"BUILD UP Newsletter" Newsletter Issues

New skills for a sustainable and energy-efficient EU building stock (31/07/2019)

The construction sector has significant potential for cost-effective energy savings. With the EU planning a nearly-zero energy target for new buildings by 2020, the construction sector is confronted with the urgent need to upskill its workforce. This implies both meeting the targets and learning how to use innovative approaches and technological solutions to maintain the high quality of construction and increase building energy efficiency.

Buildings as Material Banks (BAMB) at the end of the research cycle (31/07/2019)

In integrative building design, interaction among all building disciplines and stakeholders is sought from the earliest development phases, with the aim of achieving optimal solutions through iterative and lean approaches. The quest for energy efficiency is a key component in this systematic methodology, intended to minimise the burden that construction imposes on the environment while promoting positive effects, such as a healthy indoor environment, positive social interactions, and the maintained or enhanced value of materials.

Topic of the Month: ‘Financing energy efficiency of buildings' (31/07/2019)

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

LIFE energises shift to climate-neutral Belgium homes (31/07/2019)

‘Renovation of buildings is by far the most cost-effective way to tackle the climate problem,’ said Roel Vermeiren from the Flemish Energy Agency, speaking at the LIFE Platform meeting on Climate Action and the Building Sector on 17 June 2019.

Building renovations: social aid to accept the change (31/07/2019)

When energy-saving measures are planned in social housing buildings, the environmental objective is combined with the aim of reducing inequality. In Zaragoza, Spain, a team of social workers is helping the tenants of a multi-family building to accept a challenging refurbishment. If energy-saving measures came knocking at the door, wouldn’t it be reassuring to have someone on hand to help you navigate the benefits and inconvenience, someone to help dispel your doubts?

Manifesto underlines the built environment sector’s vital role in delivering a climate-neutral Europe (31/07/2019)

Today, over 20 countries from the World Green Building Council's (WorldGBC) Europe Regional Network (WorldGBC Europe) have published a manifesto entitled ‘A Sustainable Built Environment at the Heart of Europe’s Future’. It urges European decision-makers to recognise the vital role the built-environment sector plays in delivering a climate-neutral Europe.

Policy paper: How to integrate indoor environmental quality within national long-term renovation strategies (31/07/2019)

Good indoor environmental quality is a cornerstone of ensuring health, comfort, well-being and productivity in buildings, while reducing the building stock’s climate impact is essential to the EU’s commitments under the Paris Agreement. The amended Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD, 2018/844) mentions energy-performance requirements defined by governments in all EU countries.

Solutions for energy efficiency: 10 years of European Local Energy Assistance (31/07/2019)

European Local Energy Assistance (ELENA) is a successful joint initiative between the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Commission (Smart Finance for Smart Buildings). It offers technical assistance for investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy in buildings.

Passivhaus hotel in Guipuzcoa, Spain (31/07/2019)

In April 2019, Spain’s Hotel Arima received the Passivhaus certificate from the Energiehaus company. The building has managed to reduce energy costs, resulting in a demand for heating of 7 kWh/m2 and another for cooling of 6 kWh/m2. These values are rated at factor 10 below the energy consumption of conventional hotels, thereby achieving very high energy autonomy for the building.

COOP sustainable store in Etagnières, Switzerland (31/07/2019)

Covering an area of 1,348 m² at ground level, the building comprises a single volume, on one level, marked by an entrance marquee for customers. The building consists of a wooden frame set on a concrete base. Blades made from the northern or Scotch pine have been sanded and treated with a walnut saturator to bring warmth to this modern wooden facade.

The QUEST project (31/07/2019)

The main goal of QUEST is to promote investments in Sustainability and Energy Efficiency by identifying and empirically risk-grading factors that influence performance. QUEST will develop a simple toolkit to evaluate these investments. It can be easily applied to all types of sustainability and energy-efficiency investments and covers project design-construction-operation risks.

CitizEE H2020 project launched: Scaling up public sustainable investments via citizen financing schemes (31/07/2019)

The main objective of CitizEE is to support European public authorities in scaling up investments for energy efficiency in the building sector by attracting citizen private investments. CitizEE will address this objective by integrating tailored and widely adopted crowdfunding and cooperative financing schemes.

Is a dual revenue stream EPC bankable for European investors? (31/07/2019)

As part of the NOVICE project, Joule Assets Europe conducted a research study measuring the appeal and financial viability of the NOVICE dual revenue stream energy performance contract (EPC). This looks into combining energy efficiency and demand response.

The RESTORE project (31/07/2019)

RESTORE studies an promotes the restorative sustainability for new and existing buildings across Europe. It is a knowledge transfer project comprising 40 countries and 150 working members. The project is divided into five working groups and is coordinated by the core group and the members' committee representing each of the participant countries.

Webinar: Practitioner's Guide on Energy Performance Contracts (31/07/2019)

Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Commission, and the European Investment Bank launched a new Practitioner's Guide on the Statistical Treatment of Energy Performance Contracts on 8 May 2019.

PrioritEE DST– decision-support tool (31/07/2019)

The main purpose of this decision-support tool, implemented via an online web-based application, is to apply different energy-efficiency measures to help local and regional authorities to calculate, relatively easily and quickly, energy and financial savings in individual public buildings and for the whole building stock.

The H2020 ExcEED project’s platform and its tools (31/07/2019)

The EU-funded ExcEED project collects data from new and energy-efficient buildings (such as energy performance, CO2 emissions, etc.), and gathers them into a database. Through the data collected, the platform will foster energy awareness and will build analysis of energy performances regarding data from existing buildings.

16th IAEE European Conference - Ljubljana (31/07/2019)

The central topic of this conference will be to assess the challenges of and impacts on energy markets of the complex and changing conditions in technology, policy and geopolitics in this domain. Sessions would address topics as Energy efficiency policies, investments and implementation by end-use sectors; Energy demand: behaviour, demand-side management, energy poverty, Business cases/ case studies.

16th IBSA International Conference/Building Simulation BS 2019 – Rome (31/07/2019)

Building Simulation is the premier international event in the field of building performance simulation. This is an exceptional opportunity to share information about simulation tools and applications, and to present and get updates on recent achievements and new developments in the research.

SBE19 – Resilient Built Environment for sustainable Mediterranean countries (31/07/2019)

The Sustainable Built Environment (SBE) regional conference 2019 is a platform for sharing research and innovation among researchers and practitioners within the construction sector. The focus is on the resilient built environment for sustainable Mediterranean countries.

Sustainable Built Environment D-A-CH Conference 2019 (31/07/2019)

The SBE19 Graz conference is part of a major international series of events focusing on sustainable buildings and construction. The conference series was launched by the International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction (CIB).

Build Up on Twitter (31/07/2019)

#BuildUpSkills workshop in Barcelona was a great opportunity to explore the possibilities between #DigitalTransition & #EnergyTransition of buildings. Take a look at the report of the event to learn all about its sessions

Build Up on Linkedin (31/07/2019)

#EnergyEfficiency Toolkit RescoopPlus has made a toolkit available for #energy communities. Learn more about it

#EUSEW2019 – Shaping Europe’s energy future (27/06/2019)

Since 2006, the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Energy and the Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (EASME) has organised its annual flagship event: the EU Sustainable Energy Week. As the biggest event dedicated to renewables and efficient energy use in Europe, it has grown into a community at the forefront of sustainable European energy policy, providing a platform for formulating and debating new ideas.

Developing and implementing an nZEB qualification framework (27/06/2019)

Nearly Zero-Energy Building (nZEB) construction and renovation require increased and systematic quality control. This is where BIMplement comes in. Its enhanced quality control approach revolves around a fully qualified and equipped workforce – one that is capable of implementing, executing and performing all necessary labour with a full understanding of its professional responsibility and actions.

Topic of the Month: ‘Financing energy efficiency of buildings' (27/06/2019)

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

Social housing could be first to decarbonize (27/06/2019)

Drastically lowering energy consumption in buildings is a cornerstone of Europe’s climate and energy policy. However, European Commission estimates show that almost 75 % of Europe’s building stock is currently energy inefficient, and that the renovation rate ranges from just 0.4 to 1.2 % depending on the country. The Horizon 2020 HEART project aims to equip the social housing sector to lead with mass-scale retrofit.

AZEB makes affordable energy neutral building a reality (27/06/2019)

The AZEB method organises the sometimes overwhelming amount of existing solutions for affordable nZEBs and intends to assist both decision makers and experts with their projects. Each of the method’s 27 steps represents a set of important and unique activities and/or decisions, which help to create affordable nZEBs. They are organized within four main project phases: initiative, design, construction and use, and maintenance.

BIMplement training: Current status and follow-up (27/06/2019)

One of the objectives of BIMplement is to create a new generation of professionals and craftsmen qualified to deliver high quality nZEB projects by using technical, cross-trade and BIM skills and competencies. To this end, training sessions will be carried out at 50 construction sites in France, Spain, the Netherlands, Poland and Lithuania.

Architects’ Council of Europe (ACE) – Designing for a circular economy (27/06/2019)

An ambitious implementation of circular economy principles in the building and construction sectors requires the involvement and collaboration of all stakeholders, from the construction materials and building components manufacturers to procurers, builders, users, building managers, recycling enterprises, etc. Architects can play a key role, as many decisions made during the design phase have long-lasting consequences on the environmental performance of a building throughout its life cycle.

From nearly zero-energy buildings to net-zero energy districts – Lessons learned from EU projects (27/06/2019)

A JRC (Joint Research Centre) report presents an analysis of the current situation based on an extensive review of relevant articles from 1992 to 2018 dealing with zero energy/zero carbon communities, sustainable communities, urban/local energy governance, citizen engagement, local energy planning, local energy production and local energy transition.

Taking a new look at Torrelago (27/06/2019)

The Horizon 2020 STUNNING renovation hub project presents several case studies, including an apartment block in Spain’s Torrelago district built between 1977 and1981. The district includes some 31 private multi-property residential buildings (1 488 dwellings) with more than 140 000 m2 and 4 000 residents. Former conditions were very low in terms of efficiency and comfort, making refurbishment a necessity.

Passivhaus building in a Mediterranean climate (27/06/2019)

Scenia (phase II) is a newly built residential complex with 26 exclusive homes that spans 13 576 m2 and is located in one of the best areas of Zaragoza, Spain. Featuring a common garden area, pool and paddle court, its architectural design is adapted to the local climate and emphasises energy efficiency.

Women Can Build project (27/06/2019)

Society still has work to do when it comes to providing equal opportunities for women. The construction industry has traditionally been a male sector – a fact justified, among other issues, by the harsh nature of the required work. However, the evolution of the sector towards greater mechanisation now makes it possible for both men and women to carry out the same tasks with equal rights and the same access to career opportunities.

21st Century skills training (27/06/2019)

As examples of this month's BUILD UP topic "New skills for energy efficiency in buildings", check out the presentations and key findings from the C4E Forum 2018 panel session “Training of skills for 21st century”. C4E Forums are biannual events on energy efficiency with a focus on Central and Eastern Europe.

THERMOS project (27/06/2019)

The overall goal of the Horizon 2020 THERMOS project is to develop methods, data and tools to rapidly and cheaply enable more sophisticated thermal energy system planning. It aims to accelerate the development of new low-carbon heating and cooling systems across Europe, and enable faster upgrades, refurbishments, and expansions of existing systems.

EUREMnext project (27/06/2019)

EUREM is a standardised European energy manager training programme comprising courses, self-learning and practical work combined with access to a European alumni network for continued knowledge exchange. The EUREMnext project aims to make this programme available more widely.

ExcEED project webinar: turning data into knowledge (27/06/2019)

The ExcEED project answers the need for transparency and comparability of building energy performance calculations and has developed a collaborative platform that requires data. During the webinar, the ExcEED team presents the latest project results and demonstrates how such data can be uploaded.

Mobile building inspection tool assessment (27/06/2019)

The mobile inspection tool to be developed by the P2ENDURE project is an enhanced and extended version of the existing building inspection and maintenance software tool developed by DEMO Consultants. This upgraded tool will address specific requirements for deep renovation.

THERMOS tool (27/06/2019)

A free, open-source software has been developed by the THERMOS project that offers local authorities address-level data for the optimised expansion of an existing heating or cooling system, the planning of an entirely new system, or assessing the performance of specific networks or non-networked solutions via direct comparison.

REHAB 2019 - 4th International Conference on Preservation, Maintenance and Rehabilitation of Historic Buildings and Structures (27/06/2019)

REHAB 2019 – The 4th International Conference on Preservation, Maintenance and Rehabilitation of Historic Buildings and Structures aims to proceed with the discussion on built heritage and legacy preservation established in previous editions of the event.

Sustainable Built Environment Conference SBE Tokyo 2019 (27/06/2019)

The conference aims to encourage the participation and commitment of students and experts who proactively research issues related to sustainable building that are critically relevant to the mitigation of – and adaptation to –climate change.

International Conference on Energy, Environment and Economics (ICEEE2019) (27/06/2019)

ICEEE2019 focuses on energy, the environment and the economics of energy systems and their applications. Conference will provide a forum for both researchers and academics from around the world to present original research papers.

CISBAT 2019 – Climate Resilient Cities Energy Efficiency & Renewables in the Digital Era (27/06/2019)

Focused on energy efficiency and the use of renewables in the built environment, CISBAT offers a dynamic international platform for scientific exchange in fields ranging from nanostructured materials for renewable energy applications to urban energy systems.

Build Up on Twitter (27/06/2019)

Josefina Lindblom, @EU_ENV, shares more about Level(s) This is a framework tool, designed to assist and report sustainability and devolopment of buildings. At a testing phase, 130 projects across Europe are currently running. #EUSEW19

Build Up on Linkedin (27/06/2019)

How to implement revised #EPBD provisions on building #renovation The European Commission has released guidance for implementing the amended #EPBD into national laws. Take a look!

Building integrated photovoltaics as a viable option among renewables (27/05/2019)

The concept of building integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) concerns the integration of technology – that is, the capability of a PV system to interact with the building and district energy system to maximise the use locally of the electricity generated. In view of the urgent need to renovate and decarbonise the existing building stock, special focus is on producing skins, such as roofs and façades, by using innovative solutions and materials to make them more efficient and to generate energy. This is essential to achieve the EU’s 2030 energy targets which are only 11 years away.

Topic of the Month: ‘New skills for energy efficiency in buildings' (27/05/2019)

Every month, BUILD UP highlights publications covering a specific topic. June’s Topic of the Month is: ‘New skills for energy efficiency in buildings’. The website is already open for contributions and BUILD UP’s editorial board is eager to receive your discussion papers, news and articles.

One step closer to the mutual recognition of upskilled professionals in the construction sector (27/05/2019)

The nearly zero-energy building standard will very shortly become mandatory for new buildings. The challenge for achieving the European and national climate and energy goals is how to avoid construction errors that lead to increases in energy consumption. New “Train the Trainer” pilot courses are performed in different countries to facilitate the adoption of these standards during the execution of nearly zero-energy buildings.

Smart 3D modelling for buildings (27/05/2019)

The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain is one of the most famous museums in the world, with more than 1 million visitors every year. This architectural masterpiece, designed by Frank Gehry in the ‘90s, was a pioneering piece of construction which tested the building information modelling (BIM) method.

Report quantifies potential for EU-28 urban waste heat (27/05/2019)

The ReUseHeat report ‘Accessible Urban Waste Heat’ reveals significant heat-recovery potential from unconventional sources of excess heat. It is possible to recover approximately 1.2 EJ (or 340 TWh) per year from data centres, metro stations, service-sector buildings and waste-water treatment plants. This corresponds to more than 10% of the EU’s total energy demand for heat and hot water, which is approximately 10.7 EJ (or 2 980 TWh).

Making buildings responsive to users’ needs with the Smart Readiness Indicator and the European Energy Efficient building district database (27/05/2019)

The latest factsheet published by the EU-funded ExcEED project summarises the project’s main objectives and details the need for such a platform to collect energy-performance data from existing buildings, especially in light of the contribution it can make to develop the smart readiness indicator (SRI).

Future-proof buildings for all Europeans: a guide to implementing the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (27/05/2019)

The Buildings Performance Institute Europe’s guide addresses various aspects of the Directive, providing Member States with a comprehensive toolkit to meet the decarbonisation challenge. It focuses on articles were requirements have evolved or have been added: long-term renovation strategies, financing renovation, EPCs and building renovation passports, the SRI and how to calculate energy performance.

The Albero: Construction 21 Case Study (27/05/2019)

The Albero project focuses on the rehabilitation, modernisation and requalification of the architectural envelope of an office building in Guyancourt, France. It relies on low CO2 emissions materials and on-site non-disturbance strategies to reduce its environmental impact.

Zetland Road: a deep retrofit of two Victorian semi-detached houses from 1894, Manchester, UK (27/05/2019)

For many years, this Victorian property in the centre of Chorlton had been divided up into five apartments. During this time, many of the original features were lost. The proposal is to return the property to its original state as two semi-detached homes and to reinstate the beautiful original façade.

ReCO2ST: a research project aiming for better building and living (27/05/2019)

ReCO2ST is applying an easy three-step approach to building renovations, resulting in major savings and higher standards of living. The interactive refurbishment assessment tool, the integrated project delivery tool and finally, the selected refurbishment package of innovative technologies are being deployed as a customisable retrofit kit.

HEART project: Holistic Energy and Architectural Retrofit Toolkit (27/05/2019)

The HEART toolkit incorporates different components and technologies which cooperate to transform an existing building into a smart building. By developing this toolkit, the project is advancing and improving energy efficiency and the use of renewable energies in buildings across Europe. This is particularly relevant in central and southern Europe where climate change is resulting in higher electricity consumption during both the summer and winter seasons.

PARENT project: PARticipatory platform for sustainable ENergy managemenT (27/05/2019)

The aim of the project is to give communities the technology and support they need to help reduce energy consumption in their homes, and to investigate ways in which communities can work towards more sustainable lifestyles. This ongoing three-year project is conducting pilot studies in Brussels (Belgium), Amsterdam (the Netherlands) and Bergen (Norway).

BERTIM project: Building Energy Renovation through Timber prefabricated Modules (27/05/2019)

BERTIM develops a prefabricated solution which provides the opportunity to renovate improving energy performance, air quality, aesthetics, comfort, and property value at the same time, while ensuring low intrusiveness during renovation works. The systemic methodology is based in a digital BIM data flow that will be implemented in a software named RenoBIM.

Webinar: How and what can we learn from the EPATEE toolbox? (27/05/2019)

This dissemination webinar, which is designed for all types of users, from beginners to evaluation experts, explains the background and how the toolbox was developed. It is illustrated with a live demonstration of evaluations that can be done using the toolbox and allows participants to test and comment on its use.

Webinar on building operation and user experience key to enhanced building performance (27/05/2019)

In collaboration with the eTEACHER, MOBISTYLE and MOEEBIUS H2020 projects, BUILD UP has organised this webinar to address, among others, the way in which occupants use and interact with buildings in order to lower energy consumption and/or to enhance the comfort and quality of the indoor environment.

METIS, a cost-efficient district heating development (27/05/2019)

METIS is a mathematical model which provides an analysis of the European energy system. It simulates the operation of energy systems and markets on an hourly basis over a year, while factoring in uncertainties such as variations in the weather.

COOL DH technical workshop at EUSEW (27/05/2019)

The COOL DH action aims to support cities in their endeavour to plan and deploy new, efficient district heating and cooling (DHC) systems and to extend and refurbish existing ones to higher standards.

Scaling-up Deep-Energy Retrofit Markets Towards 2030 Targets (27/05/2019)

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

Investing 4 Cities: Opportunities and Solutions to finance home renovation in Europe (27/05/2019)

This summit offers European cities and regional representatives a unique opportunity to learn from and interact with experts from home-renovation programmes. The event will showcase lessons learnt, best practices, case studies and future developments in home renovation.

Horizon 2020 Energy Info Days (27/05/2019)

The info days will present funding opportunities for research, innovation and market uptake projects on clean energy. Registration is open now!

Build Up on Twitter (27/05/2019)

Last week, we organised our #BuildUpSkills workshop at the @ConstrumatBCN fair in Barcelona Thank you very much to all speakers and participants that made this event on #Digital #ConstructionSkills so productive!

Build Up on Linkedin (27/05/2019)

Do you know outstanding individuals involved in #EnergyTransition? The #RogerLeronAward honours developments in the #SustainableEnergy field at the EU, local and regional level! Nominate them before 31 May.

Building operation: the elusive alignment of research, design and occupants (03/05/2019)

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.

Covenant of Mayors Investment Forum: matching local-scale action with long-term objectives and financing (03/05/2019)

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.

Topic of the Month: ‘Building operation' (03/05/2019)

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.

20 May webinar explores how building operation and user experience can boost building performance (03/05/2019)

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.

Help us improve Build Up! (03/05/2019)

Please complete a 5-minute survey to help us improve the Build Up portal and make it more user friendly. We are revising the menu and aiming for easier and clearer navigation with more poignant page titles. Please help us improve – we appreciate your feedback!

Review of third RESTORE training school in Bolzano (03/05/2019)

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.

Public officer guidance on navigating new EPBD requirements for renovation strategies (03/05/2019)

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).

Energy flexibility as key asset for a smart building future (03/05/2019)

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.

Bolueta high-rise is world's tallest passive house (03/05/2019)

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.

Interreg Balkan-Med project transforms buildings into energy source (03/05/2019)

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.

Clear 2.0: connecting consumers and renewable energy technologies (03/05/2019)

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.

BUILD2LC: boosting low carbon innovative building rehab (03/05/2019)

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 – boosting conscious energy behaviour (03/05/2019)

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.

ENVISION – energy harvesting via building skins (03/05/2019)

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.

Webinar on assessing a building’s energy performance, prioritising energy efficiency (03/05/2019)

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.

Financial toolkit (03/05/2019)

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.

New European climate data (03/05/2019)

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.

Modelling approach to Complex Fenestration Systems (03/05/2019)

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 workshop on energy efficiency in buildings & renovation in South East Europe (03/05/2019)

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

BUILD UP digital construction skills workshop at CONSTRUMAT’19 (03/05/2019)

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 Future Envelope 12 - Conference on Building Envelopes (03/05/2019)

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.

CLIMA2019 - 13th REHVA HVAC World Congress (03/05/2019)

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.

Build Up on Twitter (03/05/2019)

Registered to #BuildUpSkills workshop? At the Construmat BCN Fair, participants will be the focus of the event! Your ideas will help to define funding priorities under the next Build Up Skills initiative! Take part! #EnergyEfficiency #BIM

Build Up on Linkedin (03/05/2019)

Where will you shape Europe's #Energy future? #EUSEW19 is approaching and you should expect events across Europe! Submit your event and take part in the #EnergyDays from Turkey to Portugal, Italy to Finland.

How is the EU supporting BIM and ICT development in the buildings sector? (03/04/2019)

BIM (Building Information Modelling) is the process of creating and managing information digitally across a building life-cycle. The first European conference on BIM and the energy performance of buildings was held in June 2018. It aimed to present the status of BIM, and the opportunities and challenges regarding the use of BIM for the regulatory assessment of the energy performance of buildings.

Decarbonising the non-residential building stock (03/04/2019)

The building stock in the EU Member States is relatively old, on average 21.6 % of the building stock was built before 1945, 45.4 % was built before 1969 and 75.4 % before 1990. With the exception of Cyprus, Ireland and Luxembourg, the proportion of residential building stock built after 2000 is below 25 %. A relatively old building stock means that without significant investments to improve its energy performance, the average energy performance of the national stock will remain low.

Topic of the Month ‘Integration of renewable energy sources (RES) and new materials' (03/04/2019)

Every month, BUILD UP highlights publications covering a specific topic. April’s Topic of the Month is: ‘Integration of renewable energy sources (RES) and new materials’. The website is already open for contributions and BUILD UP’s editorial board is eager to receive your discussion papers, news and articles.

Register for BUILD UP skills workshop at CONSTRUMAT’19 (03/04/2019)

Are IoT, BIM, robotics and smart buildings a foreign language for your building professionals? Join us at one of Europe’s biggest building industry events to discover and share how the buildings sector could become fluent in digital technologies for smart, energy-efficient buildings.

Webinar: Assessing the energy performance of a building, put energy efficiency first (03/04/2019)

EuroACE presents the final version of its Guide to EPBD Implementation in a series of webinars in cooperation with BUILD UP. The fourth and final webinar of the series will take place on 8 April and will discuss the topic of ‘Assessing the energy performance of a building, put energy efficiency first’.

European Commission launches EPBD art. 19a feasibility study (03/04/2019)

The European Commission has launched a feasibility study to clarify the need, possibilities and timeline for the potential introduction of EU provisions in relation to the inspection of stand-alone ventilation systems and an optional building renovation passport.

Improving Build Up together! (03/04/2019)

Hello! We are working on Build Up portal to provide you a better experience. We are reforming the menu and we aim for an easier and clearer navigation with more insightful page titles. The study will take approximately 5-6 minutes to be complete. Please help us improving, we appreciate your feedback! Click 'more' to join the study. All answers that are kept are strictest confidential.

Energy benchmarking in educational buildings through cluster analysis of energy retrofitting (03/04/2019)

In this paper, Italian school buildings’ stock was analysed by cluster analysis with the aim of providing a methodology able to identify the best energy retrofit interventions from a cost-benefit perspective, and to correlate them with the specific characteristics of educational buildings.

Combined seismic and energy upgrading of existing buildings using advanced materials (03/04/2019)

Of the current EU building stock, 80 % was built before the 1990s, while 40 % is pre-1960s and a considerable amount is even older and classified as cultural patrimony, thus requiring preservation techniques if we want to maintain this cultural heritage for our future generations.

Efficiency House Plus - Renovation of 2 Row Houses from 1938, Neu-Ulm Germany (03/04/2019)

In the southern part of Germany, the first Efficiency House Plus projects from an existing building stock were finished in 2015, with the renovation of two multi-storey dwellings owned by the housing company NUWOG. The two row house complexes, built in 1938, were part of a planning competition for universities in cooperation with consultants.

Bains de Laeken - Swimming pools complex Low-Energy Renovation - Brussels (03/04/2019)

The Bains de Laeken project combines the reinterpretation of a modernist building from the 1970s with the inevitable energy renovation required by this type of building. The project aims to extend the life of important public sports equipment, thus upgrading its quality to meet the current standards of safety, hygiene and, of course, energy-efficiency.

EU-MERCI: good practices for energy efficiency projects (03/04/2019)

EU-MERCI stands for EU coordinated MEthods and procedures based on Real Cases for the effective implementation of policies and measures supporting energy efficiency in the Industry.

STEPPING: new approach to energy performance contracts (03/04/2019)

The project aims to test a new approach to applying the EPC scheme in the design and awarding of energy efficiency intervention for public building stock. This approach will be used to develop validated guidelines on MED EPC to be transferred and disseminated to MED public institutions.

A network for exchanging views on sustainable public procurement (03/04/2019)

The Procura+ Network offers participants the chance to exchange experiences and knowledge, both with fellow participants and other experts in sustainable public procurement.

A programme for peer-to-peer learning for energy plans (03/04/2019)

The PROSPECT learning programme enables peer-to-peer learning in regional and local authorities in order to finance and implement their sustainable energy and climate action plans. The programme builds upon successful financing schemes implemented in cities and regions in the European Union.

Webinar on smart and technology-equipped buildings – new features from the amended EPBD (03/04/2019)

The iBRoad project is working on the concept of Building Renovation Passports combining an individual building renovation roadmap. If you want to know more about the iBRoad project and the Building Renovation Passports do not miss the opportunity to watch this webinar, produced in collaboration with Build Up!

Webinar on innovative business models and smart financing for the deep renovation of European buildings (03/04/2019)

This webinar, organised by the STUNNING project in collaboration with Build Up, addresses the project and innovative business models and smart financing for the deep renovation of European buildings. The project aims to promote successful and innovative building renovation packages and business models around a virtual and collaborative knowledge sharing platform: the STUNNING Renovation Hub.

Technical toolkit for renovation with add-ons (03/04/2019)

The Technical Toolkit guides and outlines processes for stakeholders to understand, assess and implement the technical assessment required for successful building renovation projects with Add-ons. The energy-economic analysis for non-experts and experts alike can be done with support of the technology catalogue, which combines different technical solutions, possibilities, materials their technical properties.

Hotmaps: The open source mapping and planning tool for heating and cooling (03/04/2019)

The Hotmaps project aims to design a toolbox to support public authorities, energy agencies and urban planners in strategic heating and cooling planning at local, regional and national levels and in line with EU policies. The beta-version of the Hotmaps toolbox is now online. In the following year, the tool will be updated and new releases will be available.

Implementing the New Energy Performance of Buildings and Energy Efficiency Directives (03/04/2019)

During this International Practical Seminar we bring together experienced practitioners from all over Europe such as directors, heads of unit and managers in public and private bodies involved in the fields of energy efficiency.

EU GreenWeek 2019 (03/04/2019)

The week will be built around the findings of the Environmental Implementation Review, and its suggestions for the future of these laws.

Barcelona Building Construmat BB CONSTRUMAT'19 (03/04/2019)

A multi-tool, a meeting point, an innovation incubator, a tannoy announcing disruptive voices, a showroom for new products, a platform for networking and a hub for businesses.

URBAN FUTURE global conference (03/04/2019)

The URBAN FUTURE global conference is Europe’s largest event for sustainable cities. It’s the place to meet the most passionate and inspiring CityChangers from all over the world.

Build Up on Twitter (03/04/2019)

TripleAreno aims to provide occupants and building professionals the information & tools to make #DeepRENOvation Attractive, Acceptable and Affordable. Take part in their survey and contribute to this project.

Build Up on Linkedin (03/04/2019)

Become EU BUILD UP member to get to know the excellent experts and potential partners from the industry. Sign up here!

ENERFUND – A tool to identify building energy retrofit opportunities (28/02/2019)

The ENERFUND tool aims to scale up investments in deep renovation of buildings across Europe. Funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme, it provides key stakeholders, such as financing institutions, energy service companies and local authorities, with sound and up-to-date information regarding the energy efficiency of the EU’s building stock.

Topic of the Month ‘Renovation and retrofitting of existing public and non-residential buildings' (28/02/2019)

Every month, BUILD UP highlights publications covering a specific topic. March’s Topic of the Month is: ‘Renovation and retrofitting of existing public and non-residential buildings’. The website is already open for contributions and BUILD UP’s editorial board is eager to receive your discussion papers, news and articles.

Save the date! Digital construction skills: enabling the energy transition in Europe’s building stock (28/02/2019)

A BUILD UP skills event will take place during the Barcelona Building Construmat ’19 international trade fair to be held on 14-17 May. Participants in this workshop will include the European Commission, national authorities, building industry representatives, education and training experts and EU-funded projects.

Webinar on iBRoad – My path towards an energy-efficient home (28/02/2019)

With a focus on residential buildings, the iBRoad project analyses and builds upon relevant examples from Germany, France and Belgium (Flanders) to identify the elements, develop an integrated concept, and produce modular tools suitable for differing national conditions. If you want to know more about the iBRoad project and the Building Renovation Passports do not miss this webinar produced in collaboration with Build Up!

Can you afford to heat your home? National and EU data from EUROSTAT (28/02/2019)

In 2017, in an EU-wide survey, 8 % of the population of the European Union said they could not afford to heat their home adequately. This share peaked in 2012 (11 %) but has fallen continuously in subsequent years.

Integration of LCA tools in BIM towards a regenerative design (28/02/2019)

In the case of regenerative processes, design can receive significant benefits from information that can be obtained by applying the life-cycle assessment methodology. The LCA approach can be implemented both for a single building material and for the whole building.

Benchmarks for environmental impact of housing in Europe: archetypes and LCA of the residential building stock (28/02/2019)

The study describes the results of a full LCA applied to 24 statistically-based dwelling archetypes, representative of the EU housing stock in 2010. The aim is to quantify the average environmental impacts related to housing in Europe and to define reference values (baseline scenario) for policy development.

NZEB: Concepts, frameworks and roadmap for project analysis and implementation (28/02/2019)

The book is based on lessons learned lessons from net-zero energy buildings design, construction and operation which are integrated to introduce the most relevant and multidisciplinary topics, such as climate sensitivity, comfort requirements, carbon footprints, construction quality and evidence-based design.

Rannaliiva in Vöru: building retrofitting during the RENOZEB project (28/02/2019)

This is a case study of the RENOZEB project in Estonia. This will include innovative components and processes and decision-making methodologies to guide all value-chain actors in nZEB building renovation activities.

BIM4Ren project (28/02/2019)

BIM4Ren is a European-funded research project involving 23 European partners. Its general objective is to help to improve the low productivity rate of the European construction sector in the energy renovation market segment.

BIMzeED project (28/02/2019)

The BIMzeED project focuses on the training needs for the current and future construction industry, the main purpose being to encourage: 1) better employability; 2) low-carbon growth; 3) green and nZEB skills; and to 4) increase youth employment.

RENOZEB project (28/02/2019)

RENOZEB aims to unlock the nearly-zero-energy-building (nZEB) renovation market by increasing property value through a new systemic approach to retrofitting.

BIMcert project (28/02/2019)

The BIMcert project will develop a blended, fully supported suite of building information modelling learning tools which will enable geographically dispersed construction project teams to use technology to enhance information exchange and collaboration.

Webinar on smart and technology-equipped buildings – new features from the amended EPBD (28/02/2019)

EuroACE is currently presenting the final version of its Guide to EPBD Implementation in a series of webinars in cooperation with BUILD UP. The third webinar in the series, which took place on 13 February, discussed smart and technology-equipped buildings focusing on new features from the amended EPBD.

Modelica Buildings library (28/02/2019)

The Modelica Buildings library is a free open-source library with dynamic simulation models for building and district energy and control systems. The primary purpose of the library is for flexible and fast modelling to accelerate innovation leading to cost-effective very-low-energy systems for new and existing buildings.

Urban Adaptation Support Tool (28/02/2019)

The aim of the Urban Adaptation Support Tool (UAST) is to help cities, towns and other local authorities to develop, implement and monitor climate change adaptation plans. UAST was developed as practical guidance for urban areas in recognition of their importance to the European economy.

REEEM Technology and Innovation Roadmap Workshop on Energy Efficiency in Buildings (28/02/2019)

During this event, the roadmap and its preliminary findings will be presented during the morning session.

Greenbuild Europe 2019 (28/02/2019)

Greenbuild Europe, Human X Nature is the flagship event for sustainability professionals while Greenbuild Europe is the first annual conference for professionals in this European sector.

Meeting Europe’s building renovation challenge (28/02/2019)

Following the adoption of the EU’s Clean Energy Package setting long-term targets for 2030, 2019 will be a critical year for Member States to decide which policy tools can deliver results.

BUILDING GREEN Aarhus 2019 (28/02/2019)

The event is not just an exhibition of products and solutions – it will also provide a platform of knowledge comprising international keynotes, relevant debates, idea pitching and much more.

Build Up on Twitter (28/02/2019)

We are pleased to have taken part in the Investment Covenant of Mayors Investment Forum & seeing so many EU projects on #EnergyEfficiency. What about you? Keep updated on this topic by becoming a member of @EU_BUILDUP. #invest4cities

Build Up on Linkedin (28/02/2019)

For all the #ARCHITECTS out there! Participate in @EU_Commission survey on #EnergyRenovation & #nZEB. Available in all EU languages.

Webinar on smart and technology-equipped buildings – new features from the amended EPBD (31/01/2019)

In collaboration with BUILD UP, EuroACE is now presenting the final version of its Guide to EPBD Implementation in a series of webinars. The third webinar in the series will take place on 13 February and will discuss the topic ‘Smart and technology-equipped buildings – new features from the amended EPBD’.

Zero-energy buildings: does the definition influence their design and implementation? (31/01/2019)

The debate around the definition of nearly zero-energy buildings or NZEB crosses EU boundaries and involves the international technical and scientific community. Several EU and extra-EU governments have established ambitious policies and targets for zero-energy buildings (ZEBs) to become standard or commonplace. Unfortunately, because the initiatives have different definitions of the zero metric, and different energy consumption and production boundaries, direct comparison between the schemes is problematic.

Topic of the Month ‘Energy efficiency design tools' (31/01/2019)

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

European Commission survey on architects’ activities in energy renovation and nearly zero-energy buildings (31/01/2019)

The survey will enable a better understanding of the solutions developed by architects, barriers to their implementation, and the drivers behind the choices of architects and clients. Consult the Commission’s letter of support for more details.

Improving delivery and distribution systems for energy efficiency investment (31/01/2019)

For energy efficiency to meet its 44 % share of greenhouse gas reductions required to deliver on the Paris Agreement, global investment rates must double between now and 2025, then double again from 2025 to 2040. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), on average, these investments repay three times over their asset lives in energy savings alone.

New CoNZEBs report (31/01/2019)

The CoNZEBs team has completed its identification of potential cost reductions in design and construction processes. Together, the scientific partners and housing organisations assessed the costs related to the design and planning phases according to the specific conditions which currently apply in the participating countries (Germany, Denmark, Italy and Slovenia).

Financing renovation in the social housing sector (31/01/2019)

Housing Europe has put together a unique comparative study in six European countries commissioned by Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC) and L’Union Sociale pour l’Habitat (USH). It presents the financial frameworks, policies and measures that are in place to support the renovation of social, cooperative and public housing in the sample countries.

The evolution and application of the thermal network method for energy assessments in buildings (31/01/2019)

This paper describes the evolution of the thermal network and its applications for making simplified thermal models of buildings by means of thermal resistance (R) and capacitance (C). In the literature, there are several modelling schemes for buildings. Here, we investigate the advantages and disadvantages of thermal networks as well as proposed improvements.

The ExcEED database for buildings of the future features the demonstration case Casa Hoval (31/01/2019)

The ExcEED project is aiming to collect data coming from new, modern and energy-efficient buildings. This data will be gathered and stored in the ExcEED database in order to use it to evaluate the buildings' performance. Furthermore, the database will help users to better design energy-efficient buildings and define innovative building construction policies.

Homes4Life: European certification for ageing in place (01/02/2019)

A European study estimates that the demand for age-friendly homes in the upcoming years across the continent will reach 10 million. Homes4Life addresses this challenge by contributing to the development of a new European certification scheme.

Recommendations on energy efficiency for lenders and valuers (01/02/2019)

The REVALUE project partners have delivered recommendations for key stakeholders on how best to ensure that energy efficiency is included in the building valuation process. Regulators and professional bodies are recognising the importance of energy efficiency in building stock.

QualitEE project (01/02/2019)

This project aims to increase investment in energy-efficiency services in the building sector within the EU and to improve trust in service providers. This will be achieved by developing quality assessment criteria and implementing quality assurance schemes.

The RentalCal tool (01/02/2019)

Funded by Horizon 2020, the RentalCal project (European Rental Housing Framework for the Profitability Calculation of Energetic Retrofitting Investments) aims to improve market transparency for energy-efficiency investments in the rental housing sector. It is achieving this by providing a benchmarking tool for transnational profitability assessments of such investments.

eQUEST simulation software (01/02/2019)

eQuest is a tool which provides professional-level results with an affordable level of effort. It enables users to perform detailed analysis of the current state-of-the-art building design technologies using today’s most sophisticated building-energy-use simulation technique.

Covenant of Mayors Investment Forum – energy efficiency finance market place (01/02/2019)

The conference will bring together cities, industry and financial institutions to exchange good practices and successful solutions to common challenges.

The human dimension of building energy performance (01/02/2019)

The conference will gather researchers, professionals and practitioners from across the world to present and discuss the latest research on this topic.

World Sustainable Energy Days 2019 (01/02/2019)

The World Sustainable Energy Days bring together more than 650 delegates from 50 countries from industry, academia and the public sector to embrace the necessary transition to clean energy.

Ecobuild conference: Time for action (01/02/2019)

Exhibitors represent the complete global spectrum of sustainable construction products, for new build and refurbishment, residential and commercial projects.

Build Up on Twitter (01/02/2019)

Running a project related to “Shaping Europe’s #EnergyFuture”? Apply for the #EUSEW19 Awards! Deadline: 4 Febuary

Build Up on Linkedin (01/02/2019)

Countdown to the #EPBD implementation has started! Sign up for EuroACE webinar on #smart and Technologically Equipped Buildings on February 13.

Focus on finance - Financing Energy Efficiency in Malta and Italy (07/01/2019)

On 22 November 2018, the ‘Financing Energy Efficiency in Malta and Italy’ event was organised in partnership with the Maltese Ministry for Energy and Water Management, Malta’s Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects and the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI).The forum welcomed 60 participants from a wide variety of sectors including national and local governments, industry associations, building professionals and the banking and financial sector.

Topic of the Month 'New buildings as front runners for nZEB and plusEnergy building' (07/01/2019)

Every month, BUILD UP highlights publications covering a specific topic. January’s Topic of the Month is: 'New buildings as front runners for nZEB and plusEnergy building'. The website is already open for contribution and the BUILD UP’s editorial board is eager to receive your discussion papers, news and articles.

COP24: EU is instrumental in making the Paris Agreement operational (07/01/2019)

The UN Climate Change Conference (COP24) in Katowice, Poland, concluded with the adoption of a clear rule book designed to make the Paris Agreement on climate change work in practice worldwide. Completion of the rule book was the EU's main objective during these negotiations.

Definition of an energy-efficient mortgage unveiled (07/01/2019)

The Energy Efficient Mortgages initiative has unveiled its definition of an energy efficient mortgage following extensive cross-sectorial, market consultation between the lending institutions piloting the EEM framework and the EEM Advisory Council.

Engaging citizens makes a difference (07/01/2019)

When finalising large-scale energy-efficiency work in neighbourhoods, involving citizens can be the biggest challenge. In Europe’s most ambitious energy-saving renovation project to date, 31 apartment buildings comprising 140 000 m2 of floor space are being transformed in Torrelago, a residential district in Valladolid in central Spain.

A new book on Building Performance Simulation and Characterisation of Adaptive Facades (07/01/2019)

This book is based upon work from the COST Action TU 1403 adaptive façade network, supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology). COST is a pan-European intergovernmental framework. Its mission is to enable break-through scientific and technological developments leading to new concepts and products and thereby contributing to strengthening Europe’s research and innovation capacities.

World Green Building Trends 2018 SmartMarket Report (07/01/2019)

According to a new report and industry survey published by Dodge Data & Analytics, the international market for green construction projects has grown significantly over the last 10 years and demand for green building activity is poised to increase in the next three years.

Passive certified office building “Aeropolis II” (07/01/2019)

Aeropolis is an eco-UFO (urban unidentified flying object). Currently in the design phase, it is Europe’s largest passive office building, and will be Belgium’s biggest on completion. From the very beginning, environmental concerns have been paramount, with priority being given to investment and building principles aimed at cutting energy consumption and using non-renewable resources.

Sulgrave Gardens Housing: a passive certified development in London (07/01/2019)

Sulgrave Gardens is a well-designed scheme – comprising 30 family homes in four blocks – with good architectural detail that is ageing well over time. Cartwright Pickard invested plenty of resources into the project, paying attention to the detail to achieve a finished product with the right materials and built to last.

eCENTRAL project (07/01/2019)

Addressing poor energy performance in public buildings is at the heart of the EU’s Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) and Energy Performance Building Directive (EPBD). It is also a growing financial concern in central European countries, which is why eCENTRAL will help key stakeholders to better understand the benefits of nZEB – nearly zero-energy buildings.

TrustEE project (07/01/2019)

Supported by the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme, the project’s goal is to work with industrial suppliers and owners to capture the vast potential of both energy efficiency and renewable energy to meet the heating demands in industrial processes.

Energy efficiency recommendations for housing providers (07/01/2019)

The REVALUE project partners have produced factsheets with recommendations for key stakeholders on how best to ensure energy efficiency is included in the property appraisal procedure.

SEFIPA project (07/01/2019)

The aim of the Sustainable Energy Financing Platform in Austria (SEFIPA) is to develop innovative solutions (financing products, regulatory measures and information campaigns) and to implement them in the form of projects designed to encourage investment in sustainable energy in Austria.

TOTEM: Tool to Optimise the Total Environmental impact of Materials (07/01/2019)

To help the Belgian construction sector to objectify and reduce the environmental impact of buildings, the country’s three regions have developed TOTEM, an online free platform.

Tracking Clean Energy Progress (07/01/2019)

The International Energy Agency’s newly enhanced Tracking Clean Energy Progress system provides a comprehensive and rigorous assessment of a full range of energy technologies and sectors that are critical for global clean-energy transition.

Webinar on demand response technology preparedness (07/01/2019)

Organised by the H2020 project DR-BOB (Demand Response in Block of Buildings) in collaboration with BUILD UP, the webinar addressed the demand response technology readiness levels for energy management in blocks of buildings.

Webinar on new EPBD tools to trigger renovations: building renovation passports and better access to financing (07/01/2019)

In cooperation with BUILD UP, EuroACE (the European Alliance of Companies for Energy Efficiency in Buildings) will present the final version of its Guidance Note in a series of webinars. The second webinar, which was held on 11 December, addressed the new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive tools to trigger renovations: building renovation passports and better access to financing.

Expert workshop for preparation of Annex proposal - Comfort and Climate Box (07/01/2019)

The IEA Heat Pump TCP and the IEA Energy Storage TCP are organising a workshop to finalise discussions on the objectives, scope and activities of the new annex. The outcome of this event will be a work plan for this new proposal on the Comfort and Climate Box.

Final conference ENERFUND project - new technologies and open data (07/01/2019)

The ENERFUND consortium is very pleased to invite you to its final conference on how new technologies and open data can enhance the ambition and implementation of climate and energy policies.

Horizon 2020 Energy Efficiency Info Day (07/01/2019)

The aim of the Horizon 2020 Energy Efficiency Info Day is to present funding opportunities under the 2019 call, to attract new applicants and potential beneficiaries, and to foster networking between participants.

ABRACADABRA webinar on financial viability of nZEBs through AdoRes (07/01/2019)

ABRACADABRA is organising a webinar on the Financial viability of NZEBs through AdoRes: Abracadabra financial tools and lessons learnt to support the building energy revolution.

Build Up on Twitter (07/01/2019)

Have you missed any of our 2018 webinars? You can check them here!

Build Up on Linkedin (07/01/2019)

Everything you need to know on #EnergyEfficiency in #buildings in #EU! Newest events, cases & tools, publications & communities. Subscribe to our monthly NEWSLETTER!

Topic of the Month 'Certification and energy labelling' (29/11/2018)

Every month, BUILD UP highlights publications covering a specific topic. December’s topic is: 'Certification and energy labelling'. The website is already open for contributions and BUILD UP’s editorial board is eager to receive your discussion papers, news and articles.

Register now! Webinar on demand response technology readiness levels for energy management (29/11/2018)

On 5 December, in collaboration with BUILD UP, the DR-BOB (Demand Response in Block of Buildings) project will present a webinar on the topic with contributions from various European pilot sites.

Save the date! Webinar on new EPBD tools to trigger renovations: building renovation passports and better access to financing (29/11/2018)

EuroACE will present the ‘new EPBD tools to trigger renovations: building renovation passports and better access to financing’ in the second webinar of the series during the countdown to the transposition and revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.

Commission welcomes European Parliament adoption of key files in the Clean Energy package (29/11/2018)

On 13 November, the European Parliament completed its approval of four of the eight legislative proposals in the 2016 Clean Energy for All Europeans package, following the Energy Performance in Buildings Directive which came into force on 9 July. The package is a key element of the Juncker Commission's political priority of “a resilient Energy Union with a forward-looking climate change policy”.

European energy efficiency services markets and quality: a report from QualitEE project (29/11/2018)

The aim of this report is to compile evidence to inform the development of European and national quality criteria and the implementation of quality assurance schemes for energy efficiency services (EES). It has been developed as part of the ‘QualitEE – Quality Certification Frameworks for Energy Efficiency Services’ project supported by the EU's Horizon 2020 programme.

Application of IoT and machine learning techniques for the assessment of thermal comfort perception (29/11/2018)

This article describes the workflow for assessing users’ thermal conditions by analysing their specific psychophysical conditions to overcome the limitations of the physics-based model in order to investigate and consider other possible relations between the subjective and objective variables.

Deep renovation of ‘El Garrofer’ school in Viladecans, Spain (29/11/2018)

The project enabled the upgrading of the building to meet the Pasivhaus standard and to create a nearly zero-energy building (NZEB). Energy use will be cut by more than 50 % from the situation before renovation, and the thermal comfort for children and teachers which was previously missing will now be provided.

EPC guarantees savings in sports and fitness centers in Dublin (29/11/2018)

Dublin City Council awarded Ireland’s first local authority Energy Performance Contract (EPC) project to Noel Lawler Green Energy Solutions. Working closely with the Dublin Energy Agency Codema, the project will save the council up to EUR 100 000 on its annual energy and maintenance costs.

CEPPI project (29/11/2018)

The Coordinated energy-related PPIs actions for cities project (CEPPI) aims to build capacity in cities to achieve more sustainable energy solutions through a pro-innovation procurement approach. The five cities involved will participate in scheduled public tenders to achieve a more sustainable energy outcome.

EnerSHIFT project (29/11/2018)

This European project is focusing on energy renovation in public housing in Liguria, Italy, aiming to promote and apply innovative financing models. In line with the Regional Environmental Energy Plan, it is seeking to cut energy consumption, improve tenants’ quality of life and boost the local economy.

STARDUST project (29/11/2018)

STARDUST, an EU Horizon 2020 Smart Cities project, is bringing together advanced European cities to create a constellation of ‘innovation islands’ as exemplary models of smart, highly efficient, intelligent and citizen-oriented cities.

TripleA-reno project in a nutshell (29/11/2018)

The TripleA-reno three-year project, which is expected to conclude by mid-2021, will address the barriers to deep building renovation from the perspective of the end-users. The acronym stands for Attractive, Acceptable and Affordable deep Renovation by a consumers-orientated and performance evidence-based approach.

Volumetric addition and building renovation (29/11/2018)

This technical toolkit provides a guide and outline process to help stakeholders understand, assess and implement the technical assessment required for successful building renovation projects through volumetric additions (Add-ons).

Climate.OneBuilding.Org: climate and weather data sources (29/11/2018)

This is a repository of free climate data for building-performance simulation. The website provides typical, single-year climate data files in EPW format from many publicly available data sets gathered from around the world. The weather data on the site are derived from various public sources.

ENERINTOOL: a tool for financing sustainable energy projects (29/11/2018)

Within the Spanish ENERINVEST project, the ENERINTOOL tool has been developed to enable stakeholders to identify either the best financing schemes for sustainable energy projects or the most appropriate projects to invest in.

Webinar on long-term renovation strategies, the main EPBD tool for Member States (29/11/2018)

Thanks to all those who joined us in a series of webinars to learn more about the new requirements in the long-term renovation strategies, what has changed, what remains, and how to make the most of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive to bring the benefits of building renovation to all Europeans.

Financing energy efficiency in Germany, France and Austria (29/11/2018)

This event will present and discuss the EU’s energy efficiency policy and different ways to finance energy efficiency investments.

Conference - Innovative approaches to sustainable urban planning: cities at the heart of the energy transition (29/11/2018)

This event is organised by Greenovate! Europe on behalf of the EU-funded project EU-GUGLE, which demonstrates the feasibility of nearly zero-energy building renovation models in view of triggering large-scale, Europe-wide replication in smart cities and communities by 2020.

BAU Munich 2019 (29/11/2018)

BAU is the World's Leading Trade Fair for Architecture, Materials and Systems. Every two years, practice-oriented innovations and interdisciplinary solutions for commercial and residential construction and interior work for new-builds, renovation and modernisation are presented here.

ACI’s Cost Effective O&M Strategies in the European PV Market (29/11/2018)

The two-day event will bring together decision-makers in the solar PV energy community, with an emphasis on operations and maintenance (O&M), efficiency, reliability, regulation and EU energy/climate challenges.

Build Up on Twitter (29/11/2018)

Have you registered to our webinar on the 5th December? Do it now!

Build Up on Linkedin (29/11/2018)

We need your feedback to improve BUILD UP! Let us know where and how we can get better.Kindly asked to complete this short survey.

Financing schemes: the key for successful energy efficiency projects (02/11/2018)

To accelerate the success of energy efficiency projects, cooperation between public and private sectors needs to increase. Access to innovative financial schemes also needs to improve. These include public-private partnerships, energy performance contracting, crowdfunding and green loans.

Environmental footprint and circularity in the construction sector (02/11/2018)

The EU-funded project Buildings as Material Banks (BAMB), gathers 16 partners from 7 countries to foster a paradigm shift in which materials, components and buildings are evaluated and developed, taking into consideration the EU’s goal of achieving a circular economy.

Recycled construction waste: building a more sustainable future (02/11/2018)

The European construction industry is working towards producing high-quality materials from recycled waste, enhancing the sector’s sustainability and reducing its environmental impact. In the southern Belgian province of Namur, concrete and bricks from demolished buildings are being turned into eco-friendly road surfaces.

IPCC climate change report: a global and urgent call to action (02/11/2018)

One of the key messages of a new IPCC report includes the warning that we are already seeing the consequences of 1°C of global warming through more extreme weather, rising sea levels and diminishing Arctic sea ice, among other changes.

Topic Of The Month 'Financing for energy-efficient buildings' (02/11/2018)

Our portal is open for contributions and BUILD UP’s Editorial Board is ready to receive your discussion papers, news and articles.

Webinar on long-term renovation strategies: 8 November (02/11/2018)

Join the webinar to learn more from EuroACE about long-term renovation strategies and the related new requirements in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. The webinar will include a Q&A session.

iBRoad publishes guidance on setting up a logbook for a renovation roadmap (02/11/2018)

The EU-funded iBRoad project works on developing an Individual Building Renovation Roadmap for single-family houses. This The tool provides a customised renovation plan over a long-term period of time (10-20 years).

Participate in the STUNNING survey on barriers for energy-efficient refurbishments (02/11/2018)

The EU-funded H2020 project STUNNING, which promotes knowledge exchange and interaction in the field of energy-efficient building renovation, is conducting a survey on barriers for energy refurbishments to seek out answers and recommendations addressing the stagnant renovation rate in Europe.

A database for benchmarking actual life-cycle costs (02/11/2018)

The revised EPBD established that all new buildings have by the end of 2020 to reach the nZEB target set by the Member States. A report by the EU-funded CRAVEzero project outlines an approach and methodology for evaluating life-cycle costs, with a particular focus on nearly zero-energy buildings.

Balancing preservation and energy efficiency in building retrofits (02/11/2018)

The desire to improve the energy efficiency of an existing building must be balanced with the need to preserve its structure and architectural features. Changes to the thermal and moisture properties of the building enclosure can have serious negative impacts, says a new report by the Building Research Information Knowledgebase (BRIK).

Jessica II Fund for multi-apartment building modernisation in Lithuania (02/11/2018)

Lithuania has significantly improved the energy efficiency of housing over the previous decade to 2010, in part as a result of the JESSICA I funding programme. Case studies by the EU Energy Poverty Observatory highlight best practices that serve as models for the second edition of this programme.

2030 Palette: a free online database for sustainable buildings and cities (02/11/2018)

The 2030 Palette is a free online platform that puts the principles and actions behind Zero Net Carbon and resilient built environments at the fingertips of designers, planners, and builders worldwide. It was developed by Architecture 2030, a non-profit organisation.

Cementing the future: Euronews reports on ECO-Binder project (02/11/2018)

An Euronews video report about the EU-funded ECO-Binder project shows the process of manufacturing and installing prefabricated concrete products using traditional cement.

SEI Metrics – addressing challenges for investment in energy efficiency (02/11/2018)

An EU-funded project seeks to measure the alignment of investment portfolios with climate related energy transition goals and address the general challenge of shifting capital towards sustainable energy and energy efficiency investments.

Energy management solutions for blocks of buildings (02/11/2018)

The EU-funded DR-BOB project aims to demonstrate the economic and environmental benefits of demand response in blocks of buildings for the different key actors required to bring it to market.

Evaluation tool aims to support investment in greener public buildings (02/11/2018)

The EU-funded SISMA project has developed a tool to calculate the internal rate of return of investing in renovating hospitals, schools and other large public buildings. The aim is to provide confidence for private investors on a project’s performance and trigger long-term energy efficiency investments. The tool is available for download.

Financing Energy Efficiency, The Investors' Perspective (02/11/2018)

On Friday 28 September, the European Commission, in partnership with the UN Environment Finance Initiative, organised a webinar to illustrate the Investor’s Perspective in Financing Energy Efficiency 2018.

Energy Trilemma Index – a sustainable energy ranking (02/11/2018)

The World Energy Council’s Energy Trilemma Index tool, produced in partnership with Oliver Wyman, ranks countries on their ability to provide sustainable energy through energy security, energy equity and environmental sustainability.

SBE19 NL - International Sustainable Built Environment Conferences (05/11/2018)

SBE19 NL is the first conference of the 2019-2020 cycle of international conferences on Sustainable Built Environment, where innovation meets market.

Training courses on energy efficiency and RES in buildings carried out for more than 900 construction workers and specialists (05/11/2018)

Conference at the University of Architecture in Sofia where the results of the Horizon 2020 project Train-to-NZEB will be presented.

Adaptive Re-Use and Transition of the Built Heritage (05/11/2018)

The Architects' Council of Europe (ACE) is organising on Friday 23 November in Leeuwarden a public conference on Adaptive Re-Use and Transition of the Built Heritage.

Conference Sustainable Building: Level(s) – Bringing Buildings into the Circular Economy (05/11/2018)

This conference will explore the growing support across Europe for Level(s), the European Commission’s new sustainable building reporting framework.

Build Up on Twitter (05/11/2018)

Save the date! 8 November, 12:00. @_EuroACE brings us our first joint webinar on Long-term #Renovation. Learn about changes and opportunities on the translation of EU #EnergyEfficiency legislation on buildings to national law.

Build Up on Linkedin (05/11/2018)

'Financing schemes: the key for successful #EnergyEfficiency projects'. This will be our topic of the month for November. We have prepared a summary of the evolution of this topic in the last years. Take a look and feel inspired to send your article, event or news item on the topic to be featured in November.