Most homeowners have heard of thermal bridges. Yet for many people they remain little more than another technical term used by architects and construction professionals, something that appears to have no connection with their own property. After all, there are no bridges in their home. At least none that they have ever seen.<\/p>\n
Thermal bridges are not cracks, gaps or visible defects. A home may appear modern, well built and of excellent quality because the problem is hidden within the structure itself.<\/strong><\/p>\n To understand this phenomenon, imagine a bridge crossing a river. Goods can be transported from one bank to the other. Heat behaves in much the same way. If a building contains a continuous path made of materials that conduct heat efficiently, energy can move freely from one area to another. That pathway is what we call a thermal bridge.<\/p>\n Interestingly, this concept is perceived differently across Europe. In most Southern European countries the term thermal bridge is used, while in many Northern European countries people commonly refer to cold bridges. From the perspective of building physics, however, there is no difference. In winter they allow heat to escape from the home, while in summer they enable unwanted heat to enter. In reality, they are pathways for thermal energy transfer that work equally well in both directions.<\/p>\n When thermal bridges are discussed, most people immediately think about heat loss during winter. Yet in Spain and throughout the Mediterranean region, summer overheating is an equally important issue.<\/p>\n It is enough to observe a typical apartment building in Barcelona or any other Mediterranean coastal city. After summer has ended, many of these buildings remain pleasantly comfortable for several months. This effect is particularly noticeable in reinforced concrete buildings with high thermal mass. Depending on the weather each year, it is often possible to live comfortably without heating until December.<\/p>\n Although this may appear to be a sign of superior construction quality, in reality we are observing something very different. Throughout spring, summer and early autumn, fa\u00e7ades, roofs and other exposed elements absorb large amounts of solar radiation. Thermal bridges allow this heat to move directly into the structure of the building. Floors, columns, beams, walls and ceilings gradually become a massive store of thermal energy.<\/p>\n This is why the sensation of heat inside many homes becomes so intense during July and August. The problem is not limited to air temperature. Heated structures continuously release stored energy back into living spaces through infrared radiation. In effect, the entire building begins to behave like a giant heat emitter. As a result, even when air conditioning is running, many occupants continue to experience an oppressive and persistent sensation of heat.<\/p>\n As autumn arrives, the situation gradually changes. Solar gains decrease and outdoor temperatures begin to fall, yet the concrete structure continues to store much of the heat accumulated during summer. This is why many homes remain comfortable long after cooler weather arrives. However, it is important to understand that this comfort is not the result of an efficient thermal envelope but rather of energy stored within the building structure during previous months.<\/p>\n Sooner or later, that reserve of energy is exhausted. This usually happens in December or January. At that point, the direction of heat flow reverses. If the structure was releasing energy to occupants during summer, it now begins extracting energy from the interior of the home. Walls, floors and ceilings cool down, changing from a source of comfort into a source of discomfort.<\/p>\n This is why people can feel cold even when the indoor air temperature appears perfectly acceptable. The problem lies not so much in the air itself as in the cold surfaces surrounding them, which continuously absorb heat from the human body.<\/p>\n The situation does not change immediately when warmer spring weather arrives. As long as the building structure remains cold, it continues absorbing energy from the interior. This is why many people still need heating in April and even May despite pleasant outdoor temperatures.<\/p>\n In simple terms, the home is constantly exchanging heat with the outside world. In summer it absorbs unwanted heat. In winter it loses valuable warmth. Meanwhile, the occupants pay for systems designed to compensate for the consequences of this process.<\/p>\n Because heat is constantly moving through the structure, different surfaces reach different temperatures. As a result, ideal conditions are created for condensation to form on the coldest parts of the building. Over time, these areas become the perfect environment for mould and fungal growth.<\/p>\n When a property is occupied throughout the year, the consequences can be partially controlled through heating, ventilation and regular airing of indoor spaces. In seasonal homes, however, the situation often becomes significantly worse. When a property remains closed for weeks or months, moisture continues to accumulate and mould gradually spreads into finishes, furniture and interior materials.<\/p>\n At this point, the problem is no longer merely aesthetic. The property becomes less attractive to future buyers and gradually loses market value. Repair costs increase and additional health risks emerge for occupants. The most frustrating aspect is that most attempts to solve the issue focus on the consequences rather than the cause. Walls are repainted, anti mould coatings are applied and finishes are replaced, yet the problem inevitably returns because the conditions that created it remain within the building structure.<\/p>\n In modern energy efficient construction, thermal bridges are not considered a minor defect but a serious design error that simply should not exist in a contemporary home.<\/strong><\/p>\n Vladimir Nazarchuk, 2026 \u00ab\u0425\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0434 \u0437\u0438\u043c\u043e\u0439 \u0438 \u0436\u0430\u0440\u0430 \u043b\u0435\u0442\u043e\u043c \u2014 \u044d\u0442\u043e \u043d\u0435 \u0442\u043e, \u0447\u0442\u043e \u043c\u044b \u0436\u0434\u0451\u043c \u043e\u0442 \u0436\u0438\u043b\u044c\u044f.\u00bb Novaspace Promo \u0411\u043e\u043b\u044c\u0448\u0438\u043d\u0441\u0442\u0432\u043e \u0432\u043b\u0430\u0434\u0435\u043b\u044c\u0446\u0435\u0432 \u0434\u043e\u043c\u043e\u0432 \u0438 \u043a\u0432\u0430\u0440\u0442\u0438\u0440 \u0445\u043e\u0442\u044f \u0431\u044b \u0440\u0430\u0437 \u0441\u043b\u044b\u0448\u0430\u043b\u0438 \u0442\u0435\u0440\u043c\u0438\u043d \u00ab\u043c\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044b \u0445\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0434\u0430\u00bb. \u041e\u0434\u043d\u0430\u043a\u043e \u0434\u043b\u044f \u0431\u043e\u043b\u044c\u0448\u0438\u043d\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0430 \u043b\u044e\u0434\u0435\u0439 \u044d\u0442\u043e \u0432\u0441\u0435\u0433\u043e \u043b\u0438\u0448\u044c \u043e\u0447\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0434\u043d\u043e\u0435 \u0442\u0435\u0445\u043d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0441\u043a\u043e\u0435 \u0432\u044b\u0440\u0430\u0436\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0435 \u0438\u0437 \u043b\u0435\u043a\u0441\u0438\u043a\u043e\u043d\u0430 \u0430\u0440\u0445\u0438\u0442\u0435\u043a\u0442\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0432 \u0438 \u0441\u0442\u0440\u043e\u0438\u0442\u0435\u043b\u0435\u0439, \u043a\u043e\u0442\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0435 \u043d\u0435 \u0438\u043c\u0435\u0435\u0442 \u043e\u0442\u043d\u043e\u0448\u0435\u043d\u0438\u044f \u043a \u0438\u0445 \u0441\u043e\u0431\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0435\u043d\u043d\u043e\u0439 \u043d\u0435\u0434\u0432\u0438\u0436\u0438\u043c\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0438. \u0412\u0435\u0434\u044c \u0432 \u0438\u0445 \u0434\u043e\u043c\u0435 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4271,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gruporeunion.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gruporeunion.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gruporeunion.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gruporeunion.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gruporeunion.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4263"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gruporeunion.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4263\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gruporeunion.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4271"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gruporeunion.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gruporeunion.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gruporeunion.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The popularity of underfloor heating systems has largely been built around this phenomenon. They make the floor surface more comfortable to walk on, but they do not eliminate the root cause of the problem. Thermal bridges remain in place, while the heating system merely compensates for their effects.<\/h3>\n
This naturally raises an important question: if a home is too hot in summer and too cold in winter, why were hundreds of thousands of pounds or euros spent on it in the first place? A home should do far more than keep the rain out. It should provide comfort, stability and protection from the conditions outside.<\/h3>\n
Higher energy bills and reduced comfort are only part of the story. Thermal bridges also create another highly undesirable consequence: mould.<\/h2>\n
It is important to understand that this is not a random occurrence and it is not caused by poor housekeeping. The problem is built into the home itself. The conditions that allow mould to grow are created by the building.<\/h3>\n
For this reason, thermal bridges should never be viewed solely as an energy efficiency issue. They directly affect building durability, indoor environmental quality, the protection of property value and the health of the people living inside.<\/h3>\n
\nNOVASPACE PROMO<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"