Periodic Reporting for period 5 - CULTURAL-E (Climate and cultural based design and market valuable technology solutions for Plus Energy Houses)
Berichtszeitraum: 2024-10-01 bis 2025-03-31
The Cultural-E project addresses the need to refine and consolidate the concept of Plus Energy Buildings (PEBs), which are critical for decarbonizing the building sector and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the energy system. The market uptake of PEBs is hindered by the lack of tailored, scalable solutions, methodologies and policies that consider the cultural and climatic diversity across Europe. The Cultural-E project aims to define modular and replicable solutions for PEBs, accounting for climate and cultural differences to create comfortable, efficient, and affordable indoor environments. Cultural-E focuses on: delivering climate and cultural tailored solution sets and technologies for PEBs and demonstrating their feasibility, reliability and replicability; understanding the variables that building users bring to buildings and provide interventions designed to shift energy using practices; valuating the co-benefits (on top of financial benefits) from PEBs and promoting a favourable European “ecosystem of policies” for the realization of new PEBs.
Cultural-E's innovations paved the way for PEB market uptake. Adopting a social-practice approach was essential to design technology aligning with residents' energy practices. Dynamic building operations that intelligently manage energy use, storage, and on-site generation are vital to minimize operational costs while maintaining occupant comfort and functionality and to manage building exchanges with the grid for PEBs' economic viability. The project highlighted that the initial higher costs of PEBs compared to nearly Zero Energy Buildings can be offset over their life cycle through savings and revenue generated by on-site installed photovoltaic (PV) systems. Cultural-E developed solution sets tailored to four geo-clusters and tested key technologies like the cloud-based House Management System, Active Window System, smart air movement systems, and decentralized packed heat pumps. It also created design guidelines and a collaborative platform, the PEB HUB, for professionals to share experiences and best practices. The project identified the economic value of PEBs' co-benefits, such as improved indoor environmental quality and energy security, which proved to have the potential to increase rental values.
Cultural-E's innovations paved the way for PEB market uptake. Adopting a social-practice approach was essential to design technology aligning with residents' energy practices. Dynamic building operations that intelligently manage energy use, storage, and on-site generation are vital to minimize operational costs while maintaining occupant comfort and functionality and to manage building exchanges with the grid for PEBs' economic viability. The project highlighted that the initial higher costs of PEBs compared to nearly Zero Energy Buildings can be offset over their life cycle through savings and revenue generated by on-site installed photovoltaic (PV) systems. Cultural-E developed solution sets tailored to four geo-clusters and tested key technologies like the cloud-based House Management System, Active Window System, smart air movement systems, and decentralized packed heat pumps. It also created design guidelines and a collaborative platform, the PEB HUB, for professionals to share experiences and best practices. The project identified the economic value of PEBs' co-benefits, such as improved indoor environmental quality and energy security, which proved to have the potential to increase rental values.
The Cultural-E project aimed to refine and consolidate the concept of Plus Energy Buildings (PEBs), critical for decarbonizing the building sector and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The project focused on creating modular, replicable solutions tailored to European climate and cultural diversity to foster comfortable, efficient, and affordable indoor environments. Key objectives included delivering climate- and culture-specific solutions for PEBs, understanding building user practices to design interventions promoting energy-efficient behaviors, and emphasizing the co-benefits beyond financial savings.
Innovations in the project centered on adopting a social-practice approach to align technology design and control with residents' energy practices. Dynamic building operations that intelligently manage energy use, storage, and on-site generation were vital to minimizing operational costs while maintaining occupant comfort and functionality. The project highlighted that maximizing self-consumption of generated energy is crucial for the economic viability of PEBs, especially given the dynamic market conditions and varying subsidies.
Cultural-E's work demonstrated substantial potential for innovation, particularly in reducing costs through smart technologies and enhancing user acceptance by aligning building design with cultural and climate-specific practices. The project underscored that the initial higher costs of PEBs compared to nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEBs) could be offset over their life cycle through savings and revenue generated by photovoltaic systems. Life cycle analysis on solution sets showed that centralized systems enhance sustainability and that PV systems contribute significantly to environmental payback.
The project developed solution sets tailored to four geo-clusters and tested key technologies like cloud-based House Management System, Active Window System, smart air movement systems, and decentralized packed heat pumps. It also created design guidelines and a collaborative platform, the PEB HUB, for professionals to share experiences and best practices.
Additionally, the project identified the economic value of PEBs' co-benefits, such as improved indoor environmental quality and energy security, which can increase rental values. Investment in PEBs can be made more attractive by boasting about the fact that such co-benefits will raise the value of the property boosting (even virtual) rental value by approximately €17/m²/ year.
Cultural-E advocated for supportive regulations and policies to help PEBs reach a 10% market share by 2030. Stronger legal frameworks for energy surplus trading and standardized disclosure of building energy performance data are essential to fully realize their potential. Occupant feedback is vital for future improvements. Architects, professionals, and policymakers must work more closely with building users to address the everyday challenges they face and ensure solutions are grounded in real-world experience.
Innovations in the project centered on adopting a social-practice approach to align technology design and control with residents' energy practices. Dynamic building operations that intelligently manage energy use, storage, and on-site generation were vital to minimizing operational costs while maintaining occupant comfort and functionality. The project highlighted that maximizing self-consumption of generated energy is crucial for the economic viability of PEBs, especially given the dynamic market conditions and varying subsidies.
Cultural-E's work demonstrated substantial potential for innovation, particularly in reducing costs through smart technologies and enhancing user acceptance by aligning building design with cultural and climate-specific practices. The project underscored that the initial higher costs of PEBs compared to nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEBs) could be offset over their life cycle through savings and revenue generated by photovoltaic systems. Life cycle analysis on solution sets showed that centralized systems enhance sustainability and that PV systems contribute significantly to environmental payback.
The project developed solution sets tailored to four geo-clusters and tested key technologies like cloud-based House Management System, Active Window System, smart air movement systems, and decentralized packed heat pumps. It also created design guidelines and a collaborative platform, the PEB HUB, for professionals to share experiences and best practices.
Additionally, the project identified the economic value of PEBs' co-benefits, such as improved indoor environmental quality and energy security, which can increase rental values. Investment in PEBs can be made more attractive by boasting about the fact that such co-benefits will raise the value of the property boosting (even virtual) rental value by approximately €17/m²/ year.
Cultural-E advocated for supportive regulations and policies to help PEBs reach a 10% market share by 2030. Stronger legal frameworks for energy surplus trading and standardized disclosure of building energy performance data are essential to fully realize their potential. Occupant feedback is vital for future improvements. Architects, professionals, and policymakers must work more closely with building users to address the everyday challenges they face and ensure solutions are grounded in real-world experience.
While nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEBs) are now widely established, Plus Energy Buildings (PEBs) remain pioneering due to their higher upfront costs in both design and construction.
Cultural-E demonstrates substantial market acceleration potential through its focus on cost reduction via smart technologies and enhanced user acceptance by aligning building design with context-based cultural and climate-specific practices. The project highlights that the additional costs of PEBs compared to nZEBs can be offset over the life cycle through savings and revenue from renewable energy, particularly photovoltaic electricity. Demonstrations reveal a lifecycle Global Warming Potential (GWP) of less than 5 kgCO2eq/m²/year, with operational emissions significantly reduced, including cases achieving environmental payback before 2050.
A user-centered design approach has enhanced indoor environmental quality, ensuring comfortable and healthy living conditions with solutions like demand-controlled ventilation, smart shading, and personalized controls. This focus boosts user satisfaction while raising awareness of the impact of daily practices on building energy performance. Furthermore, the project identifies the economic value of PEBs’ co-benefits, such as improved air quality, energy security, and adaptability, which increase rental values by €210 per month.
Cultural-E advocates for supportive regulations and policies to help Positive Energy Buildings (PEBs) reach a 10% market share by 2030. Strengthening the legal framework for energy surplus trading is essential to fully unlock their potential. Equally important is the standardized disclosure of building energy performance data, which should become common practice across all projects. Harmonized metrics can further support this transparency and comparability. Occupant feedbacks are essential for continuous improvement, requiring closer collaboration between professionals, policymakers, and building users.
Cultural-E demonstrates substantial market acceleration potential through its focus on cost reduction via smart technologies and enhanced user acceptance by aligning building design with context-based cultural and climate-specific practices. The project highlights that the additional costs of PEBs compared to nZEBs can be offset over the life cycle through savings and revenue from renewable energy, particularly photovoltaic electricity. Demonstrations reveal a lifecycle Global Warming Potential (GWP) of less than 5 kgCO2eq/m²/year, with operational emissions significantly reduced, including cases achieving environmental payback before 2050.
A user-centered design approach has enhanced indoor environmental quality, ensuring comfortable and healthy living conditions with solutions like demand-controlled ventilation, smart shading, and personalized controls. This focus boosts user satisfaction while raising awareness of the impact of daily practices on building energy performance. Furthermore, the project identifies the economic value of PEBs’ co-benefits, such as improved air quality, energy security, and adaptability, which increase rental values by €210 per month.
Cultural-E advocates for supportive regulations and policies to help Positive Energy Buildings (PEBs) reach a 10% market share by 2030. Strengthening the legal framework for energy surplus trading is essential to fully unlock their potential. Equally important is the standardized disclosure of building energy performance data, which should become common practice across all projects. Harmonized metrics can further support this transparency and comparability. Occupant feedbacks are essential for continuous improvement, requiring closer collaboration between professionals, policymakers, and building users.