Civil Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
• the potential of existing technologies is not being fully utilised. Improving
existing technologies or developing new ones is important, but the focus needs
to be on implementation and integration of existing technologies;
• passive design measures is the area of innovation with the highest impact potential;
• insulation, passive solar design and passive cooling are the best energy saving
technologies, followed by lighting and innovative materials;
• buildings should be automated using existing technologies to reduce consump-
tion, integrate systems and inform users so they adapt their behaviour.
Using the stakeholder views as a starting point, this section aims to identify areas
of innovation with the greatest potential to impact Smart-ECO buildings in the
period 2010-2030.
Understanding the problems
Globally, the operation of building services such as space and water heating, space
cooling, ventilation and lighting consumes more than one third of the total energy, with
a comparable contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. These figures are set to rise in
the future because of the increasing urbanisation of population (Hegger et al.
2008
).
While the impact of buildings on the environment is significant, the construc-
tion sector also presents the potential for a drastic reduction of energy consump-
tion and carbon emissions through the application of existing strategies and
technologies (International Energy Agency
2011
). For this reason, the European
Commission considers buildings one of the most strategic sectors to achieve
the 2020 targets of energy efficiency (Energy Saving Trust
2010
; European
Commission
2010a
; European Union
2011
; Eurostat
2013
; Directive
2012
/27/EU).
One of the biggest challenges on the road to the improvement of energy effi-
ciency of European buildings is the wide variability of climatic conditions around
the continent. European climates are determined not only by latitude or altitude
but also by proximity to the ocean or inland seas. With such climatic variation
within Europe, there are no single design guidelines that could fit all situations,
and it is crucial that buildings are climate responsive and site contextual, beyond
the simple variation of the insulation levels.
Apart from designing higher quality, site specific buildings to prevent energy
loss, the challenge to energy saving is changing consumer behaviour and habit.
Using less is about first understanding how much we use and then knowing what
changes in use make a significant difference. The huge task of making the build-
ing sector carbon-free as a part of the 2050 de-carbonisation plan (European
Commission
2011
) can be tackled, given the existing and expected technologies for
energy generation, only if energy use is drastically reduced. This is clearly stated in
the Directive
2010
/31/EU on the energy performance of buildings, where the nearly
zero-energy building (NZEB) is defined as a “building that has a very high energy
performance”, while “the nearly zero or very low amount of energy required should
be covered to a very significant extent by energy from renewable sources, including
energy from renewable sources produced on-site or nearby” (Directive
2010
/31/
EU). This definition clearly prioritises the efficiency of the system (fabric and ser-
vices) over the energy production alone (Voss and Musall
2011
).
