Economical, more economical, KfW 40 Plus – this KfW efficiency house describes the highest standard in terms of energy efficiency of conventional new buildings. On the one hand, a KfW 40 Plus house requires only 40% of the primary energy compared to the consumption values specified in the Energy Saving Ordinance (EnEV) for the reference building KfW 100. On the other hand, it also has a so-called “plus package” that increases the energy efficiency of the building to an even greater extent. This results in the greatest funding opportunities for the KfW 40 Plus house, but also the greatest structural requirements.
Requirements for the KfW Efficiency House 40 Plus
The EnEV, which is part of the building law, defines certain guideline values that a low-energy house must meet. A KfW efficiency house 100 is a new building that consumes 100% of the energy that it is allowed to use according to the EnEV. In comparison, a KfW Efficiency House 40 is one that only uses 40% of the energy. In addition to this, the transmission heat losses of the newly built house must not be more than 55% of the reference value of the EnEV. Of course, the KfW 40 plus efficiency house must also meet all these criteria and also have a so-called “Plus Package”. According to the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), this includes the following components:
- an electricity-generating plant based on renewable energies
- a stationary battery storage system or an electricity storage system
- a ventilation system with heat recovery
- a visualization of power generation and power consumption via a corresponding user interface
The aim of the “Plus Package” is to generate and store as much energy as possible directly in or on the house, for example with photovoltaic systems on the roof. Furthermore, the energy obtained in this way should be used primarily directly in the home, which can be ensured by a priority circuit.
Financial advantages with KfW 40 Plus
Saving energy also saves money. After all, the KfW loans were created to make the construction of an energy-efficient house palatable to the consumer, not only through purely non-material incentives, but also through financial advantages. On the one hand you save energy costs through the higher energy efficiency of your new building, on the other hand the resulting investment costs are also subsidized by the state. Expressed in numbers, this means that with a KfW Efficiency House 40 you will receive a repayment grant of €10,000 on your KfW loan with a total amount of €100,000. You effectively only repay €90,000. For a KfW Efficiency House 40 Plus you even receive a repayment subsidy of €15,000.
The look into the future
More and more builders are dealing with the issue of energy efficiency today, as it can be assumed that the legal limits that stipulate the permitted energy consumption of houses will continue to decrease in the future for the sake of the climate and the environment. It is therefore proactive to familiarize yourself with the possibilities of energy-saving construction today and to look for financing options. Our blog article Achieving KfW standards and saving money – news on promoting efficiency provides further information on the subject.