General Description

The report describes the design process of four Sustainable Plus Energy Neighbourhoods (SPEN), which are interconnected multiple-family residential buildings with a positive energy balance. Each SPEN is dedicated to a different climatic zone: Mediterranean (based on Spanish standards), marine (the Netherlands), continental (Austria), and sub-arctic (Norway). It analyses the use of different materials, constructions, and technical systems, both at a building and a neighbourhood level, using the Integrated Energy Design (IED).
“The work includes the creation of scenarios for current and future climates, energy and power costs, energy flexibility, and user behaviour. The performance of the plus energy neighbourhoods was predicted using dynamic simulation tools able to model parameters related to indoor climate, energy, power, and greenhouse gas emissions. Present conditions and future scenarios were simulated with combinations of state-of-the-art materials, components, technologies, and smart control systems. Design options and future scenarios were built taking into account the climatic context, user behaviour patterns, and the regulatory framework of each demonstration project. (…)
This will ensure that all the four projects will deliver a positive contribution in terms of energy to the grid while ensuring high-quality indoor comfort and a healthy social environment to inhabitants.”
Source: D2.1 Report on the design of SPEN in each of the four climatic zones, the syn.ikia project report