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A District Approach to Building Renovation for the Integral Energy Redevelopment of Existing Residential Areas

Author

Listed:
  • Mira Conci

    (Institute for Structural Mechanics and Design, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt 64287, Germany)

  • Jens Schneider

    (Institute for Structural Mechanics and Design, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Darmstadt 64287, Germany)

Abstract

Building energy renovation quotas are not currently being met due to unfavorable conditions such as complex building regulations, limited investment incentives, historical preservation priorities, and technical limitations. The traditional strategy has been to incrementally lower the energy consumption of the building stock, instead of raising the efficiency of the energy supply through a broader use of renewable sources. This strategy requires an integral redefinition of the approach to energy building renovations. The joint project SWIVT elaborates on a district redevelopment strategy that combines a reduction in the energy demand of existing buildings and their physical interconnection within a local micro-grid and heating network. The district is equipped with energy generation and distribution technologies as well as hybrid thermal and electrical energy storage systems, steered by an optimizing energy management controller. This strategy is explored through three scenarios designed for an existing residential area in Darmstadt, Germany, and benchmarked against measured data. Presented findings show that a total primary energy balance at least 30% lower than that of a standard building renovation can be achieved by a cluster of buildings with different thermal qualities and connected energy generation, conversion, and storage systems, with only minimal physical intervention to existing buildings.

Suggested Citation

  • Mira Conci & Jens Schneider, 2017. "A District Approach to Building Renovation for the Integral Energy Redevelopment of Existing Residential Areas," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-12, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:9:y:2017:i:5:p:747-:d:97536
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Francesco Causone & Rossano Scoccia & Martina Pelle & Paola Colombo & Mario Motta & Sibilla Ferroni, 2021. "Neighborhood Energy Modeling and Monitoring: A Case Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-19, June.
    2. Olatz Nicolas & Patricia Molina-Costa, 2021. "Demand Aggregation as a Strategy for Untapping Buildings’ Energy Renovation Potential: Diagnosis and Prioritization Methodology and Case Study from the Basque Country," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-28, December.
    3. Bertug Ozarisoy & Hasim Altan, 2017. "Adoption of Energy Design Strategies for Retrofitting Mass Housing Estates in Northern Cyprus," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-23, August.
    4. Han Vandevyvere & Dirk Ahlers & Annemie Wyckmans, 2022. "The Sense and Non-Sense of PEDs—Feeding Back Practical Experiences of Positive Energy District Demonstrators into the European PED Framework Definition Development Process," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-16, June.
    5. Thomas Märzinger & Doris Österreicher, 2020. "Extending the Application of the Smart Readiness Indicator—A Methodology for the Quantitative Assessment of the Load Shifting Potential of Smart Districts," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-24, July.

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