Evidence-based Building Methodology 2025 (NB25): Quality initiative for renovating existing housing stock with heat pumps and PV
Housing companies are aiming for a climate-neutral building stock over the next 20 years. They often lack a clear and comprehensible basis for effective investment in buildings and estates with low heating costs and emissions. As a result, not only is too little refurbishment being carried out overall, but the measures that are implemented are too often ineffective and too expensive due to quality deficiencies, despite the high level of investment.
Characteristic values for controlling the success of redevelopment in the participating Bochum-Hamme redevelopment area
The “Evidence-based construction methodology 2025” initiative fills this gap. It aims to improve construction processes, develop an open digital process and work towards a simplified Buildings Energy Act (Gebäudeenergiegesetz, GEG) through clear targets, simplified modelling, performance reviews and support for optimization. The valid data obtained in the project is to be used to limit housing costs, realize efficiency potentials and comply with GHG reduction paths based on evidence.
The proposal aims to use opportunities to bring the EPBD, GEG and WPG (Legislation for Heat Planning) together and to develop proposals for sensible bureaucracy reduction. Following first positive experiences in redevelopment areas in Bochum and Berlin, the quality offer is now to be expanded with scientific support in a European research project.
Cost, efficiency and climate protection: meeting target values
The project aims to support housing companies in particular with their teams of planners, craftsmen and manufacturers in renovation projects from the planning and construction phase through to operation with optimizations.
The project aims to support housing companies iwith their teams of planners, craftsmen and producers with optimizations in renovation projects from the planning and construction phase through to operation. The aim is to increase efficiency and yields, e.g. by ensuring the proper operation of heat pumps with coefficients of performance between 3 and 4. Measures to prevent frequent errors are to be planned in from the outset. The overriding benefit is protection against bad investments and excessive heating costs and CO2 taxes, as well as increasing the value of the portfolio.
NB25 support for renovation projects
- Modeling of final energy, efficiency, CO2: Reliable target values (KPIs) for measurable goals and e.g. support with warranty contracts, selection of systems.
- Planning and construction: Support and quality assurance, e.g. by planning measuring points, checking schemes and supporting commissioning and acceptance.
- Commissioning and monitoring: Selection of measuring and monitoring systems, support for data analysis and optimization of settings, energy analysis from consumption (EAV).
- Optimization and reworking during operation: Support for optimization, reworking and operational testing, measures to achieve targets in the event of serious deviations.
Quality assurance supports refurbishment teams made up of technical staff, planners, craftsmen and manufacturers with a review team and scientific support. The aim is teamwork for demonstrable joint refurbishment success. For typical MFH residential buildings, the evidence-based approach aims to achieve a prognosis accuracy of 80-90%. In addition to research funding, the offer is to be financed proportionally from the housing companies’ own contributions.
Support for the digitization of existing buildings
The initiative aims to promote an efficient infrastructure for climate-friendly buildings through the digitalization of tools and the certified and open exchange between platforms. The initiative relies on measurement-based controls of a few key success parameters, project-internal benchmarks and comparisons based on standardized KPIs as well as transparent mapping of CO2 emissions. Participants gain access to expertise in metering equipment, monitoring and the exchange of information (API).
Further information on the initiative
NB25 is an initiative of the sustainable data platform participants HOWOGE Wärme GmbH, SenerCon GmbH and Stiftung Energieeffizienz with Dr. B. Schulze Darup and VICTORIA | Internationale Hochschule. Please contact us for further information.