5 pilot buildings were studied and assessed to obtain new EPCs according to the latest requirements of the local acts and regulations. These buildings include multi-residential buildings, schools, kindergartens, and dormitories. They received ambitious recommendations for improving their building envelope and technical systems to become nZEB and significantly reduce their CO2 emissions.

The new strategies to address the building transition pathway have focused on achieving maximum potential to go beyond the current vision. Energy renovation and transformation for 2 of them located in the municipality of Vidin include integration and combination of 2 different renewable energy sources: photovoltaic panels and geothermal heat pumps for heating and hot water.

Vidin Municipality and EAP worked on further development of the recommendations done in the EPC and enhanced EPC undertook detailed design for this building renovation including the suggested improvements by the energy auditors. One of the schools was developed as a prosumer and core building for Positive Energy District (PED) around itself and the Municipality applied for financial support for a project for energy renovation to achieve energy savings of 869 MWh and renewable energy generation from roof PV installation of 108 MWh.

The innovative proposal covering the building energy demand and providing the surplus of energy to the PED buildings was approved by the Norway grants program for renewable energy, energy efficiency, and energy security.

In addition, all pilot QualDeEPC buildings were issued the enhanced EPCs and received a detailed questionnaire for each owner. Its purpose was to compare the standard and enhanced EPCs, but it included questions related to the deep energy renovation platform, online tools related to energy efficiency, and other regulations improvements. The feedback was more than positive; the efforts of working on the project proved successful. 

This article was first published in the FEDARENE Info 53, available for download here.