wall materials. At the same time, external insulation of the facade of a tenement house is often impossible due to architectural restrictions or the status of a monument. In such cases, internal insulation with PIR boards or thermal insulation plaster is used - this allows you to significantly reduce heat loss without changing the appearance of the building.
In an apartment in a new building, where there are already modern windows and an insulated facade, the greatest effect will be achieved by installing a heat recovery unit and a smart thermostat or radiator thermal heads. These are relatively small investments that are immediately visible on the bills - especially during the long Lviv heating season.
Yes. The climate of Lviv is moderately continental, without extreme frosts: even in winter the temperature rarely drops below −15°C. These are optimal conditions for air-to-water heat pumps — they work effectively at temperatures down to −20°C and operate with maximum COP most of the winter. For private houses in the suburbs of Lviv, this is currently the most popular heating solution.
It depends on the scope of work. If it is window replacement + internal insulation + installation of heat recovery units in a 60 m² apartment, a realistic time frame is 3–6 weeks. A complete turnkey renovation with all finishing works takes from 2 to 4 months. The DimProBud team provides exact deadlines after on-site measurements and an estimate.
