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What are Test Reference Years (TRYs)?
Test Reference Years are detailed annual climate data rows used primarily in calculation and simulation programmes. They are in most cases not simply measured climate information of a real year at a certain location, but an artificial...
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Why is monitoring so important in demonstration projects?
Pilot or demonstration buildings are made in order to test new innovative technologies or to demonstrate that a defined level of high building energy performance is possible in reality. These buildings are show cases that allow experts and...
In the end of July 2017, the German law on the promotion of tenant electricity (Gesetz zur Förderung von Mieterstrom) entered into force. With this law, tenants shall benefit from the energy transition. In fact, the law promotes landlords...
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What is meant with “Rebound Effect”?
Efficiency measures at the building envelope and the building services systems decrease the operational costs of buildings. But reduced costs can lead to changes in the behaviour of the building users. They consume more energy and parts of...
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Are there EU funded projects – schemes, based on nanomaterials in the construction industry?
The list that follows provides brief information on EU funded projects and clusters in the field of nanomaterials:
ADAPTIWALL project used multi-functional light-weight wall panel based on adaptive insulation and nanomaterials for...
Titania (TiO2) is suitable for several environmental applications such as air purifier, waste water treatment cleaning, water disinfection and photo-induced hydrophilic coating with self-cleaning properties. It can be incorporated in bulk...
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What are the critical parameters in the use of nanomaterials in the building sector?
The selection of the appropriate matrix is of importance since it can affect the effectiveness of nanomaterials, or even react in such a way that unwanted by-products may be produced.
The presence of dissolved oxygen in the liquid...
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What are the uses of Photocatalysis in the building environment?
There are many examples of photocatalysts aimed at reducing urban depollution applied on photocatalytic pavements. Titanium dioxide (Titania) is being explored as a component, but the correct method of applying photocatalysts in pavements...
The size of the nanoparticles is an important factor, when it comes to the photocatalytic performance. Nanomaterials with smaller particles are expected to provide better photocatalytic activity.
In order to enhance the photocatalytic...
Self-cleaning/photocatalytic properties are known since the 1960s, but they have only recently been widely exploited. The first application was on the church ‘‘Dives in Misericordia” in Rome. It is composed of 346 self-cleaning concrete...
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What is photocatalysis and how does it work?
Photocatalysis is the activity occurring when a light source interacts with the surface of semiconductor materials, the so called photocatalysts. During this process, there must be at least two simultaneous reactions occurring, oxidation...
by Marine Faber (BPIE)
Institute for Market Transformation (IMT) is a strong, long-time advocate for bringing building performance data to the market and using it alongside other tools such as audits, to help building owners identify...
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Where can I find information about best practices on innovative financing for energy efficiency?
Previous experience of the Member States has shown that conventional financing is not enough for meeting their energy and environmental targets and access to attractive and adequate financing products from the market is needed.
Public...
For many years now Member States have engaged in energy transition. This long experience has shown that conventional financing is not enough and financing sustainable energy measures remains a great challenge. For this reason, access to...
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What is the Juncker Plan?
The Juncker Plan is also known as The Investment Plan for Europe.
It was proposed by the European Commission in November 2014, following the European Council's call in June 2014 for the low levels of investment in the EU to be...
by Heather Clancy
One of the largest commercial LED lighting installations projects in the world — the retrofit of more than 4,500 JPMorgan Chase branches by General Electric's energy division, Current — started life as a proposal...
Decision Support System (DSS) is a software developed within the context of the UHI (Urban Heat Island) project, implemented through the CENTRAL EUROPE Programme co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). It is a...
The Energy Efficiency Indicators database contains annual data from 2000 to 2015, covering end use energy consumption for 8 energy products, end use energy efficiency indicators, and carbon intensity indicators for 4 sectors (residential,...
by Gary Clark
The first of April 2016 marked the start of a quiet revolution in public sector procurement. On that date Building Information Management (BIM) became mandatory for all public funded buildings over 2000m². What many...
Το Εργαλείο Οικονομικής Αξιολόγησης (CERtuS SE²T) αναπτύχθηκε στο πλαίσιο του προγράμματος CERtuS . Είναι ένα φιλικό στη χρήση του και κατατοπιστικό εργαλείο πάνω σε ζητήματα χρηματοδότησης, το οποίο απευθύνεται κυρίως στις αρχές τοπικής...