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Newsletter Issue 3/2013

 

May 2013  

 

REHVA Community News

11thREHVA World Congress & the 8th International Conference on IAQVEC - Prague, Czech Republic, on June 16 – 19, 2013

 

 

The CLIMA 2013 – 11th REHVA world congress is in full swing.  Together with 25 high quality REHVA workshops for professionals and ASHRAE intensive courses held just before the congress. CLIMA 2013 is aiming to be the greatest professional meeting in the field of “Energy efficient, smart and healthy buildings” this year.

Besides the high valuated scientific meeting, you will be able to explore also the "Jewel in the Crown" of Central Europe! Many social events and sightseeing tours have been organised.

Join us at the Congress Farewell Party on June 18, 2013 at the Municipal House - the  European pearl of Art Nouveau where you will have fantastic opportunity to dance in its representative halls which will be exclusively opened for this evening – see congress web pages www.clima2013.org. During this evening, you will also have the opportunity to make your own photo in the period photo studio.

The Prague Municipal House also offers during your stay in Prague two very unique exhibitions.  Alfons Mucha´s art nouveau period posters  and  exhibition of the world-famous fashion designer, Blanka Matragi. Tickets are available directly at the cash desk of the Municipal House.

 

The REHVA workshops will take place parallel to other sessions at CLIMA 2013 congress. Each workshop will focus on a specific question(s). The results will be presented to the Conference participants in a summary report that will be sent to all participants after the conference. More information on the workshops and the programme are available online.

 

As CLIMA 2013 platinum partner, TA Hydronics will offer a high level technical seminar on how HVAC systems can provide major and immediate savings, sharing their well-established experience in the HVAC industry & Hydronics systems. For more information about TA Hydronics, please visit www.tahydronics.com.

Wishing you many successful experience and fun during the CLIMA 2013!

REHVA Journal 2013 issues

The June issue of the REHVA Journal (3/2013) will be a special issue on Active House Alliance - The editor of this issue is Olli Seppänen – oseppanen@rehva.eu.

The August issue of the REHVA Journal (4/2013) will focus on Energy efficient ventilation and indoor environment - The editor of this issue is Olli Seppänen – oseppanen@rehva.eu.

The October issue of the REHVA Journal (5/2013) will focus on Heat pump applications and renewables energie - The editor of this issue is Olli Seppänen – oseppanen@rehva.eu.


EU Policy News

 
NEW in Eco-design

According to Article 16(1) of the Eco-design Directive, the Commission adopted in December 2012 a Working Plan for the period 2012-2014, setting out an indicative list of energy-using products which will be considered in priority for the adoption of implementing measures. The full text can be downloaded here

                     Window products

                     Steam boilers ( < 50MW)

                     Power cables

                     Enterprises' servers, data storage and ancillary equipment

                     Smart appliances/meters

                     Wine storage appliances (c.f. Ecodesign regulation 643/2009)

                     Water-related products

Wine storage appliances have been added to the priority list, as there is a legal obligation under Ecodesign regulation 643/20099 to assess the need to adopt ecodesign requirements for this product group. It has been estimated that the combined energy savings potential of the priority product groups covered by this working plan would amount to just under 3000 PJ per year by 2030. The list of conditional product groups, where launching a preparatory study is dependent on the outcome of ongoing regulatory processes and/or reviews, comprises the following groups:

                     Positive displacement pumps

                     Fractional horse power motors under 200W

                     Heating controls

                     Lighting controls/systems

                     Thermal insulation products for buildings

The Commission has also published its report on the revision of the Eco-design Directive. The main conclusion is that there is not an immediate need to review the Directive and that the scope needs no extension to non-energy-related products.


European Parliament’s Report on the Energy Roadmap 2050

The European Parliament’s Report on the Energy Roadmap 2050, adopted in the ITRE (Industry, Research and Energy) Committee in January, echoes the call already voiced in the EU Roadmap for a low-carbon economy in 2050 as well as in the Energy Efficiency Directive, to urgently address the energy efficient renovation of Europe’s buildings. The Parliament’s Report also calls on the Member States to fully implement the recently adopted Energy Efficiency Directive, and to adopt ambitious long-term building renovation strategies accordingly. Download the EP’s Energy Roadmap 2050 from the EP website.


European Commission report on financial support for energy efficiency in buildings

The Commission has published a report on financial support for energy efficiency in buildings stressing that the EU needs to improve the financial support in this sector if it wants to meet its 2020 and 2050 targets. To this end more financing should be made available and key barriers such as a lack of awareness and expertise regarding financing, relatively high initial costs and perceived credit risk associated with investments must be removed. Member States are in the driver seat for ensuring that more cost-effective investments in building renovation take place. To achieve this, close cooperation between public authorities, finance providers and the building sector is essential, as is the engagement of building owners themselves. The Commission estimates that the European building stock alone has a cost-effective energy savings potential of 65 Mtoe. In monetary terms, this translates to an investment requirement of around €60 billion per year. The report will constitute the basis for a discussion at the Informal Energy Council on 22 April. The full report is available here.


Commission has declared 2013 the year of air
 

The European Commission is adopting a new strategy and has declared 2013 as the year of air, with new proposals on improving air quality across Europe. The plan is to highlight the importance of clean air for all and to focus on actions to improve air quality across the EU. Already the European Commission has formed collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe. They will review the latest health science on major air pollutants such as particulate matter, ground-level ozone, and nitrogen dioxide. Their findings will be presented at an event this month titled "Understanding the health effects of air pollution: recent advances to inform EU policies".


Energy Efficiency in Buildings: the Commission asks SLOVENIA and SPAIN to adopt national measures on energy efficiency in buildings

DG Energy informs in its latest newsletter that the Commission sent Reasoned Opinions to Slovenia and Spain asking them to notify to the Commission their implementation measures for the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. Directive 2010/31/EU had to be transposed into national law by 9 July 2012. If the two Member States do not comply with their legal obligation within two months, the Commission may decide to refer them to the Court of Justice.

In September 2012 the Commission started infringement procedures against 24 Member States that had not notified to the Commission the national measures transposing the Directive into national law. In the meantime most Member States notified the Commission of their national transposition, although Italy, Greece, Portugal, and Bulgaria did not and reasoned opinions were therefore sent to those countries in January 2013.


EU Project News

REHVA EU Projects showcased at CLIMA 2013 - 17 June 2013, Prague

3 international projects with REHVA participation will be highlighted in dedicated workshops during CLIMA 2013 in Prague. The workshops deal with 3 interesting topics: Special HVAC Solutions for the Refurbishment of Historic Buildings (3ENCULT), Practical Benchmarking of HVAC Systems Energy Efficiency in Use (iSERV), Cross-disciplinary Education on NZEB (IDES-EDU). Consortium leaders and partners including REHVA members will introduce the project outcomes and invite interested participants to an open discussion about the exploitation of the results. More information


 
NEZEH - NEW EU project launched

A new project with REHVA participation was launched in May 2013. The Nearly zero energy hotels – NEZEH project is supported by the Intelligent Energy Europe Programme and aims at helping hotels to prepare and launch refurbishment projects to become nearly zero energy buildings. REHVA contributes to the project with its expertise related to nZEB, the national implementation of EPBD, as well as the analysis and ranking of existing case studies and technologies leading to high energy performance of hotels.


iSERV -Inspection of HVAC Systems thorugh continuous benchmarking

iSERVcmb helps building owners and system operators to understand the performance of HVAC systems through continuous monitoring, which leads to energy savings. iSERV is seeking HVAC systems to monitor in order to better understand the end–use energy consumptions we should expect to see in our buildings.

Participants can achieve significant energy savings in their buildings - to date reductions of around 25% of total electricity use have been achieved with little investment. The iSERVcmb project is about showing the practical operation/benefits of an automatic monitoring system according to the recast EPBD. Interested organisations are invited to complete a very short survey to see if their buildings and systems are suitable for the project.


3ENCULT - Solutions & tools for conservation compatible energy retrofit of historic buildings

3ENCULT develops energy efficient retrofit solutions and tools for historic buildings by including all stakeholders in the design process of the energy retrofit investment. This base principal is also reflected in the consortium of the multidisciplinary project that has gathered together scientists from the field of architecture, conservation, building physics and other specific technologies. The multidisciplinary exchange begins with a comprehensive diagnosis, supports the design process, and continues to the implementation of an integrated monitoring & control system. It looks at all the components of a building; identifying solutions which best fit a specific building.

3ENCULT demonstrates that reduction of energy demand up to factor 4 or even factor 10 is achievable in historic buildings meanwhile respecting their heritage value. One year before the end of the project, several prototypes have already been prepared – from a conservation compatible phA window with enhanced internal insulation, to optimised LED lighting solutions, to low impact ventilation – as well as application and solution guidelines, and diagnosis and planning tools.

At CLIMA 2013 a workshop will be dedicated to 3ENCULT highlighting the HVAC related outcomes of the project. The project consortium invites professionals interested in the refurbishment of cultural heritage buildings to discuss the developed solutions and their further deployment.


IDES-EDU project completed - Cross-disciplinary Education on NZEB

The need for skills and knowledge that exceed the requirements of the EPBD has increased significantly over the past years in Europe mainly as a result of the adoption of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive and the 20-20-20 targets set by the EU.  In the IDES-EDU project 15 European universities have been working together to fulfill this need through the development of curricula and training programs on Integrated Sustainable Energy Design for MSc students and Professionals. Architects and specialists like mechanical, civil, HVAC engineers and energy experts that graduate from an IDES-EDU course will be capable of working with the integrated design process and in cross-disciplinary teams, and as a result deliver optimum performing buildings.

The completion of the IDES-EDU project in June 2013 is marked with a workshop on “Cross-disciplinary Education on NZEB” at the CLIMA 2013 conference on 17 June 2013 in Prague. Interested participants are welcome to share ideas on the further adaptation of the training material within REHVA.


HealthVent project completed

The HealthVent – Health-based ventilation guidelines for Europe - project was completed in March 2013. A multidisciplinary group of experts joined the project team from the fields of medical sciences, engineering, indoor-air sciences, risk assessment and ventilation practices as well as patient groups. The project consortium developed guidelines for setting health-based ventilation for  public and residential buildings in Europe, and discussed the consequences of implementing the guidelines for health.

REHVA contributed to the project among others with the elaboration of a Report on Existing buildings, building codes, ventilation standards and ventilation in Europe available in the REHVA website.


Upcoming HVAC Events

Green Week Conference 2013

4-7 June 2013, Brussels

The 2013 edition of Green Week, the biggest annual conference on European environment policy, will take place from 4 to 7 June at a new venue, The Egg Conference Centre in Brussels. This year's theme is Air quality. For more information and registration please visit the event website.


Sustainable Energy Week 2013

24-28June 2013, Brussels

The next edition of the European Union Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) will take place from 24 to 28 June 2013. EUSEW is an EC initiative that first took place in 2006 with hundreds of organisations and individuals participating each year. For more information and registration please visit the EUSEW website.


Aqua-Therm Almaty
3 – 6 September 2013, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Welcome to the 5th Kazakhstan Anniversary International Exhibition for Heating, Ventilation Air-Conditioning, Water Supply, Sanitary, Environmental Technology and Swimming Pool. Please visit the exhibition website


34th AIVC- 3rdTightVent- 2nd Cool Roofs’ - 1st venticool joint conference on Energy conservation technologies for mitigation and adaptation in the built environment: the role of ventilation strategies and smart materials.
25-26 September 2013, Athens, Greece

For more information and registration please visit the event website.


CLIMAMED - Mediterranean Congress of Air Conditioning
3-4 October 2013, Istanbul, Turkey
For more information, please visit the website


IAQ 2013 Conference
15-18 October 2013, Vancouver, Canada
More information


Aqua-Therm Baku
23 – 26 October 2013, Baku, Kazakhstan
Aqua-Therm Baku is becoming more and more popular amongst HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) professionals. More information 

For more HVAC events, please check the REHVA Events Calendar on www.rehva.eu and also www.buildup.eu.

 

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