Renewable ENergy-based Positive Homes

Buildings are responsible for around 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO2 emissions in the EU, and 84% of their demand is still generated by fossil fuels. With the Green Deal, the EU signed its commitment to become the first continent to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. Given the high relevance of the building sector for emissions reduction, the concept of PEBs is gaining increasing attention. Besides, construction and demolition waste accounts for 35% of EU waste.

REN+HOMES tackle the sustainable transition not only by reducing carbon emissions, but also resource scarcity, energy poverty and focusing on education/participation of stakeholders.

REN+HOMES i) develops a set of 23 solution: 9 hardware (industrialized panel with recycled materials, pre-fabricated BIPV insulated façade, wireless IoT device, end user platform and BMS, LPWAN connectivity, geothermal walls, BIPV/BAPV with repurposed cells, H2 storage), 7 software (BDEA, INTEMA, VERIFY-B, GRT, TCQi, RCS, CBEO) and 7 Circular Plus Energy Homes (CPEH) methodologies (for AU, ES, EE, RO, EL, FR and a universal one), ii) tests and implements them in 4 large-scale demonstrators (19.843 m2 - 2 renovation and 2 new construction sites) in AU, ES, EE and RO and iii) develpes business models combining cost-effective deep-retrofitting, demand response and energy communities.

REN+HOMES i) provide excess energy to the grid or to neighboring buildings (195MWh/yr), ii) develop and install building technologies from >50% recycled materials, iii) uses products with >60% recyclability rates, iv) adopt co-design for increasing awareness and satisfaction (>70 residents per demo) and v) make use of international support to overcome legislative barrier, for the streamlining of positive energy homes, with a focus on resource scarcity and recyclability. REN+HOMES approach will lead >50M m2 of floor area renovated to CPEH standards, corresponding to 1.56 MtCO2-eq saved and 39.226 tons of recycled materials by 2050.