Passive housebuild in Greece

[gramos]

Kalispera , from Kefalonia , where my house build is in progress . I just found the forum when researching woodburning stoves for this type of house .

It is a PH build , in principle.

[Russdl]

Kalispera and welcome. 
 

Has the PHPP been done? You’re not going to need a wood burning stove I’ll wager. 

[joe90]

Welcome, at least your weather will be very different from ours?, I guess overheating may be more of an issue, at least insulation works both ways and PV fir you will deliver more (unless I am completely wrong).

[Gus Potter]

1 hour ago, gramos said:

Kalispera , from Kefalonia , where my house build is in progress . I just found the forum when researching woodburning stoves for this type of house .

It is a PH build , in principle.

Yes welcome Kalispera.

 

I know you can ski in Greece but Kefalonia seems not to get temperatures below freezing at any time. mostly down to about 5 deg C in the coldest month?

 

Keep posting as interested in what you are doing.

 

All the best with the project.

[Iceverge]

welcome welcome.

 

It’s difficult to get proper room sealed stoves outside germany and austria.

 

Here’s one site. Search “dibt” room sealed air supply. 

https://www.kamdi24.de/kaminofen 

 

Remember you will need an excellent flue system also to get good airtightness.

 

I was all set to go down this route but I couldn’t get good installers and good products for a reasonable price. I have little regrets about not bothering as we couldn’t have gotten as good an airtightness result with a stove. 

[gramos]

Kalispera  and thank you for the welcome .

A little more  about our  project for those  that find it  interesting  .

It was difficult to find  any interest or  even knowledge of Passive House  criteria on this  Greek Island  but we are on the way !

The house is designed  and  specified  to keep the heat out  in the hot summers  as much as  retaining warmth during winter ,

insulation being key .

Timber frame is understood here but 90% of houses are built  using concrete frames with hollow brick infills  and up until recent  construction law changes,

zero insulation !

Concrete is heavily re- enforced and foundations are substantial and deep

Kefalonia sits very close to  the Aegean Plate  which is being subducted by a north moving Africa plate, up to 20mm p.a.

Therefore  it is accorded zone 1 seismic  risk ,  the highest .

Earthquakes are  common ,  a 4.8/ 5.0 last week !

the buildings here are almost all built after the major  seismic event in 1953, which destroyed the majority of  buildings  the island ,

so  the building  control is very strict .

 

As regards the  stove , I am looking at 5  +kw  to heat the  whole house   utilising 2 x  centralised mhrv  units .

the house has 2 x lofts  with a cathedral ceiling  dividing them  so  two units are needed  as there can be no crossover ducting .

we  burn oak  and olive  wood so  high calorific  output is  achieved .

 

 

[Iceverge]

Here’s an example of a passivhaus in your climate. It’s 8w/m2K heating load is tiny. 

 

https://passivehouse-database.org/index.php?lang=en#d_5214

 

If you build a passive house and put a 5kw stove in it will be unusable for most of the year and only then probably with the windows open. Did you run PHPP on your build, I suspect cooling is a much greater issue.

[gramos]

I hope this update will be of interest?

We have finished the build but for some small details 😃.

I bought a modern stove from Kratki , it will wait for winter before connection , it is 35 C here !

I have 2x A/C units fitted so am working in a comfortable 25 C .

I have installed a full off grid PV system which is running the A/ C

and there is still a surplus of energy 😁 .

In fact the growatt inverters shut down occasionally as we are not using enough of our generated power ,  (open to suggestions here )

The build was  challenging for the locals ,who know not the world of Passiv Haus , but we have ticked most of the boxes .

It took exactly 1 year to build , on a Greek island , so much more of a challenge especially during the covid situation.

The house retains the cool temp overnight , it's a pleasure to walk in at 0800!

 

[JohnMo]

Do you have an immersion diverter or timer, this will use some of the surplus PV power to make DHW.

[SteamyTea]

38 minutes ago, gramos said:

occasionally as we are not using enough of our generated power ,  (open to suggestions here )

Any dump load will do. Heat water, or the swimming pool, a fan heater outside. Power sewage works or water purifier if you have them.

Charging batteries would be best.

Do you still get a decent payment to feed into the grid in Greece, or are you off grid because there is no grid on the island?

[CharlieKLP]

Kalispera! Enai poly kalo! (Sorry for the lack of Greek letters lol!)

 

I really love Kefalonia, would be my dream to build in the Ionian islands (I’ve sailed around there a few times). 
would love some more images of your house. How was the planning process? Well done, amazing really.

 

 

I had a friend who was an architect there, so jealous. One thing I’ve noticed is so many houses are half built in Greece, what’s up with that.

[Onoff]

1 hour ago, CharlieKLP said:

One thing I’ve noticed is so many houses are half built in Greece, what’s up with that.

 

I asked a waitress that one night in Corfu.  She said it was the way to build in stages as and when you had the money. Particularly if you rely on the tourist trade. I recall being amazed at them using pumped concrete.

Edited July 4, 2022 by Onoff

[joth]

11 hours ago, Onoff said:

 

I asked a waitress that one night in Corfu.  She said it was the way to build in stages as and when you had the money. Particularly if you rely on the tourist trade. I recall being amazed at them using pumped concrete.

 

I know some countries you can avoid paying local property tax on unfinished build so houses often have a not quite tiled roof somewhere that never quite seems to get finished 

[Onoff]

25 minutes ago, joth said:

 

I know some countries you can avoid paying local property tax on unfinished build so houses often have a not quite tiled roof somewhere that never quite seems to get finished 

 

Pity that doesn't apply in my case! 😂 If I could claim the tax back on all my unfinished projects I could knock down and rebuild.

[SteamyTea]

1 hour ago, Onoff said:

rebuild

Part rebuild.

[Marvin]

I thought every house in Greece was built passively?

[Onoff]

1 hour ago, SteamyTea said:

Part rebuild.

 

Why would I not want the 20% back? I wonder if I could just keep the bathroom?

[SteamyTea]

7 minutes ago, Onoff said:

 

Why would I not want the 20% back? I wonder if I could just keep the bathroom?

Meant, given infinite time, you would have a part finished rebuild.

[joth]

3 hours ago, Onoff said:

 

Why would I not want the 20% back? I wonder if I could just keep the bathroom?

FWIW My comment above about non-finished property was about the ongoing property tax (i.e. council tax), nothing todo with VAT rebate.