Energy Efficiency

STEKO® – Energy Efficient and Lower Energy Costs

You know you have an energy efficient home when you can exist harmoniously with the surrounding environment no matter what the climatic conditions are. When your building is in harmony with its surroundings, you will notice the effect that extreme temperatures have on energy consumption and thermal performance. Efficient construction uses the sun for heating in colder months and minimizes heat gain when the temperature rises. At STEKO® we strive to create sustainable living through efficient construction. When you plan to build there will be many important things to take into consideration including orientation, ventilation and most importantly, insulation. STEKO® offers perfect insulation, leaving you with one less thing to worry about.

You’ll make your neighbors “green” with envy when they see how quickly your stylish, eco-friendly home was built. Plus you’ll save plenty of money on your energy bills too!

With the cost of energy being on the rise, more and more people are trying to live and build differently. They want solid, comfortable houses that last a lifetime, have as little ecological impact as possible. While existing methods of environmentally friendly construction often compromise the standard of quality and comfort that we have come to expect, STEKO® provides incomparable quality. When building with STEKO®, you will have a well-insulated, tightly-constructed home that requires little supplementary heating or cooling. This is a great environmental advantage as the heating and cooling of air space in your average home accounts for 45% of total energy use. In other words, poorly designed and insulated houses can be responsible for 25-40% of the load on your heating or cooling systems, while a well-insulated home has the potential to reduce your energy use by up to 40%.

Due to its design and development, STEKO® has great thermo-insulation characteristics, even without the use of additional insulation. When additional insulating products are used, passive thermo- insulation properties can be achieved. The solid faced, interlocking wall modules have space forming cavities. Inside the wall, the cavities play a similar function as double glazed windows. The space in between the two panes assists in reducing the passage of hot or cold air between the inside and the outside of the house.

The wooden STEKO® wall module cavities can be filled with numerous simple or natural insulation products such as pulverized cardboard, cellulose, or sound absorbing sand. However, even without adding any insulation the wooden modules used for a STEKO® house still provide great thermal insulation. Experts agree that wood, as opposed to brick or concrete, is able to hold temperature much better than other materials. This is because wood breathes unlike brick which is responding slow to temperature changes. After two hot days, if you place your hand next to the wall of a brick house you will feel a noticeable amount of heat radiating from the bricks. This does not happen with wood. STEKO®’s excellent insulation features will keep your home at a comfortable climate all year round, as well as ensuring lower heating and cooling costs.

Insulation Values (R-Values)

Insulation is usually discussed in terms of R-Values: higher R-values represent better insulation and greater resistance to heat flow. Typically, higher R-values are recommended for ceilings rather than for walls and floors but with STEKO® you will also have higher R-Values in the walls and floors. Although your local building codes specify R-values for homes, these building codes often represent a minimum level of insulation necessary for comfort, rather than a level recommended for optimal energy efficiency.

Using the STEKO® system to build your house will reach a 38% higher R-Value than with standard framing. And by just adding insulation of the desired thickness, you can build an energy-efficient house.

A USA example: if you spend about US$3,000 a year on energy bills in a standard framed house, in the same sized STEKO® house you will spend only US$1,860. It is a savings of US$1,140 per year. If you live in the house for 30 years, you can save as much as US$34,200 based on current energy costs.

Comparison of R-Values for standard timber framed house (2×6 inch wall) and a STEKO® system House (wall thickness 6”):

Standard timber framed family house: effective R-Value 16
STEKO® system family house: effective R-Value 22

The R-Value of a STEKO® standard wall is about 38% higher than a standard timber framed wall or a one meter thick stone wall.

Additional insulation on the exterior increases the quality of the heat protection so that the STEKO® system creates buildings with minimal energy consumption:energy efficient houses and passive houses. We can expect higher energy prices in the future. That’s why it will be necessary to build energy efficient houses now, using green products and energy saving appliances.

Build with STEKO® and SAVE!