EU is moving towards a climate neutrality goal in 2050 with heating of buildings posing a major challenge. This paper provides a deep understanding of the historical development, path dependency and current status of the EU-28 residential heat sectors to inform strategy and policy makers and to open up this black box. Data is combined for buildings, installed technologies, fuel consumption and energy supply for Member States from 1990 to 2015, to analyse the importance of large-scale infrastructures and supply chains. Primary energy supply for residential heating is mainly based on fossil fuels; 70% in 2015 with 69% imported. The building level technologies are dominated by non-condensing boilers and stoves. Primary and final energy consumption decreased in spite of an increase in the total occupied living area in most countries. Path-dependency effects are found in the residential heat supply in EU. The analysis show path-dependent trajectories are present in most Member States, especially regarding natural gas infrastructure. The period shows many options for decarbonisation are not used to the full potential, e.g., energy efficiency in buildings, district heating, heat pumps. Past experiences should be considered when developing new decarbonisation strategies in Member States and on the EU level.
mapping and energy system analysis. Four heat sector types are proposed and discussed. These are (1) extant heat planning traditions, aiming for more efficiency and integration; (2) extant heating infrastructure, aiming to refurbish and upgrade both building stock and existing heating infrastructure; (3) existing gas infrastructure, requiring radical transition; (4) and those without strong historic heat planning traditions.
Demonstration projects are often used in the building sector to provide a basis for using new processes and/or
products. The climate change agenda implies that construction is not only required to deliver value for the customer, cost
reductions and efficiency but also sustainable buildings. This paper reports on an early demonstration project, the building
of a passive house dormitory in the Central Region of Denmark in 2006-2009. The project was supposed to deliver value,
lean design, prefabrication, quality in sustainability, certification according to German standards for passive houses, and
micro combined heat and power using hydrogen. Using sociological and business economic theories of innovation, the
paper discusses how early movers of innovation tend to obtain only partial success when demonstrating their products and
often feel obstructed by minor details. The empirical work encompasses both an evaluation of the design and construction
process as well as a post-occupancy evaluation. Process experiences include the use of a multidisciplinary competence
group and performance measurement. The commencement of the project was enthusiastic, but it was forced into more traditional
forms of control, driven by such challenges as complying with cost goals, the need to choose a German prefab
supplier, and local contractors. Energy calculations, indoor climate, issues related to square meter requirements, and the
hydrogen element became problematic. The aim to obtain passive house certification prevailed over realizing a good indoor
climate, which included sufficient heating. Project management must be able to handle quantitative complexity
where simple issues add up to major challenges.
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