EU FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES AND PROJECT MANAGEMENT TIPS

Scope: 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.The applied solutions should address the challenge to move towards a 'nearly-zero energy' buildings standard at large scale with demonstration projects that go beyond 'nearly-zero energy' buildings levels to the point where buildings are active contributors to energy production and environmental quality in particular when new districts are planned (e.g. net-zero energy neighbourhoods). The energy balance should be calculated by means of a LCA approach, considering among other issues embodied energy.

Expected Impact: Significant increase of the share of 'nearly zero-energy' buildings with the aim of 100% market uptake by the end of 2020. Costs reductions of at least 15% compared to current situation, with additional benefits in terms of energy reduction. Demonstration for net-zero energy districts taking advantage of onsite or nearby-generation of renewable energy.

Deadline: 04.02.2015