In this workshop, we discussed the exploitation experiences gathered in some relevant H2020 projects on deep renovation: TripleA-reno, ProGETonE, P2Endure, 4rinEU, STUNNING, and TURNkey Retrofit. Directives and practical insights that support the experimentation with exploitation strategies in EU-funded projects will be elaborated as outcome of the workshop.
Despite its proven potential for systemic change, large-scale investment (both public and private) in sustainable homes still faces barriers, often caused by insecurity about personal, societal and financial returns on investment and a lack of clarity about concrete elements of sustainable age-friendly living environments and the choice of building, retrofitting and adaptation measures to be implemented. The projects that contributed to this workshop are developing solutions to tackle these barriers and propose a holistic and integrated approach to progress on implementation.
This workshop brought together a selection of H2020 EU-funded projects involving experts from the biomass, geothermal, solar thermal, and heat pump sectors to discuss a common strategy for increasing the use of renewable energy technologies for heating and cooling for buildings and industry.
Abstract:The workshop "Reducing energy consumption and carbon footprint by smart and sustainable use" was organized on 29 June 2017 in the context of the International conference Sustainable Places 2017 with the aim to discuss the latest progress and innovations resulting from 7 projects developing solutions to reduce energy consumption and carbon footprint by smart and sustainable use.
In this workshop, we discussed the progress of five Horizon 2020 projects—HYCOOL, SHIP2FAIR, THERMOSS, SUNHORIZON and HYBUILD—all implementing solar thermal and renewable technologies for buildings and for the industrial sector. The discussion offered opportunities to identify and benchmark key challenges being faced by the projects, both technical and non-technical, and allowed to identify cooperation opportunities.
The design of energy awareness solutions for the residential sector is a popular topic within research and innovation communities, with major industrial players being active in the field; the massive roll-out of smart energy meters in several countries acting as a catalyst factor. However, the majority of existing solutions do not fully meet user requirements, thereby compromising their efficiency on the long term. A wider analysis is required, involving service designers, social sciences, contextual factors, and usability research. The aim of the ECOFAMILIES project presented in this article was to co-design with French families an innovative technological solution for getting a concrete understanding of their household energy use and consumption, and the choices that are available to improve it. The participatory design protocol went through three incremental workshops organized between March and June 2012 with thirty-three volunteers, complemented by a profile questionnaire, an online blog, the use of an eye tracking system and the making of a documentary film. The research contributed to discover the real behaviors, attitudes and needs of these families when it comes to energy efficiency. A new prototype was developed alongside: it features a fully customizable interface with widgets grouped by key topics of interest.
Digital transformation in the built environment is a fact that will shape the industry, increasing its efficiency and improving its quality. However, there are many challenges still facing the industry to complete this transformation. Under this theme, during the Sustainable Places 2020 virtual conference on 28th October 2020, nine EU-funded research projects gathered in a workshop to showcase their projects and demonstrate some of the innovative solutions developed within their projects. This post-workshop report gives brief information about the participant projects. It outlines the main topics covered in the presentations and, moreover, highlights the main innovative tools presented in this workshop. The representatives agreed that strengthening the synergy among different their projects would be a benefit for all.
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