ISSUE 7
MARCH 1997
lBUILDING TECHNOLOGY THERMIE PROGRAMME: promotion of energy technology in Europe EDITORIAL
FEATURES
THERMIE is a funding programme managed by the Directorate-General for Energy (DG XVII) of the European Commission. It is designed to encourage the development, demonstration and dissemination of non-nuclear energy projects. Over 556 million ECU has been made available by the EU to fund projects between 1995 and 1998. THERMIE is open to everyone, including businesses, universities, and public and private bodies, provided they are established in a Member State of the EU. To qualify for funding projects must fulfil a number of criteria. They must be innovative, and at the demonstration stage for the first time at full scale; involve independent organisations from at least two EU Member States or Associated States; and comply with both the general and any specific conditions of the call for proposals to which they are responding. THERMIE is divided into two categories, A and B. The projects described in this newsletter and the associated summary leaflets and posters were all supported by THERMIE A. This programme directs financial support to demonstration projects which apply new and innovative technologies to the areas of rational use of energy, renewable energy sources, and solid fuels and hydrocarbons. Projects may qualify for THERMIE A funding up to a maximum of 40% of their total eligible cost. THERMIE B offers financial support to assist the market penetration of new energy technologies and the widespread dissemination of project results. See back page for more information.
THERMIE
The “Project Hombre” bioclimatic treatment centre.
BIOCLIMATIC TREATMENT CENTRE The University of Zaragoza, the regional government and the “Project Hombre” foundation for drug dependency have collaborated on a bioclimatically designed residence and treatment centre for addicts, in a suburb of Zaragoza, Spain’s fifth city (THERMIE project BU 533 92 ES). The climate of Zaragoza, which lies in the north of Spain, is Mediterranean with pronounced continental features due to the shelter of the mountains to the north, producing a very predictable climate with considerable temperature swings from day to night and summer to winter.
The building is of two stories with a total usable floor area of almost 2000m2 and a capacity for 96 residents. It provides accommodation, dining and kitchen facilities, meeting and therapy rooms, reception,
IN THIS ISSUE • A bioclimatic treatment centre in Zaragoza, Spain • An energy-saving domestic heating controller • Efficient new apartments in Denmark • S a vin g e n e r g y in two t o w n s in De n ma rk and Germany
European Commission Directorate-General XVII for Energy
fluctuations are of 0.1°C rather than 0.8°C with a conventional sensor or thermostat. The controller has features which allow normal operations to be suspended during periods of absence, but still protect pipes from freezing and house contents from cold damage.
offices and services: a wide range of different uses which needed to be taken into account in the design. Numerous strategies are used to take advantage of solar gain while avoiding overheating in summer— essential when external temperatures can exceed 30°C. High thermal mass combined with insulation is used to counteract diurnal temperature swings. The building is oriented with a long E-W axis to take advantage of solar gain and minimise exposure to prevailing cold northwesterly winds in winter. Energy is stored during the day in trombe walls on the south side of the residential block, and also collected in sunspaces and, using fan-assisted ventilation, transferred to storage walls on the north side of the building and also rock beds under the floor. The storage units act as “thermal flywheels” and allow heat to be delivered to the residential spaces with a delay of 8 to 12 hours. Some of the sunspaces also double as buffer zones for entry and egress. During the summer, the garden, situated in the shaded zone between the building’s two wings, acts as a cooling and humidifying element, using the evaporation of flowing and sprayed water. The cool, damp air flows through the rooms used during the day, and is also blown in at night to remove heat from the rock beds, allowing these to cool the building during the day. The essence of the bioclimatic design is control and feedback. A PC is linked to temperature and humidity sensors and controls for fans, vents and louvres, to monitor and adjust the building’s performance.
The DCD Heating Controller
DOMESTIC HEATING CONTROLLER The Domestic Heating Controller (developed by DCD Ltd. as THERMIE Project BU 124 92 UK) is a microprocessor-based unit which provides sophisticated, efficient heating control for the home. It combines a range of easy-to-use, programmable energy-saving features. Because different water and room temperatures are needed for different activities and times of day, the controller offers up to ten separate programmes for each day of the week, with independently adjustable water and room temperatures. The householder is encouraged to start with the factory-supplied programmes and gradually adjust them to their own needs. Using an external temperature sensor, the controller can optimise boiler start times in order to have heating and hot water ready at the required time on any day. The DCD controller can also learn to smooth room temperatures by anticipating their rise and fall, greatly reducing fluctuations which impair comfort and use more fuel—typical
In preliminary trials householders said that they were more comfortable with the DCD controller. But comfort does not need to come at the cost of fuel-efficiency. By using the boiler for just the right length of time, at high capacity when it is most efficient, rather than, as with most controllers, working to a very rough, generous estimate of when it will be needed, the controller also provides substantial savings. Tests run by the Building Research Establishment, UK in houses with simulated occupancy, confirm that the controller can be expected to save 25% of annual fuel consumption, although this depends on how it is used. The DCD controller is currently available direct from DCD Systems. Project co-ordinator: Peter Marshall, DCD Systems Limited, 43 Howards Thicket, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire SL9 7NU. Telephone: +44 1753 882028. Fax: +44 1753 882029. VENTILATION IN EFFICIENT NEW APARTMENTS Three new apartment buildings in Sønderborg, Denmark, have been provided with a variety of water- and energy-saving features (THERMIE Project BU 358 92 DK). These
The results are encouraging. Total energy use is just 115 kWh/m 2y— 80% less than the consumption of a typical building meeting Spanish regulations. Project co-ordinator: Carlos Monné, Centro Politechnico Superior, Universidad de Zaragoza, c/ Maria de Luna 3, E-50015, Zaragoza, Spain. Telephone: +34 976 762041. Fax: +34 976 732078. Email: jat@posta.unizar.es. Project web site: http://smuz.cps.unizar.es/ thermie/pag/thermie.html
Seasonally flexible sunspaces in the Sønderborg apartments.
include: seasonally flexible sunspaces; energy-efficient appliances and lighting; rain-water collection for laundry and flushing toilets; and lowtemperature heating using the return water from an existing district heating scheme, with back-up heating provided by a condensing gas boiler and electrical heaters in the kitchens. Most innovative, though, is the use of the three buildings, each with 16 apartments and very similar in most respects, to try out three different ventilation systems. The project is sponsored by the Danish Housing Ministry and jointly run by the Danish Building Research Institute and Esbensen Consulting Engineers.
reduced 25–35%, with a consequent saving of 7% of heat and 2% of electricity on an annual basis. Combined with savings on maintenance, due to more constant relative humidity, this amounts to 3,010 ECU per year, giving a payback time of some 15 years—not excessive for a Housing Association project.
To prevent condensation and the growth of micro-organisms, relative humidity must be below 45%. With this in mind, Danish building regulations specify certain minimum ventilation rates in new buildings, which are usually very airtight: 15 litres/second for bathrooms and 20 l/s for kitchens.
In 1987, Gro Harlem Brundtland, then president of Norway and UN World Commissioner for Environment and Development, proposed an agenda for industrial countries: cut energy consumption and CO2 output in half by 2020. The EU resolved to reduce CO2 output, then rising, to 1990 levels by 2000.
Project co-ordinator: Esbensen Consultants, Møllegade 54–56, DK 6400, Sønderborg, Denmark. Telephone: +45 7442 2250. Fax: +45 7442 2674.
SAVING ENERGY IN TWO TOWNS
However, relative humidity varies with air temperature; at high temperatures these rates of air removal are more than is necessary to maintain R.H. below 45%, while in cold periods they are not sufficient. One of the apartment blocks contains a standard ventilation system (meeting building codes). Another has a manually-operated system with heat recovery. In the third block, the standard system is enhanced with individual humidity sensors in each room, automatically adjusting air inlet valves. Thus, it is possible to compare the performance of the three systems. As well as monitoring the energy consumption of the apartments over a two-year period, the research included a survey of occupants, asking them how satisfactory the apartments were in general, and in particular the ventilation systems. Satisfaction with the overall apartment design was high; complaints about draughts from the humiditycontrolled ventilation system were dealt with by fitting hoods over the air inlet valves. In energy terms the humidity-controlled ventilation is a modest success: during cold periods, air flow is
consultancy, to motivate people to change their habits, and above all to involve all sectors of the town to varying degrees: residents, local government, tradespeople, energy suppliers, and credit institutes. One tool was the “Brundtland diploma,” an energy certificate for dwellings which shows consumptions of heat, electricity, and water, and provides a comparison with average consumption. Another useful technique was the “Packet” concept, a collection of actions including on-site energy consultancy, calculating potential energy savings, estimating costs and agreeing prices with contractors, helping to arrange financing, coordinating the work of installers, and assessment of the results. The results over the first three years of the program (1992–95) have been positive. Total savings amount to 5% of residential energy use in Toftlund, but only 1% in Bredstedt. The contrast between the two towns is apparently due to financial considerations, such as higher energy prices in Denmark, and also to public attitudes.
Insulating a house as part of the Brundtlandstadt project.
In 1992, a project called Brundtland Town (THERMIE project BU 508 92 D) was initiated to apply Brundtland’s original proposal to two towns: Bredstedt in Germany and Toftlund in Denmark. The project had two aims: to cut overall energy consumption by 30% in one-ninth of private dwelling stock, and by 50% in selected demonstration buildings; and further to cut CO2 emissions by fuel-switching and replacing electric with central or district heating. To implement energy-saving measures in two entire towns (Bredstedt has a population of 5700; Toftlund, including suburbs, has 9800 people; and there are a total of 3,000 residential buildings in the two towns), it was necessary to use publicity effectively, to provide information and
Project co-ordinator: Sabine Lübken, Nordlicht GmbH, Rudolf-Höcknerstrasse 18, 22880 Wedel, Germany. Telephone: +49 4103 15061. Fax: +49 4103 2981.
GREEN BUILDING IN OLD DUBLIN The Green Building, Temple Bar, Dublin, a mixed-use development in an inner-city renewal area, was featured in THERMIE Building Technology Newsletter Issue 5.
The Green Building, Dublin.
EVENTS
FORTHCOMING ENERGY CONFERENCES WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THE BUILDING SECTOR
DATE 1997
TITLE OF CONFERENCE
LOCATION
CONTACT
May 8
Daylighting and Advanced Glazing in Buildings
Oxford United Kingdom
UK-ISES, c/o CAT Machynlleth, Powys, SY20 9AZ, United Kingdom Tel: +44.1654-702992, Fax: +44.1654-702782
May 27 – 29
The World Sustainable Energy Trade Fair
Amsterdam The Netherlands
European Media Marketing Ltd 6th Floor, 22-26 Albert Embankment UK-London SE1 7TJ, United Kingdom Tel: +44.171-582 7278, Fax: +44.171-793 8007 email: trans@emml.demon.co.uk
July 30 – Aug 1
Flowers ‘97: Florence World Energy Research Symposium, Clean energy for the new century
Florence Italy
Prof G Manfrida DEF Department of Energy Eng University of Florence, Via S Marta 3 50139 Florence, Italy Tel: +39.55-479 6346, Fax: +39.55-479 6342, email: Flowers@eners.ing.unifi.it Internet: http://eners.ing.unifi.it/flowers
August 30 – Sept 2
CLIMA 2000 ‘97
Brussels Belgium
CLIMA 2000 ‘97, c/o SRBII, Ravenstein 3 B-1000 Brussels, Belgium Tel: +32.2-511 7469, Fax: +32.2-511 7597
Sept 20 – 25
World Renewable Energy Congress
Florence Italy
Professor A A M Sayigh, World Renewable Energy Network 147 Hilmanton, Lower Earley UK-Reading RG6 4HN, United Kingdom Tel: +44.118-961 1364, Fax: +44.118-961 1365
THERMIE THERMIE
For more information about THERMIE, contact: Mr W. Folkertsma, European Commission, Directorate-General XVII, 226 Avenue de Terruren, B-1150 Brussels, Belgium. Telephone: +32 2 295 7485. Fax: +32 2 295 0577. e-mail: wiepke.folkertsma@bxl.dg17.cec.be
A series of A2 posters and summary leaflets are available from the Energy Research Group, UCD, focusing on the projects featured in this newsletter.
Building Technology is produced within the THERMIE programme by the Energy Research Group, University College Dublin, Richview, Clonskeagh, Dublin 14, Ireland. Tel: +353. 1-269 2750 Fax: +353. 1-283 8908 Editors Robert Alcock and J. Owen Lewis Design Elizabeth Fleming
THERMIE PUBLICATIONS A series of 24 to 28pp publications on energy-related issues have been published, and examples from the building sector are listed below. Further information is available on the Internet at http://erg.ucd.ie/ Daylighting in Buildings, University College Dublin - Energy Research Group Richview, Clonskeagh, Dublin 14, Ireland. Fax: +353.1-283 8908.
Energy Efficient LIghting in Offices, BRECSU - Building Research Energy Conservation Support Unit, Garston, Watford, UK-Hertfordshire, WD2 7JR, United Kingdom. Fax: +44.1923-664097.
Designing Healthy Energy Efficient Office Buildings, ICIE - Istituto Cooperativo per l’Innovazione Via Nomentana 133, I-00161 Roma, Italy. Fax: +39.6-855 0250.
Energy Efficient LIghting in Schools, BRECSU - Building Research Energy Conservation Support Unit, Garston, Watford, UK-Hertfordshire, WD2 7JR, United Kingdom. Fax: +44.1923-664097.
Energy Efficient LIghting in Buildings, BRECSU - Building Research Energy Conservation Support Unit, Garston, Watford, UK-Hertfordshire, WD2 7JR, United Kingdom. Fax: +44.1923-664097. Energy Efficient LIghting in Industrial Buildings, BRECSU - Building Research Energy Conservation Support Unit, Garston, Watford, UK-Hertfordshire, WD2 7JR, United Kingdom. Fax: +44.1923-664097.
Energy Efficient LIghting in Shops, ETSU - Energy Technology Support Unit, Harwell, Oxfordshire, OXII ORA, United Kingdom. Fax: +44.1235-432050. Innovative and Energy Efficient Air Conditioning Systems, TÜV RHEINLAND Sicherheit und Umweltschutz - Institut für Umweltschutz und Energietechnik, Am Grauen Stein, D-51105 Köln, Germany. Fax: +49.221-806 1350.
Insulation Measures for Retrofitting of Residential Buildings, IABPO - Friedemann & Johnson Consultants Pestalozzistr. 88, D-10625 Berlin, Germany. Fax: +49.30-313 2671. Less is more, Energy Efficient Buildings with less Installations, ICAEN - Institut Català d’Energia, Avda Diagonal, 453 Bis, Atic, E-08036 Barcelona, Spain. Fax: +34.3-419 7253, Rational use of Energy in the Hotel Sector, IMPIVA - Instituto de la Mediana y Pequena Industria Valenciana Avellanas 14 30 F, E-46003 Valencia, Spain. Fax: +34 6-391 4460. Tools and Techniques for the Design and Evaluation of Energy Efficient Buildings, University College Dublin - Energy Research Group, Richview, Clonskeagh, Dublin 14, Ireland. Fax: +353.1-283 8908.