During the first 18 months of activity, e-SAFE developed Progress beyond the state of the art that attain to Technical and Technological issues.
Relating the technical ones, e-SAFE proposes e-CLT and e-EXOS. They are very new, innovative and low-intrusive solutions, as they can be implemented by operating only from the outside of the building through BIM-designed prefabricated components, made up of recycled and/or recyclable material (wood and steel). e-CLT and e-EXOS are combined with e-PANELS, i.e. wood-based prefab insulating panels.
Another technical result concern thermal solutions. e-THERM solution has been conceived based on the need to rationalize air- conditioning and DHW preparation in buildings, thus lowering their impact on the primary energy budget of the European countries and on GHG emissions, while safeguarding indoor thermal comfort.
Finally, e-TANK is a wall-integrated storage device. Thanks to its low thickness and plug-and-play configuration, it minimizes the space needed for installation and the number of hydraulic components within a dwelling.
To ensure an effective monitoring and management of the e-SAFE technical systems, a specific open-source Building Energy Management System, namely e-BEMS, is being conceived and developed. e-BEMS can measure and then send information to a software application available on occupants’ smartphones aimed at engaging them and making them aware of and confident with e-SAFE benefits and operational aspects.
This set of technology contributes to:
- increase private investment;
- create new types of high-skilled jobs implemented through knowledge transfer and training;
- reduce energy and CO2.
A key aspect of e-SAFE is the development of a Decision Support System (e-DSS) for designers and stakeholders involved in the deep renovation process. The e-DSS will simulate a guided decision process during which the designer and other interested parties (investors, owners, occupants, suppliers etc.) will iteratively provide inputs and evaluate different alternatives.
Project partners are working to reach project achievements also from the social side. Under WP 2, we are developing a “Stakeholder Engagement Methodology”. Stakeholder engagement activities, by triggering mutual learning processes where experts and stakeholders operate in reciprocity, aim at re-framing and shifting energy-seismic renovation from a “building issue” to a “territorial governance theme”, namely: a complex process that includes several aspects such as social inequalities, financial challenges, housing policies, cultural and value systems, ecological goals, technological innovation, rules and procedures, etc.
All e-SAFE technical and financial features are conceived for all buildings in need of deep energy renovation, but they become particularly attractive for those located in countries with seismic hazard. Even if the main e-SAFE target are residential buildings, this system can be a-priori applied also to tertiary and commercial buildings, with the exception of fabrics with very high glazed surfaces and of high-rise buildings.
