Partners from the RIEEB sub-project met in Ronneby and Växjö in the south of Sweden at the end of September. The sub-project is all about validating energy calculations so that we will actually live up to the higher aims of reducing energy consumption and green house gases.

Two days were spent discussing outputs, results, what to do, what has been done and what has not been done. All this was done under the strict supervision of project manager Stefan Vetter from SAENA in Dresden.

There were also ample opportunities for study visits e.g. Portvakten in Växjö which is Sweden’s first apartment building constructed in wood and with passive house-technique.

The study visits, presentations and discussions gave the group the chance to exchange information and experiences. One experience gained was that we have to work to explain the different models we use to measure energy performance. Sylvaine Corbin from CAUE 74 Haute-Savoie in France presented some preliminary results e.g. that energy calculations are often based on the wrong hypothesis, which encourages underestimation of the actual heating temperatures. For instance, energy consumption is calculated based on a temperature of 19°C in offices, although actual temperature in this kind of room is often at least 21-22°C. This often generates a large difference between theoretical results and real-life results. There is also limited feedback to design firms so that they adjusted the design within their next project.

These were only some of the topics we discussed. The next step is to continue evaluations of selected buildings and perform thermo-vision analysis during the winter season.