NERO data collection in new NZEBs revealed many unexpected risks and performance gaps both in use of energy and indoor climate. Collected evidence on problems and from well-functioning solutions and way of doing helped to identify critical aspects and steps to take both in design, construction, operation and maintenance, and generally to avoid drawbacks in highly performing buildings in future. NERO demonstration projects analyses did show good practices enabling to achieve reasonable construction and to reduce life cycle costs as well as good samples of emissions of NZEB buildings.
Identification of cost effective technical solutions for renewable energy on-site integration proved to be a bit problematic, the system design by the contractees is today still in infancy. The building-integrated solar power is today lacking the real significance.
Estonian study showed that without parallel design and cost estimation the target price cannot be achieved. Priority was given to energy performance measures reducing the energy need. In Norway, it showed that the use of massive industrialized wood has a large potential for reducing the buildings' embodied emissions, an aspect important for driving towards a Zero Emission building transition. It is expected that a large up-take of such a construction technology in the Nordic market as a whole will reduce the above-mentioned costs. Experience from Sweden showed, regarding the positive aspects of using wooden structures, it was emphasized the additional benefits are achieved in addition to the reduced carbon footprint.
We saw non-environmental reasons for using more wood. Industrial production gives fast production and construction processes, increases resource efficiency, efficient logistics and creates new jobs in rural areas, to the whole forestry and timber sector, new products and renewable energy. The wooden planar structural systems are not yet ready and largely available for a comprehensive market uptake, compared to dominant concrete systems. However, rapidly developing industrialization of wooden framed prefabricated light element systems evidently will bring life-cycled solutions in the branch, and to the whole industry.
Wood as building material develop companies, and creates conditions for new products and business, more actors and companies establishing on the local market. It also gives top research and drives innovation and cutting-edge technology. The cost reductions for wooden buildings will become more true directly after above mentioned implication are starting to bite, indirectly after the emissions and compensations are saddled with the full sum.