Project description
The buildings sector accounts for 40% of the EU’s energy requirements. It offers the largest single potential for energy efficiency. An estimated potential of one-fifth of the present energy consumption could be saved by 2010. To translate this potential into reduced energy consumption, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) 2002/91/EC is set to promote the improvement of energy performance of buildings. An important aspect (art. 5) of the EPBD is that all member states are obliged to ensure that the feasibility of alternative energy systems is considered within national building codes for new buildings over 1000 m2.
At the moment barriers such as higher cost, lack of knowledge confidence, are hindering alternative energy systems. For article 5 to have a substantial impact, feasibility studies on alternative energy need to become commonplace.
The SENTRO project aims to develop and promote an “optimal” approach in order to effectively incorporate the feasibility studies of alternative energy systems (art. 5 EPBD) in the common building process.
The project starts by making an inventory on how 27 European member states comply with the requirements of conducting a feasibility study for alternative energy systems for new buildings. The inventory also encompasses which policy they pursue to actively introduce this requirement. Subsequently, in the seven SENTRO countries (Denmark, France, Lithuania, Poland, Slovenia, Sweden and the Netherlands), an inventory is also made of the building practices as possible barriers of the implementation of alternative energy systems. After this inventory phase, tools are developed to ensure that assessment of alternative energy systems will become an integral part in the common planning process of new buildings. These tools, such as universal checklists for requirements, handbooks and flowcharts, cover technical, financial as well as organizational aspects. Core of the project is the test of these tools in a field trial in the participating countries. Towards the end of the project the experience is disseminated through courses and conferences to policy makers and key actors in the building process.
