Energy efficiency technology demonstration in buildings and industry

By the end of 2020 (2018 for buildings occupied and owned by public authorities), all new buildings should comply with the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive obligations and thus meet ‘nearly zero-energy’ performance levels using innovative, cost-optimal technologies with integration of renewable energy sources on site or nearby. The drive for nearly zero-energy buildings takes place in the context of the drive for new-buildings towards zero life-cycle material impacts.

Projects should focus on development and demonstration of solutions which significantly reduce the cost of new buildings with at least ‘nearly zero-energy’ performance levels, whilst accelerating significantly the speed with which these buildings and their systems are taken up by the market. The focus should lie on solutions for appropriate indoor air quality and comfort, design adapted to local climate and site, passive solutions (reducing the need for technical building systems which consume energy) or active solutions (covering a high share of the energy demand with renewable energies), building energy management systems (where appropriate), highly efficient Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC, e.g. low temperature systems, solar cooling), electric and/or thermal energy storage of renewable energy onsite and nearby. Projects should also provide solutions for automated and cost-effective maintenance of the installed equipment, and assess differences between predicted and actual energy performance. Such differences should be documented and minimized.

Projects should also focus on design methods for on-site and nearby-generation of renewable energy for new buildings (electricity as well as heating and cooling generation, e.g. heat pumps, integrated photovoltaics, or other options) accompanying energy efficiency measures to achieve standards higher than those of ‘nearly zero-energy’ buildings.

Budget: 20m Euros, 3-5m Euros per project

Deadline: 4th February 2014

For further information go to: http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/h2020/topics/2366-ee-02-2015.html