
Renovating the building stocks is a major challenge for the European Union. Recent policy moves such as the European Green Deal’s Renovation Wave are very illustrative of the critical role buildings can play in achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
Europe needs innovative approaches to renovate buildings in a way that not only dramatically improve energy efficiency but also improve comfort and living conditions, at a cost that makes it affordable for the majority of building owners.
The 4RinEU H2020 project addressed this challenge by developing renovation solutions designed to reduce a property’s energy consumption by at least 60 %. They also improve the building’s indoor environment by reducing damp and making homes easier to heat. After a successful development phase, the 4RinEU consortium demonstrated these solutions in buildings in Oslo (Norway), Soest (Netherlands), Bellpuig (Spain) and Pinerolo (IT).
The project was completed in June 2021 – the main takeaways are that:
- It is possible to do low-disruption deep renovation: in Oslo, the tenants could stay in their apartments during the whole deep renovation process.
- Deep renovation massively improves energy efficiency and increase properties’ values: in Soest, energy demand was reduced by 80% and it is estimated that the value of renovated properties increased by 50%.
- Faster renovations: in Bellpuig, on-site construction time on-site was reduced by almost 50% compared to standard practices.
- Buildings’ systems and automation upgrades are impactful: in Pinerolo, the centralised water management system has been enhanced to optimise water-related energy use and indoor environment – this with minimal interventions inside the dwellings.
For anyone who wants to learn more about deep energy renovation, the project has also developed an extensive set of learning material: a comprehensive online course on deep energy efficiency renovation, a booklet about hassle-free and fast renovation, a cookbook of innovative solutions to make your home more efficient and comfortable (available in English, Italian, Spanish and German), and an online game to teach young students the benefits of deep energy renovation.
Links:
- 4RinEu website
- Demonstation sites: Oslo, Soest, Bellpuig, Pinerolo
- Online resources: massive online course, booklet, cookbook, online game.
- EU project factsheet
- Reference
- H2020-EU.3.3.1. - Reducing energy consumption and carbon foorpint by smart and sustainable use
- Project duration
- 1 Oct 2016 - 30 Jun 2021
- Project locations
- ItalyNorwayNetherlandsSpainGermanyUnited Kingdom
- Overall budget
- €4 597 460
- EU contribution
- €3 999 96087% of the overall budget
- Project website
- https://4rineu.eu/
- Departments
- European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency
Stakeholders
Coordinators
ACCADEMIA EUROPEA DI BOLZANO
- Address
- Viale Druso 1, 39100 Bolzano BZ, Italy
- Website
- https://www.eurac.edu/en