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...

After 18 months of refurbishment work, former and new tenants began moving into the world's first high-rise building built to a passive house standard, in the Weingarten quarter of Freiburg, at the end of April 2011. The primary energy required for heating, heating drinking water, ventilation, lighting and domestic electricity has been reduced by 40 percent. Research on the model project continues.  more...

Buildings of the future are secret power plants: they will generate more energy than they require. The surplus can be used for the residents? electromobility or is fed into the grid. This idea is now to be implemented as an energy-plus building with electromobility. The fully recyclable house designed by scientists from Dresden, Germany offers 142 m² of floor space and produces more energy than is required for a 4-person household and to run two electric cars and an electric scooter (with an annual mileage of 29,000 km). The team of researchers from Dresden University of Technology won second prize at the planning competition of the Zukunft Bau (Future of Construction) research initiative with this pilot project in February 2011.  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...

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...

There are now many highly efficient new buildings around ? at least on paper, anyway.  Only when a building actually goes into operation does its owner really know whether it makes the most of its potential efficiency or not. However, not enough attention is paid to the long phase of operation. A clean break generally takes place when the keys to the building are handed over: The architects and energy planners have specified target values, but actually achieving these values is either left to others or else disappears completely off the radar.  more...

Hospitals have a high energy consumption. Scientists now plan to investigate all the various areas in a hospital and develop an innovative approach for achieving energy savings. This will be done as part of the "Hospital plus" research project which is being supported by the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology with funding of 1.85 million euros over four years.  more...

Climate control of office buildings involves using technology which is as energy-efficient and cost-efficient as possible, so as to realise the best possible indoor air quality and comfort at the workplace. In recent years, non-residential buildings have increasingly been equipped with ventilation systems integrated into the exterior wall, rather than with centralised heating and air conditioning systems.  more...