In these years, the buildings were often constructed according to the standard design projects from the Unified Catalogue of Construction Details (Figure 1–4). These projects include the following series: 1-515/9sh (multi-sectional panel building with row sections, 9 floors), 1605/9 (multi-sectional panel building with row and front sections, 9 floors), 1605/12 (multi-sectional panel building with row and front sections, 12 floors), II-18/9 (series of block 9- and 8-storied single-section buildings), II-29 (brick multi-sectional residential buildings with row and front sections, 9 floors), II-32, P-46, II-49 (multi-sectional panel building with row and front sections, 9 floors), II-57 (multi-sectional panel building, 9 floors), II-57/17 (multi-sectional panel building, 16 floors), II-66 (series of residential 9-storey brick buildings), II-68 (series of single-entrance
16-storey buildings), II-68-03 (multi-sectional panel building with row and front sections, 12 floors), 1LG-600, 111-90 (series of large-panel multi-sectional prefabricated residential buildings, 9 floors), III-96 (series of large-panel 9- storied buildings), 111-121, 1-LG-606, P-44, P-3, P-43, P-4 (multi-sectional panel building with row and front sections, 16 floors), projects 1-480А, I-480-15VK, 1-KG-480 – Cheshka (multi-sectional panel building, 5 and 9 floors).

 Figure 1 – 8-storey block building, series II-18/9

 Figure 2 – 9-storey multi-sectional panel building, series II-49

 Figure 3 – 16-storey multi-sectional panel building, series II-57/17

 Figure 4  –  9-storey panel building, series 1-KG-480 – Cheshka

Main characteristics. The height of the residential premises: 2.48–2.64 m. Almost all projects have balconies. The buildings were designed according to a construction scheme with cross, longitudinal, and cross-longitudinal walls.

Wooden windows.

The wall grid was adopted according to a modular system, i.e. the sizes are divisible by a 30-cm module. The main bearing structures of the building are flat floor slabs and external and internal bearing walls. The buildings of the above series have district heating, hot and cold water supply, gas supply, electrification, low-voltage devices, one passenger elevator and one additional cargo elevator for 12-16-storey buildings. Large external wall panels in the buildings of these series have a 2-room size and improved heat insulation. They were designed in two options – single-layer
340 mm LECA (lightweight expanded clay aggregate) panels and triple-layer reinforced concrete panels with an efficient 300 mm (or 280 mm) heat insulator.

Many buildings had a technical floor on the attic level and technical underground space under the whole building.

Energy saving measures. As in case with the panel Khrushchovka buildings, the panel buildings of 1970-1980’s have a number of similar deficiencies caused by the low quality of the construction works. As a result of this, and due to raised normative requirements, all panel buildings, irrespective of the building envelope type, require additional heat insulation of the walls, roofing or attic floor (depending on whether the attic is “warm” or “cold”), insulation of the pedestals and basement walls, additional insulation of the places of outer walls and roofing connection, as well as floor slabs over the basement premises.

Separate attention should be devoted to the Cheshka buildings. A specific feature of their design is the significant area of the balconies and bay windows, which has a negative impact on heat losses and the general heat balance of the buildings. Previously, the balconies and bay windows were not insulated. And due to the large area of bay window glazing, indoor premises suffer from significant transmission heat losses. In addition, the balcony console panels (being not insulated and closed within the outer walls without heat insulated inserts) are rather long thermal bridges which sometimes surround the whole apartment perimeter.

The quite high pedestals of the panel buildings (in particular, when pedestal panels are used in the basement part instead of the wall foundation blocks) also require heat insulation, especially because pipelines with heat carriers often run along the internal basement walls (technical underground area). When the pedestals are not insulated, the non-insulated pipes lose part of the heat energy which leaves the building due to transmission losses because the building envelope is so close. This indicates the necessity to install reflectors not only in the apartments, but also in the non-heated basement premises with the pipelines, until the proper heat insulation of the pipelines is made.  

It is worth adding that the majority of relatively “young” panel buildings are equipped with individual heat substations, and the installation of weather-based control in them may significantly reduce heat energy consumption for the needs of heating and hot water supply.

Therefore, the recommended measures include the following:

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[1]Astro timer is a device for precise automatic turn on and turn off for the lighting and other electricity consumers at the time of sunrise and sunset, with daily adjustment during the year. In the process of astro timer setup, GPS coordinates are input, as well as current date and time are set.