The project commenced by drawing a baseline of the current Energy Performance Certificate practices and gaining an understanding of the main development requirements in terms of future assessment and certification systems. The assessment showed that it was the time to shift the scope of the EPCs from covering energy aspects into a more holistic sustainability certification which consider the buildings from an environmentally and end-user conscious perspective, where the building technology, the operation and end-of-life are considered equally for contributing to a more sustainable future.
In parallel, the stakeholders’ needs and interests were assessed in a coordinated manner (workshops, interviews, surveys). The collected expert opinions concluded that the EPCs do not provide the end-users with a clear view about the state of the building envelope, technical system and their possible future maintenance requirements. Actions are needed on transparency, reliability and usability of EPC scores and the synchronisation of assessment values across the EU.
For harmonisation purposes, the action was to extensively review the past and ongoing projects and initiatives for KPIs and for the most useful indicators concerning the smartness of the buildings/districts. Ultimately, this work continued in the development of the EUB SuperHub framework, including transnational indicators and a framework for an e-passport.
The EUB SuperHub project developed and implemented a comprehensive design of a Digital Building Logbook that can manage the type and amount of data that the assessments can offer. This project assessment methodology and the building indicators also reflect on the EPBD that is in force and implemented since early 2024.
The project indicators (KPIs) were organised and can be reported as a “passport” of the building. The passport concept was essential in that the results can be communicated clearly by digital means and accommodate the strengths of widespread ratings and certificates in the EU.
The online Platform was developed; it allows viewing buildings and assessing energy related KPIs. In particular, the Planning and Verification Tool module enables straightforward assessment of existing buildings' energy performance employing an 'archetype' approach combined with advanced dynamic simulation standards. This outcome highlights the usability of the EUB SuperHub Platform in reinforcing the essential role of EPCs to support the achievement of the EU's 2030 and 2050 carbon neutrality targets for the building sector, making EPCs more standardised, accessible and affordable to stakeholders improving the reliability of the certification process.
Conducting the process and establishing a CEN Workshop Agreement was a landmark for the EUB SuperHub project, as this allows that the outcomes are transparent and harmonised to facilitate the uptake of the major project results by the industry and the professional community. The EUB SuperHub CWA 18127 helped disseminating project results, align emerging technologies with market needs, facilitate interoperability, and enhance the impact and adoption of innovations by providing a recognised reference for industry and policymakers. The CWA 18127 is indeed a pre-standardisation document issued by CEN and represents a first try-out of the market for a possible future EN standard. The document can be adopted by all CEN members (34 national standardisation bodies in total), therefore representing an important exploitable result of the EUB SuperHUB project.
