The solution for the conservator: photovoltaics in a historic building

The Maintenance vs. Modernization Dilemma

Imagine a beautiful 19th century townhouse in the city center. Its facade is decorated with elaborate details, and forged balconies give it a unique character. However, heating bills absorb a significant portion of rental income, and rising electricity costs are making building maintenance increasingly challenging.

This is not an isolated case. According to data from the National Institute of Heritage, there are more than 70,000 objects registered in the Register of Monuments in Poland. Most of them struggle with similar problems - high maintenance costs and pressure to increase energy efficiency.

“When I took over the management of the tenement house at the Market Square, the monthly electricity bills in the common areas exceeded PLN 5,000,” says Tomasz Nowak, a property manager from Krakow. “We wanted to install photovoltaics, but the conservator categorically rejected the possibility of installing traditional panels on the roof. He said they would destroy the historic character of the building.”

The problem is complex. On the one hand, EU regulations such as RepowerEU clearly indicate the direction - from 2029 all buildings, including historic ones, will have to be equipped with photovoltaic systems. On the other hand, monument conservators rightly protect the historical urban fabric from the interference of modern technologies.

Modernization attempts often fail. In one of the tenement houses in Poznań, traditional photovoltaic panels were installed, covering them with a dummy of historical roof tiles. Effect? Significantly reduced system performance and financial penalties from the monument conservator. In another case, in Wrocław, the owner of a historic villa was forced to dismantle the entire PV installation, which was visible from street level.

Traditional photovoltaic solutions simply do not work in the context of historic architecture. The standard panels, even those in the “all black” version, contrast drastically with the historical architecture in their form and character. Their installation also often requires interference with the original substance of the building - piercing through the ceilings, conducting visible cable routes, fixing the structure to historical elements.

Landmark owners are thus faced with a difficult choice - either ignore rising energy costs and upcoming regulations, or risk losing the historic character of the building. It's a dilemma that didn't seem to have a good solution. Until now.

Integrating technology with heritage

The eBlade system introduces a completely new approach to the energy modernization of monuments. Instead of fighting constraints, he uses them as an opportunity to discreetly integrate technology into historical architecture.

Let's reimagine our 19th century townhouse. Its distinctive wrought-iron balcony railings can be replaced with the eBlade system, which faithfully reproduces the historical pattern while generating electricity. Window blinds, which are needed to protect from the sun anyway, become unobtrusive current generators. Even the glazed roof of the courtyard can be made using photovoltaic technology, remaining invisible from the street level.

“When we first presented the system to a monument conservator, he was skeptical,” recalls architect Maria Kowalska, who realized the first eBlade installation in a historic tenement house in Gdańsk. “But when he saw the samples and realized that the system could be finished in any color and texture, matching the historical substance, he changed his mind. The key was that the technology is virtually invisible.”

The system is designed to meet the specific requirements of historic buildings:

• Fixings are designed to minimize interference with historical substance
• Wires are routed in existing channels or hidden in system profiles
• The components can be finished in any color from the RAL palette, matching them to the original color scheme
• Modules can be assembled in stages, spreading the investment over time

The process of making arrangements with the conservator has also been simplified. The system has standard technical documentation taking into account the specifics of historical objects. It contains detailed drawings of details, material specifications and a description of assembly methods that do not affect the historical substance.

Moreover, the flexibility of the system allows it to be adapted to individual conservation requirements. In the tenement house at the Market Square in Krakow, the conservator agreed to the installation on the condition that the original railing pattern was preserved - the eBlade system was therefore designed to accurately reproduce historical details. In another case, in a historic villa in Sopot, the slats were finished in patinated copper color, perfectly blending with the original window carpentry.

Technology finally ceases to be the enemy of monuments, and becomes a discreet support in their maintenance and modernization. The eBlade system shows that it is possible to combine respect for heritage with the demands of today.

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