Optimising buildings energy performance with a new perspective – lesson learned by HOMES programme: possible savings up to 50% with short payback

Panel: 5A. Cutting the energy use of buildings: Projects and technologies

This is a peer-reviewed paper.

Authors:
Olivier Cottet, Schneider Electric - Strategy and Innovation, France
Jean-Jacques Marchais, Schneider-electric, France
Bertrand Deprez, Schneider-electric, Belgium

Abstract

Higher energy performance for the European building stock is one of the main target to reach the 2020 objectives. New innovative perspectives were considered as mandatory, this was the main driver of HOMES programme since its launch in 2008. At end of 2012 very significant results have been reached and this paper illustrates the main ones. HOMES is a collaborative innovation programme led by Schneider Electric, designed to create active energy efficiency solutions for european building stock. It focuses on collaboration between its thirteen members, manufacturers and research institutes: CEA, CIAT, CSTB, Delta Dore, EDF, Idea, Philips Lighting, Radiall, Schneider Electric, Somfy, STMicroelectronics, Watteco and Wieland Electric.

HOMES makes solutions that allow existing buildings in operation to optimize their energy performance and the key findings of the programme are related to:

• The measurement of the actual energy performance of a building including all end uses

• The reduction of energy demand in the different rooms of a building maintaining or improving the services delivered.

• The smart grid ready functionalities to create building proactivity to demand response and dynamic pricing

• The organisation of energy information for each persona to move from knowledge to consciousness.

• The tools and methods for construction and operation actors to design, build, commission, certify, operate efficient building.

• The recommendations for constructive and in operation rules and codes.

The effectiveness of control strategies were assessed on 5 real buildings instrumented, monitored, simulated. The saving potential of the solutions are: Collective residential 2010 22%; OFFice 2008 36%; Primary school 1990 56%; HOTEL * 1970 30%; HOTEL *** 1890 37%.

In conclusion, an extrapolation on the European building stock shows that 40% of building consumption could be saved with an average payback of 5 years and creating a 600 000 full time employee.