REN + HOMES

Renewable ENergy-based Positive Homes

CONTEXT

In EU, Buildings contribute to 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO₂ emissions, and 84% of this demand is still met by fossil fuel. Additionally, construction and demolition waste make up 35% of total EU waste. With the Green Deal, the EU signed its commitment to become the first continent to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Given the high relevance of building’s sector in emissions reduction, the concept of Positive Energy Buildings (PEBs) is gaining prominence.

CHALLENGE

• Limited awareness of available highly innovative methods, technologies and tools that can support exemplar levels of energy efficiency and facilitate the deployment of energy positive homes.​
• Lack of solutions (Hardware & Software) that can support industrialization of building construction, optimize workflows (including cost, time and resource use) and improve the integration and interaction of different construction phases.​
• Underperformance of construction sector to be improved by integrated procedures​.
• Need for building construction and renovation to become more attractive and affordable to all, powered 100% by renewables

PROPOSAL

REN+HOMES tackles the sustainable transition not only by reducing carbon emissions, but also resource scarcity, energy poverty and focusing on education/participation of stakeholders. This project achieves these goals through a three-pronged approach:

• Development of a set of 23 solutions: 9 hardware, 7 software and 7 Circular Plus Energy Positive Homes (CPEH) methodologies (6 tailored methodologies for AU, ES, EE, RO, EL, FR and a universal one).
• Evaluation and implementation of these solutions in 4 large-scale demonstrators in Australia, Spain, Estonia and Romania.
• Development of business models combining cost-effective deep-retrofitting, demand response and energy communities.

ITeC’s ROLE

• Provision of expertise in BMS architecture, system structure and pilot site scenarios requirements.
• Creation of an innovative solution, in partnership with Worldsensing, using Wireless IoT for early-stage precast panel integrity and installation monitoring.​​
• Orchestration of Middleware and operational services with the help of ITeC’s TCQi tool.​
• Creation of a predictive Digital Twin model to assess technical improvements and user behavior.​
• Employment of machine learning for data forecasting in cases of historical data gaps or system upgrades.

REN+HOMES methodology

Project Consortium​

REN+HOMES Consortium consists of 23 partners, including 8 Large Entities (4 of which are non-profit organizations), 4 Universities, 3 Research and Technology Organizations (RTOs), and 8 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs):