News
U-CERT & X-tendo final conference
Wednesday 20 July 2022
The 2022 Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) physical event of the year, funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 program and organized by BPIE & REHVA, took place on July 6th in Brussels. The event aimed to showcase the achievements and results of the X-tendo and U-CERT projects, along with other nine projects forming the Next Gen EPCs cluster. These projects have been working towards advancing the field of next-generation building performance assessment and certification since 2019.
The event commenced with a welcome and introduction from Sonja van Renssen, Editor-in-Chief of Energy Monitor, followed by Iná Maia, PhD Candidate at TU Wien, and Peter op 't Veld, Senior Consultant at Huygen, who provided an overview of the X-tendo and U-CERT projects, respectively. The significance of energy performance certificates within the current EU policy framework was discussed by Pau Garcia Audi, Policy Officer at DG ENER, European Commission, and Heike Leberle, Advisor on Energy Policy, Greens/EFA Group, European Parliament. Ulrike Nuscheler, Senior Project Adviser at CINEA, European Commission, highlighted the role of energy performance certificates in EU projects and upcoming initiatives.
A panel discussion on "Enhancing EPC schemes on both EU and national levels" featured esteemed speakers, including Rui Fragoso, Head of Projects Department at ADENE, Jaap Hogeling, EPB Expert and Initiator at EPB Center, Adrian Joyce, Secretary General at EuroACE, and representatives from European Commission and European Parliament. The session provided insights into the future direction and improvements needed for EPC schemes.
The second session focused on next-generation Energy Performance Certificates and explored various aspects through poster sessions. Topics included comfort and indoor environmental quality, real energy consumption, converged building performance assessment methodology and data handling.
The sister projects of the Next Gen EPCs cluster were introduced by Andrei Vladimir Litiu, Building Performance Adviser at REHVA. A panel discussion with representatives from the Next Gen EPCs cluster delved into the opportunities, necessities, and restrictions for extending EPC indicators. Participants included Stefan Thomas, Director at Wuppertal Institute, Sheikh Zuhaib, Project Manager at BPIE, Andrei Vladimir Litiu, Building Performance Adviser at REHVA, and representatives from other projects within the cluster. The discussion provided valuable insights into the future development of EPCs and their indicators.
The event concluded with Lukas Kranzl, Senior Scientist at TU Wien, and Peter op 't Veld, Senior Consultant at Huygen, summarizing the key takeaways and conclusions. Attendees had the opportunity to network and engage further during the networking cocktail.
Overall, the event served as a platform to showcase the achievements of the X-tendo and U-CERT projects and the broader Next Gen EPCs cluster. The discussions and presentations contributed to the understanding and advancement of next-generation Energy Performance Certificates, aligning with the EU's long-term vision for a digitally transformed and smart European building stock by 2050, implying healthy, safe, efficient, flexible and sustainable (zero-emission) buildings for the people and businesses alike.