How ready is Europe for the smart building revolution?

Panel: 4. Mobility, transport, and smart and sustainable cities

This is a peer-reviewed paper.

Authors:
Maarten De Groote
, Buildings Performance Institute (BPIE), Belgium
Jonathan Volt, BPIE, Belgium

Abstract

With an appropriate framework, buildings could play a central role in transforming the EU energy system, increasing the speed with which the three biggest CO2 polluters - the building, transport and power sectors - are reducing their climate impact. Buildings are entering a transition phase, transforming into highly efficient micro energy-hubs consuming, producing, storing and supplying energy, making the system more flexible and efficient enabling a rapid uptake of renewable energy and electric vehicles.

The increased portion of decentralised renewable energy systems - key to achieve a sustainable and decarbonised energy system - causes variable stress on the grid. The growing number of electric vehicles, together with a bigger share of electrical heating of buildings, will challenge the energy system even further. These tendencies highlight the need for the implementation of strategies integrating smart buildings and electric vehicles to avoid a system overload.

This paper provides an answer to the question, what role can smart buildings play in the future energy system?, by presenting ten interrelated principles. Apart from principle 1, maximising the building’s energy efficiency, which should be applied first, the sequence of the nine remaining principles is not laid out in order of importance. They are all important separately, but more effective considered in a holistic approach to fully achieve decarbonised transition pathways. Building further on these principles, the extent to which the Member States of the European Union are ready for the transition to a smart building stock is assessed and evaluated.

The purpose of this paper is to inspire policy-makers of how to foster the potential of buildings as “all-in-one” entities that could benefit the energy system and empower the end-users.