In this type of building, there are many joints that must be sealed after the panels are lifted into place. There are no insulation cavities in the side walls of the Zhukovskij buildings, so the total wall insulation value is provided by the 14-in thick exterior concrete panels. Apartments in regions further north than Moscow are reported to have triple-pane windows. To combat drafts, most of the residents use foam rubber, newspaper, or tape to seal up their windows around October 15 each year. They unseal them around April 15.
Heating is provided by radiators located below each window.
The radiators receive hot water through an extensive distribution system from a central district heating plant. Apartments generally do not have individual controls or metering, and these cannot be easily added because radiators are typically plumbed vertically in series. Heat delivery is controlled by varying the hot-water supply temperature at the central plant according to daily ambient temperature. Ventilation is driven by a passive vent chimney system with separate vents in the kitchen and bath-toilet. This type of system must provide excess ventilation in cold weather in order to create adequate ventilation in moderately cool weather.