With the aim of achieving an optimum indoor environment and lowering operating costs in the long term, the performance of a so-called "operational optimisation with weather forecast control" system has been tested in three administrative buildings in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia since 2007. The operation of the heating systems is optimised based on a thermodynamic computer model and local weather forecast data. The result: A tangible increase in comfort with simultaneous heat energy savings.  more...

The first measurement results confirm the efficient building concept for the Science College Overbach, which opened in June 2009: the data from 186 measurement points are continually captured via the building's services technology and enable continual monitoring, analysis and optimisation of the technical systems. In terms of the primary energy, the building is doing very well: it only consumed 83.4 kWh/m² p.a. in the first year. Not only do the figures add up, the students are also thrilled by their new school. Whereas 15% of the students used to opt for technology and 85% for the three foreign languages on offer, 60% of the students are now choosing a scientific subject in order to enable them to attend lessons in the attractive new building.  more...

An innovative energy management system will save as much energy as possible at the workplace taking individual user behaviour into account. That is the goal of the "pinta" research project. pinta stands for "Pervasive energy via internet-based telecommunication services". An association of industrial partners, the University of Kassel, the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy and Energy System Technology and Kompetenznetzwerk Dezentrale Energietechnologien (Expert Network for Decentral Energy Technologies) will work on user-specific control of electrical devices and heating/cooling systems for office buildings over the next three years.  more...

Yesterday saw the official opening of the Seecampus Niederlausitz in Schwarzheide, Brandenburg. Built as a public-private partnership, this is Germany's first school campus to be constructed to the passive house standard. Different educational facilities from the region are integrated in the building. This is intended to maximise the synergy effects that can be gained in terms of the operation and functionality. Built in the space of just 15 months, the new campus now includes a school building built to the passive house standard, a triple-court sports hall and a library that can be used by both school pupils and the public. 23 million euros were invested.  more...

Last Saturday, the BAU 2011 trade fair came to a close in Munich. A clear focus this year was on concepts and solutions for sustainable and climate-neutral buildings. This applied both for the actual trade fair itself and the extensive support programme. For example, the EnOB research initiative presented new concepts, methods and model projects in a research symposium that was held on 18 and 19 January 2011.  more...

The Internet offers rapid and convenient access to information ? including for energy research. However, when it comes to obtaining reliable, complete and quotable information for research purposes, there is no real alternative to using specialist databases. This is the conclusion of scientists from the ETDE (Energy Technology Data Exchange). In a study they compared the search results provided by their ETDEWEB database with those from Google and Google Scholar, whereby they used search terms from different areas concerned with energy transformation and utilisation. The main thematic focus was on renewable energies, but energy efficient technologies such as recycling waste heat or utilising daylight in office buildings were also looked at.  more...

Energy-efficient buildings generally have extensive technical infrastructure involving a range of complex functions and interactions. Ever increasing demands are placed on the performance and functionality of these systems. Simulations can be used to optimise planning across all trades. Building automation systems are then used to implement the corresponding services.  more...

Daylight was welcome in museums at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. It was only later that the detrimental effects of infrared and ultraviolet radiation on the cultural assets became known and various attempts were undertaken to keep daylight out of exhibition rooms, for example by boarding up skylights. Researchers of the German association for sustainable refurbishment of museum buildings (Forschungsverbund Nachhaltige Sanierung von Museumsbauten) headed by the Technische Universität Braunschweig are developing concepts that systematically use daylight and meet conservation requirements in the refurbishment of museums while cutting energy consumption.  more...

The refurbishment of complex buildings that serve various functions presents a particular challenge. This project involves a building that was built in 1968 and has been in use since then by the local authorities and public companies of the city of Remscheid. However, one consequence of a reform of the city's administration was that the existing facilities were only to be used by Remscheid's waste disposal services, including their vehicle fleet and administrative departments. This changeover presented an opportunity to refurbish the building, which had begun to show signs of its age. Alongside the rectification of structural defects, the client's wishes also included significant improvements to the functionality and appearance of the building.  more...

Elevators in Europe have an annual overall energy requirement of around 18 TWh, and thus consume about as much electricity as the German rail network does. This could be reduced by half if efforts to lower standby consumption and introduce new technologies are successful. However, a lack of knowledge and, frequently, the "investor-user dilemma" have often been barriers to the implementation of improvements up to now.  more...