BUILD UP

When exploring building operation and its relationship with energy efficiency, one might at times only consider building occupancy and occupant behaviour. In addition, design choices are often informed by models in which occupant behaviour is assumed to remain constant or left out of the equation. Better design choices should instead consider the variability of occupant behaviour in order to make better predictions of how buildings perform during the operation phase.

The Covenant of Mayors Investment Forum was launched in 2014. In February 2019, a two-day event was held in which significant achievements and challenges linked to the evolution of this initiative were reviewed. Over 700 participants gathered for the event and – alongside networking, keynote speeches and panel discussions – 30 research and implementation projects about sustainable energy and climate adaptation were presented.

Every month, BUILD UP highlights publications covering a specific topic. May’s Topic of the Month is: ‘Building operation’. The website is already open for contributions and BUILD UP’s editorial board is eager to receive your discussion papers, news and articles.

BUILD UP, in collaboration with the H2020 eTEACHER, MOBISTYLE and MOEEBIUS projects, is organising a 20 May webinar. Topics to be addressed include the way occupants use and interact with buildings to lower energy consumption and/or increase comfort levels and the quality of the indoor environment.

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The 11-14 March training school in Bolzano, Italy, was highly interesting and stimulating. Knowledge moved closer to methods, processes and examples in a bid to make the concepts of regenerative building a reality. In total, 24 trainees from 14 different countries participated.

The revision of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) now sets a clear direction for the full decarbonisation of Europe’s building stock by 2050. By March 2020, Member States must provide their new renovation strategy to the European Commission under a new EPBD requirement first introduced in 2012 by the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED).

Annex 67 “Energy Flexible Buildings” is a collaborative project supported by the Energy in Buildings and Communities programme of the International Energy Agency. It aims to find a common definition and assessment methodology. It also focuses on evaluating the flexibility potential of different building typologies and case studies in order to provide a common framework for the future implementation of energy flexibility in buildings.

The Bolueta building in the Spanish city of Bilbao is now the tallest passive house in the world. Its developers and architects succeeded in setting a new record while at the same time obtaining certified proof that it is highly energy efficient.

In the framework of the PV-ESTIA project, a proposed innovative photovoltaics + storage management scheme will be evaluated under real conditions. Pilot installations will be selected with the aim of examining if – and how – the size of energy storage systems and different geographical conditions affect the scheme’s performance.

The success of the first EU-funded CLEAR project – enabling consumers to learn about, engage with and adopt renewable energy technologies – continues with Clear 2.0. It actively guides consumers through all the stages leading to the purchase of domestic renewable and low-carbon energy technologies.

This high-impact project will design innovative financial instruments adapted to the needs of citizens, as well as new mechanisms that contribute to a more competitive business network. It will also include special programmes to support innovation and collaboration, focusing on vulnerable groups.

eTEACHER is a European project aimed at reducing energy consumption by promoting more conscious end-user behaviour in a wide range of buildings. It seeks to raise energy awareness through tailored methods and strategies.

The ENVISION project seeks to demonstrate a full renovation concept that, for the first time, harvests energy from all building surfaces – both transparent and opaque. In particular, it focuses on energy harvesting of façades and works by absorbing the invisible – or near-infrared (NIR) – part of solar radiation, allowing visible aspects to be retained.

After several weeks of consultations with stakeholders, including at a national level, EuroACE presented the final version of its “Guide to EPBD Implementation” in a series of webinars held in cooperation with BUILD UP. The fourth and final webinar of the series took place on 8 April and discussed assessing a building’s energy performance and putting energy efficiency first.

A European project has developed a toolkit that includes an integrated and simplified cost assessment analysis allowing potential investors to estimate the return on investment (ROI) and payback period for different energy efficiency measures. It also enables calculation of both the net present value, as well as the new value of a building after deep renovation with AdoRes.

Climate.OneBuilding.org has announced the availability of new climate data (TMYx) for more than 1 900 locations around Europe – from the Åland Islands to Switzerland.

Learn more about a tool for assessing the thermal performance of Complex Fenestration Systems (CFS). It involves treating solar radiation with a detailed optical model based on ray tracing and using Radiance software.

EuroACE is organising workshops in Member States to advocate for quick and thorough implementation of the EPBD at national levels.

On 16 May, BUILD UP is holding a one-day digital construction skills workshop at the Barcelona Building CONSTRUMAT’19 international trade fair to help meet the challenges of new European energy and climate targets.

The aim of the conference is to provide insights into the performance of innovative building envelopes as related to architecture, energy, comfort, as well as economics and management.

With its "Built environment facing climate change" theme, CLIMA2019 will feature discussions about the capacity of new and refurbished buildings. It will also focus on technical building systems to mitigate climate change in an energy efficient manner while respecting comfort and security requirements.