Leading the way for near zero-emission technologies and practice in Europe

22 demo sites in 11 countries showed why they are setting the standard for energy efficient building and smart city development during a conference held at the Committee of the Regions during European Sustainable Energy Week 2014 chaired by Sergio Sanz of Fundacion CARTIF

Experts from four European demonstration projects – DIRECTION, BUILDSMART, NEXT-Buildings, and NEED4B - lead discussions this 23rd June to explore the technical, strategic, financial and policy spheres shaping a new generation of near zero-emission buildings. Citing developments in Malmö, Munich, Amsterdam, Lyon and beyond, the conference speakers shared a series of case studies with the audience across climatic zones, building types and incorporating a range technologies coming to the fore to guarantee progress towards the European Union's climate emission ambitions for 2020.

Joining them for a round table session, Dr. Herbert Dorfmann MEP and Ms Aurore Brunson of Bruxelles Environnment brought their policy perspective and challenging questions to the floor for a final round table session. All of which raised some interesting thoughts and discussions during the event:

A common challenge, a multitude of innovative local approaches

The range of locally driven ingenuity, ambition and determination on show was impressive and showed that ensuring cities can manage population increases whilst substantially decreasing emissions is anything but prescriptive. In Turkey, cooling earth tubes, photovoltaic panels and passive light reflection reigned. In Malmö, home display applications inform residents and capitalize on smart grid synergies while at the NuOffice site in Munich, pre-emptive heating or cooling actions are automated depending on the incoming weather report. In Amsterdam, self-organizing groups of citizens will occupy building constructed with a state of the art shells and smart connectivity complemented by a "menu" of building features to compose their own energy neutral dream house. Rudy Rooth of DNV GL explained: "An organic and empowered approach to energy efficiency is taking place. Rather than a single developer, groups of individuals have been given freedom within a framework of municipal support to renovate and reorganise an entire area"

European funding – driving progress

Almost universally, projects experts gave examples of how EU support provided an invaluable piece of the puzzle. In France the Lyon Confluence is a major urban renovation project aiming to deliver 1 million net square meters of building space over 150 hectares. By 2020, its ambition is to provide space for 20,000 residents and 22,000 jobs. Speaking of his experience, Bruno Gaiddon of Hespul, stated "European funding has been an important trigger for innovative development, for raising standards and bringing a range of actors together to achieve it".

Roland Zinkernagel of Malmö Municipality added their experience of collaborating within a European initiative: "EU financing means we can go further than we would have done otherwise, on both the public and private sides. It's a way to test and develop new ways to collaborate, build infrastructure for the future and show it is possible to hopefully replicate that"

Creating a climate for change

Dr. Herbert Dorfmann MEP spoke about the challenges of creating both top-down and bottom-up change in order to make a real impact. On the one hand, work to create a network of knowledge and entrepreneurialism amongst the actors developing energy efficient infrastructure, combined with a proactive drive to promote certification. He gave as example his own region of South Tyrol, under the guidance of the regional energy agency, over ten thousand energy certifications for a population of just over five hundred thousand. In the other direction, Dr Dorfmann said "It is extremely important to create an environment where people ask for high energy efficiency and that the benefits are clearly stated".

Underlining the importance of consumption behaviour as well as technologies, Aurore Brunson asked exactly how to educate and engage people on the topic of energy efficiency. To which Ben Tubben of Alliander and the NEXT-Buildings project stressed that our collective understanding of how energy is produced, delivered and consumed remains low. "We need to take people on a journey about what energy is, how it relates to their everyday comforts and its impact on the environment"

From one to many

Chairperson Sergio Sanz invited the panel to give their thoughts on the road from demonstration projects to mass deployment of energy efficient buildings and behaviour change. "The technology is there, we know how to combine engineering and architecture to minimize energy loss," said Professor Pinar Mengüç of Ozygin University, "…we must also now consider social innovation, behavioural and social sciences and communication techniques to ensure lasting change". Participants also turned their thoughts to sustainable financial incentives and mechanisms.

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