Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EUB SuperHub (European Building Sustainability performance and energy certification Hub)
Reporting period: 2022-12-01 to 2024-12-31
The next generation of energy performance assessments and certificates need to adequately respond to the transformation into an era where an increasing amount data are available on the operational use of buildings, and the buildings can be observed with ever increasing details by a larger number of stakeholders.
The EUB SuperHub project aimed to support the evolvement of the certification process in the EU through the development of a scalable methodology supported by an online platform allowing to view, assess and monitor the buildings through their lifecycle in relation to an expanded set of indicators that go beyond the energy performance in the occupation stage. The EU Level(s) initiative has been already leading a way towards a new, holistic view of the buildings, taking into account sustainability principles such as Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing. Energy performance assessments and certificates of buildings therefore need to evolve to reflect the technological developments and the needs of the society, as well as be consistent throughout the Member States. Holistic view of buildings, and social and technological shifts in the society require a change in the way we observe and handle the built environment helping incentives to yield in energy efficiency and investments.
The EUB Superhub project took on the challenges of how the next generation of EPCs will be framed and communicated. Information that are collected on buildings are ever increasing, and so do the needs and requirement of stakeholders. Going beyond conventional EPCs, which primarily evaluate energy consumption during occupancy, EUB SuperHub incorporated aspects of health, comfort, smartness, and climate neutrality, aligning with broader sustainability goals.
The EUB SuperHub project aimed to support the evolvement of the certification process in the EU through the development of a scalable methodology supported by an online platform allowing to view, assess and monitor the buildings through their lifecycle in relation to an expanded set of indicators that go beyond the energy performance in the occupation stage. The EU Level(s) initiative has been already leading a way towards a new, holistic view of the buildings, taking into account sustainability principles such as Life Cycle Assessment and Life Cycle Costing. Energy performance assessments and certificates of buildings therefore need to evolve to reflect the technological developments and the needs of the society, as well as be consistent throughout the Member States. Holistic view of buildings, and social and technological shifts in the society require a change in the way we observe and handle the built environment helping incentives to yield in energy efficiency and investments.
The EUB Superhub project took on the challenges of how the next generation of EPCs will be framed and communicated. Information that are collected on buildings are ever increasing, and so do the needs and requirement of stakeholders. Going beyond conventional EPCs, which primarily evaluate energy consumption during occupancy, EUB SuperHub incorporated aspects of health, comfort, smartness, and climate neutrality, aligning with broader sustainability goals.
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.
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.
Thanks to the productive analysis done in the EUB SuperHub project, the consortium produced an updated overview of the national energy performance certificates (EPCs) and sustainability certification (SC) systems in terms of quality, visibility and usability within Austria, Croatia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland and Italy. The results of our analyses confirmed the initial assumption about the fragmented nature of EPCs and SCs in the EU, which is a clear and major obstacle facing the creation of harmonised and comparable EPC for the EU.
Concerning the key performance indicators, the crucial end-result obtained in the project is an accurate list of potential indicators for evaluating the energy performance, sustainability and smartness of buildings in the next generation of Energy Performance Certificates. The indicators were selected through a deep analysis of the most relevant existing transnational frameworks of sustainability indicators and in relation to the recommendations expressed in the “Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the energy performance of buildings (recast)” issued in December 2021.
Looking ahead, the project’s anticipated long-term impacts include promoting the large-scale adoption of a more holistic and integrated approach to building performance assessment across the EU. By facilitating comparability, transparency, and reliability of EPCs, EUB SuperHub model of certification process contributes directly to the increased market valuation of sustainable and resilient buildings. Moreover, it supports policy implementation by aligning closely with EPBD 2024 goals, thus fostering effective progress toward Europe’s broader climate objectives. The solutions developed by the project offer significant potential for replication and scalability across European countries, providing a robust framework for the continuous evolution and refinement of EPC practices throughout the EU’s construction sector.
Concerning the key performance indicators, the crucial end-result obtained in the project is an accurate list of potential indicators for evaluating the energy performance, sustainability and smartness of buildings in the next generation of Energy Performance Certificates. The indicators were selected through a deep analysis of the most relevant existing transnational frameworks of sustainability indicators and in relation to the recommendations expressed in the “Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the energy performance of buildings (recast)” issued in December 2021.
Looking ahead, the project’s anticipated long-term impacts include promoting the large-scale adoption of a more holistic and integrated approach to building performance assessment across the EU. By facilitating comparability, transparency, and reliability of EPCs, EUB SuperHub model of certification process contributes directly to the increased market valuation of sustainable and resilient buildings. Moreover, it supports policy implementation by aligning closely with EPBD 2024 goals, thus fostering effective progress toward Europe’s broader climate objectives. The solutions developed by the project offer significant potential for replication and scalability across European countries, providing a robust framework for the continuous evolution and refinement of EPC practices throughout the EU’s construction sector.