Renovating Historic Buildings Towards Zero Energy

Historic buildings make up a considerable part of our building stock (one fourth for Europe). They are the trademark of numerous cities, and they will only survive if maintained as a living space. This means, that in order to save this heritage for future generations, we need to find conservation compatible energy retrofit approaches and solutions, which allow to preserve the historic and aesthetic values while increasing comfort, lowering energy bills and minimizing environmental impact.

In the last 10 years a shift in paradigm could be observed: While in times of the first EPBD, a strong opposition from conservators and architects could be observed – “don’t touch these buildings” – there is growing a new openness, a much more constructive approach – “let’s find the right solutions together”. Examples for this development are last but not least the installation of the International Scientific Committee on Energy and Sustainability within ICOMOS and the development of “Guidelines for improving the energy performance of historic buildings” (EN16883, now under final vote) by the CEN TC 346 on Conservation of Cultural Heritage.

Now is an important moment to identify and promote good approaches and solutions.

Task Information

DURATION
September 2017 — February 2021

OPERATING AGENT
Dr. Alexandra Troi
ITALY
+39 0471 055 602 fax: +39 0471 055 699
alexandra.troi@eurac.edu

COLLABORATION

This is collaborative work with IEA EBC and is referred to as EBC Annex 76

What's New

Publication: Impact of climate change on indoor environment of historic libraries in Mediterranean climate zone - NZEB Project Partners at the Izmir Institute of Technology have recently had an article published in the International Journal of Global Warming. It describes analysis of conditions in an historic library and how that might change with future climate change trends, and measures by which conservation conditions are maintained. (Posted: 2019-08-14)
Appropriate refurbishment of traditional buildings - Historic Environment Scotland have agreed a partnership with the UK Government’s Energy Saving Trust (EST) in Edinburgh to assist in the dissemination of information about appropriate refurbishment of traditional buildings. The EST are sponsored by government to deliver advice on energy efficiency and renewable options for homeowners in Scotland. This initiative will be a programme of education for the EST energy advisors who interact with the public, as well as a series of outreach events around Scotland for Architects, Building Professionals and Homeowners. We will also be working with the EST in developing their online building assessment tool for use with older buildings. (Posted: 2019-08-09)
Collaboration on advising landowners and farms on energy efficient upgrades to traditional rural cottages in Scotland - Historic Environment Scotland are working with Scottish Land and Estates (SLE) to advise landowners and farms on how to upgrade traditional rural cottages in Scotland. Often such buildings are remote, have no access to gas, and achieve poor assessment ratings, due to low insulation levels and restricted fuel types. However, on the positive side, there is often access to biomass and there are many opportunities for solar and wind power. HES will be delivering a series of outreach events in Scotland to farmers and contributing to a special edition of the magazine featuring upgrade options for older cottages. (Posted: 2019-08-09)