Periodic Reporting for period 3 - ReCO2ST (Residential Retrofit assessment platform and demonstrations for near zero energy and CO2 emissions with optimum cost, health, comfort and environmental quality.)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2021-01-01 al 2021-12-31
To achieve EU targets of CO2 emission reductions, the Zero Energy Building (ZEB) and near-ZEB (NZEB) market share in construction and retrofit needs to significantly increase: in retrofit, specifically, an increase by a factor of two to three times the current rate of between 1.2% and 1.4% in the decades up to 2050 is required.
The ReCO2ST project has addressed this challenge, through coverage of the entire retrofit supply chain and encompassing all the stages, from planning and decision making to installation, operation and monitoring.
The project has enabled the formulation of customized and efficient renovation action plans and the implementation of cost-efficient technological solutions improving the energy efficiency of residential buildings to NZEB levels, through reductions of more than 60% in energy use and at the same time achieving optimal indoor environmental conditions, improving the lives of the inhabitants, and increasing building value for the owners.
The project objectives were:
• To make NZEB retrofit accessible through novel customizable business models.
• To develop a comprehensive, accurate and accessible Retrofit Assessment Process delivering retrofit scenarios customized to end-user needs and applicable to a wide variety of residential buildings.
• To optimize cost efficiency through identification of the optimal balance point between building energy efficiency measures, indoor environmental quality and on-site renewable energy generation.
• To ensure realization of energy-saving measures through cultivating energy-conscious inhabitant behavior and streamlined and intuitive energy management.
• To achieve improvements of urban microclimate and overall quality of human life by ensuring a healthy, safe and comfortable indoor environment.
• To demonstrate the replicability of the proposed solution through demonstration in varying scenarios.
The ReCO2ST project has addressed this challenge, through coverage of the entire retrofit supply chain and encompassing all the stages, from planning and decision making to installation, operation and monitoring.
The project has enabled the formulation of customized and efficient renovation action plans and the implementation of cost-efficient technological solutions improving the energy efficiency of residential buildings to NZEB levels, through reductions of more than 60% in energy use and at the same time achieving optimal indoor environmental conditions, improving the lives of the inhabitants, and increasing building value for the owners.
The project objectives were:
• To make NZEB retrofit accessible through novel customizable business models.
• To develop a comprehensive, accurate and accessible Retrofit Assessment Process delivering retrofit scenarios customized to end-user needs and applicable to a wide variety of residential buildings.
• To optimize cost efficiency through identification of the optimal balance point between building energy efficiency measures, indoor environmental quality and on-site renewable energy generation.
• To ensure realization of energy-saving measures through cultivating energy-conscious inhabitant behavior and streamlined and intuitive energy management.
• To achieve improvements of urban microclimate and overall quality of human life by ensuring a healthy, safe and comfortable indoor environment.
• To demonstrate the replicability of the proposed solution through demonstration in varying scenarios.
The development of project specifications, verification of a holistic platform approach and development of an integrated project delivery methodology provided a solid basis for the project. This included verification and test of the ideas for integrated renovation assessment on the four demonstration sites providing important and valuable lessons that were directly implemented in the renovation assessment platform and business model kit development.
The developed Retrofit Kit comprised the following technologies: Vacuum insulation panels (VIPs); Smart window system; Concentrating Photovoltaic (CPV) panels; Innovative air handling unit (IAHU) systems; Two new cool, paint and membrane materials; Nature Based Technologies to reduce particulate matter and VOC concentration and an Intelligent Energy Management System (IEMS) concept with a Graphical user Interface (GUI).
The developed Renovation Assessment Platform included improvements of the EPIQR+ tool allowing the calculation of renovation costs in all European countries, integrating a LCA database and standardizing the building element structure. The developed modular structure of the Renovation Assessment Platform makes it possible to aggregate results of cost, energy savings and life cycle assessment indicators for separate renovations actions as well as for renovation scenarios. The structure includes a least cost methodological approach that in a first stage ranks individual renovations actions and renewable energy production options according to their primary energy performance, cost and environmental indicators, and in a second stage assess the overall performance of different scenarios by bringing together energy savings and renewable energy production in the same assessment system. To ensure smooth integration of other tools and databases in the platform a data transfer protocol based on the JSON format was developed. The platform was tested by users from demo- and early adopter sites.
To support users in the development of renovation business cases, a Business Model Kit was developed addressing the whole renovation value chain including funding mechanisms and financing schemes. The objective was to help owners aiming at renovating a large stock of residential buildings to drastically reduce their carbon footprint. The approach developed bridges the serious gap between common basic property management know-how and the level required to properly analyze the risks attached to a NZEB renovation and transfer them to the most adequate partner. The developed business model kit was tested at early adopter sites.
Demonstration activities were performed in four multifamily residential buildings located in Cadiz-Spain, Vevey-Switzerland, London-UK and Frederikshavn-Denmark. Achievements included: Auditing, monitoring and evaluation of performance before renovation as well as, development of renovation scenarios and building interventions, installation and commissioning of technologies with subsequent monitoring to evaluate their performance.
To support ReCO2ST commercialization a social adoption plan, analysis of application opportunities in national regulations and standardization, as well as a ReCO2ST training platform offering a number of teaching materials, were developed. An Exploitation Strategy Tool (EST) was also developed to simulate future expected profits and expenses based on market research, ReCO2ST’s cost and revenue structure, basic market assumptions, “profiting from innovation” methodology, and theory of innovation funnel. It was used to predict future profits according to exploitation scenarios and assist partners towards selecting the most profitable one.
The developed Retrofit Kit comprised the following technologies: Vacuum insulation panels (VIPs); Smart window system; Concentrating Photovoltaic (CPV) panels; Innovative air handling unit (IAHU) systems; Two new cool, paint and membrane materials; Nature Based Technologies to reduce particulate matter and VOC concentration and an Intelligent Energy Management System (IEMS) concept with a Graphical user Interface (GUI).
The developed Renovation Assessment Platform included improvements of the EPIQR+ tool allowing the calculation of renovation costs in all European countries, integrating a LCA database and standardizing the building element structure. The developed modular structure of the Renovation Assessment Platform makes it possible to aggregate results of cost, energy savings and life cycle assessment indicators for separate renovations actions as well as for renovation scenarios. The structure includes a least cost methodological approach that in a first stage ranks individual renovations actions and renewable energy production options according to their primary energy performance, cost and environmental indicators, and in a second stage assess the overall performance of different scenarios by bringing together energy savings and renewable energy production in the same assessment system. To ensure smooth integration of other tools and databases in the platform a data transfer protocol based on the JSON format was developed. The platform was tested by users from demo- and early adopter sites.
To support users in the development of renovation business cases, a Business Model Kit was developed addressing the whole renovation value chain including funding mechanisms and financing schemes. The objective was to help owners aiming at renovating a large stock of residential buildings to drastically reduce their carbon footprint. The approach developed bridges the serious gap between common basic property management know-how and the level required to properly analyze the risks attached to a NZEB renovation and transfer them to the most adequate partner. The developed business model kit was tested at early adopter sites.
Demonstration activities were performed in four multifamily residential buildings located in Cadiz-Spain, Vevey-Switzerland, London-UK and Frederikshavn-Denmark. Achievements included: Auditing, monitoring and evaluation of performance before renovation as well as, development of renovation scenarios and building interventions, installation and commissioning of technologies with subsequent monitoring to evaluate their performance.
To support ReCO2ST commercialization a social adoption plan, analysis of application opportunities in national regulations and standardization, as well as a ReCO2ST training platform offering a number of teaching materials, were developed. An Exploitation Strategy Tool (EST) was also developed to simulate future expected profits and expenses based on market research, ReCO2ST’s cost and revenue structure, basic market assumptions, “profiting from innovation” methodology, and theory of innovation funnel. It was used to predict future profits according to exploitation scenarios and assist partners towards selecting the most profitable one.
The performance of the developed technologies and methods have met the expected performance indicators set out in the project.
The ReCO2ST assessment platform proved to be effective in achieving reductions of more than 60% in primary energy consumption. In the demonstration case in Vevey-Switzerland monitored primary energy use was reduced by 70% with a return of investment of about 19 years and in the original demonstration case in Frederikshavn-Denmark platform analysis showed a reduction of primary energy use of more than 60% resulting in the same economic net present value as the reference.
The demonstration and monitoring of ReCO2ST technologies confirmed the expected impact in real-life applications both with regard to improved energy performance and indoor environmental quality levels. Examples include:
• The Smart window with integrated PCM energy storage and VIP insulation panels resulted in a 50% reduction in installation time in Frederikshavn-Denmark, in heating energy use reduction of 39% and in improved indoor air quality with a payback period of about 25% of the expected smart window lifetime
• The Concentrating Photovoltaic (CPV), implemented in London-UK showed a 34% higher energy output than conventional PV panels
• The Cooling evaporative Kit implemented in Cadiz-Spain showed cooling energy savings of more than 60 % in comparison with analysed competing technologies
• The mechanical ventilator with phase change materials storage implemented in the London-UK provided improved indoor air quality and a reduction of overheating hours of more than 50% with electricity use of about 1/10 of a typical air conditioning system
The use of the developed Exploitation Strategy Tool has helped commercial partners to predict future profits according to different exploitation scenarios and has assisted them towards selecting the most profitable one.
The ReCO2ST assessment platform proved to be effective in achieving reductions of more than 60% in primary energy consumption. In the demonstration case in Vevey-Switzerland monitored primary energy use was reduced by 70% with a return of investment of about 19 years and in the original demonstration case in Frederikshavn-Denmark platform analysis showed a reduction of primary energy use of more than 60% resulting in the same economic net present value as the reference.
The demonstration and monitoring of ReCO2ST technologies confirmed the expected impact in real-life applications both with regard to improved energy performance and indoor environmental quality levels. Examples include:
• The Smart window with integrated PCM energy storage and VIP insulation panels resulted in a 50% reduction in installation time in Frederikshavn-Denmark, in heating energy use reduction of 39% and in improved indoor air quality with a payback period of about 25% of the expected smart window lifetime
• The Concentrating Photovoltaic (CPV), implemented in London-UK showed a 34% higher energy output than conventional PV panels
• The Cooling evaporative Kit implemented in Cadiz-Spain showed cooling energy savings of more than 60 % in comparison with analysed competing technologies
• The mechanical ventilator with phase change materials storage implemented in the London-UK provided improved indoor air quality and a reduction of overheating hours of more than 50% with electricity use of about 1/10 of a typical air conditioning system
The use of the developed Exploitation Strategy Tool has helped commercial partners to predict future profits according to different exploitation scenarios and has assisted them towards selecting the most profitable one.