Systems with integrated phase change materials (PCMs) offer considerable potential for heating and cooling buildings more efficiently. However, so far there has been very little practical experience that has been underpinned by reliable measurement and monitoring data. In the PCM-Demo II research project, eight partners from research and industry are investigating and assessing PCM systems in various applications in the building sector. The preliminary results are now available.  more...

How can the high energy consumption required for ventilating “clean rooms” in healthcare and industrial production be reduced while ensuring equal or even better protection against airborne particles and germs? This question was investigated by researchers from Hermann-Rietschel-Institut (HRI). They built a research laboratory with two cleanrooms. The results provide a detailed picture of the air flow processes and improved design principles for constructing and operating cleanrooms.  more...

The Margaretenau residential district in Regensburg is being modernised to improve its energy efficiency. The designers are developing a solar-active and -adaptive exterior render system as a replacement for conventional thermal insulation for the facades. This should increase the solar yields and improve the thermal comfort inside the buildings. The energy supply will be provided by a new and efficient hybrid heating system consisting of cogeneration and heat pump technology.  more...

The integration of thermal storage in cogeneration plants leads to more flexibility in district heating networks because the power generation can be better adapted to the power requirements. Power-to-heat systems couple the electricity and heating sectors to utilise renewable electricity for district heating. Together with partners from science and industry, researchers at the TU Berlin have investigated when the construction of heat storage and power-to-heat systems can be economically and ecologically beneficial.  more...

Building projects often specify components that are the cheapest to buy – which in the long run is not always the most cost-effective and efficient solution. Together with Dresden scientists, software provider Hottgenroth has developed a program module that helps to determine and optimise the lifecycle costs of components and system technology. It is now available as a module integrated into existing energy consulting and planning software.  more...

The conversion of a residential building to a hotel in the centre of Munich focussed on comfort and energy efficiency. The building envelope almost achieves the passive house standard following the renovation. The system technology is adopting a different approach: decentralised heat pumps produce domestic hot water and space heating heat on a room-by-room basis. A twin-pipe chilled water network balances out the heat and cooling requirements between the individual rooms.  more...

On 6 December 2017, ten outstanding and innovative concepts were awarded prize money totalling 280,000 euros at the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy in Berlin. The respective juries awarded five winners in both the “Concepts for Future-oriented Buildings and Districts” category and in the “Ideas for an International Energy Competition” category in the ideas competition held by the EnEff.Gebäude.2050 funding initiative.  more...

“Does that really pay off?” – this is something you often hear when people are talking about energyoptimised new buildings or refurbishment projects. Germany’s Energy Saving Act also formulates a requirement for cost-effectiveness. It is not easy to answer this question. For this reason, the terms ‘economic viability’ and ‘economically advantageous’ will first be defined.  more...

Nowadays, it is relatively easy from an engineering viewpoint to construct buildings with extremely low energy requirements. However, is it also possible to achieve this energy level, which is ambitious in terms of planning, building technology and commercial considerations, with existing buildings on a large scale? And is this advantageous from a financial point of view? In the BINE interview, Professor Thomas Lützkendorf from the Centre for Real Estate at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) discusses the statutory framework conditions, calculation methods and data bases for transparently determining the economic benefits of energy-optimised buildings.  more...

Energy-saving in the production, pressure-resistant and compostable: Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics have high expectations for the insulation boards made from the leaves of the Typha plant. Together with industrial partner Saint Gobain Isover, they are now further developing a board for insulating rafters and preparing its series production.  more...