Articles

This article briefly presents the H2020 SUREFIT project’s innovative solutions developed to improve residential buildings energy conservation measures and indoor air quality through retrofitting, aiming for near-zero energy buildings.

A sustainable society is one that protects the environment while fostering conditions that promote the mental and physical well-being of all its members. In the building sector, this means creating structures that are energy-efficient, low-emission and healthy and comfortable. But can health and comfort be ensured while still ensuring sustainable use of resources?

Europe’s renovation of building stock, facilitated by digitalisation and paradigm shifts, can ensure sustainability, efficiency, and equity within ecological planetary boundaries. Estonian digitalisation initiatives streamline renovation processes by improving data accuracy and supporting renovation planning and decision-making, thus accelerating energy-efficient upgrades and aligning building stock transformation with broader European sustainability goals.

Exploiting data through innovative services can significantly enhance the energy and environmental performance assessment of the building stock. Key factors for success include data availability, accessibility, and quality. Within the H2020 TIMEPAC project, emphasis has been placed on enhancing the usability, reliability, and enrichment of Energy Performance Certificate data to effectively support urban-scale energy analysis.

SmartWins leverages digital twins to optimise building energy performance, integrate Life Cycle Assessments, and foster collaboration through research, education, and tools, advancing sustainability and carbon-neutral goals across Europe.

The 2024 BSO update provides granular data on residential and service buildings regarding their energy consumption, associated GHG emissions, activity in the building sector and socio-economic aspects. To address challenges in data availability and harmonisation, the recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive asks Member States to set up national databases for the energy performance of buildings and to transfer information to the BSO annually. By supporting transparency and informing policy, the BSO aims to monitor energy performance trends and promote sustainable practices to achieve a zero-emission EU building stock by 2050.

CondoReno examines effective ways for municipalities among other stakeholders to support energy renovations in condominiums. The roles, challenges, and potential of seven municipalities in the Netherlands and Flanders were analysed to explore how they can optimise business models for greater engagement in the early phases of energy renovations.

The OneClickRENO (OCR) and iEPB projects aim to enhance building energy efficiency and EPBD implementation. OCR develops automatic building renovation passports, while iEPB creates a common data model that integrates different EPB assessments.

As Europe moves towards a more sustainable future, energy performance ratings are becoming a key driver in transforming the real estate market. Central to this shift is the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), a policy instrument that not only certifies a building's energy efficiency but also seeks to incentivise investment in greener properties. The revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EU/2024/1275) aims to improve comparability of EPCs across Member States, as well as making them more reliable and digitalised. However, Europe's diverse building stock and the varying energy policies of Member States present significant challenges to these goals.

This article presents early findings from the RES2 project, focusing on challenges within Italy's construction industry, particularly the lack of motivation and necessary skills among young professionals and women.