ECO-Life Site Høje-Taastrup
The ECO-Life community Høje-Taastrup is located in the western area of the municipality and includes the suburbs of Hedehusene, Fløng and Gammelsø. There is a population of 12 000, which is expected to increase due to further development in the area.
The demonstration site showcases 23 refurbished buildings with a total gross floor area of 19 494 m² and 5 new buildings with a floor area of 9917 m². The integration work included 10 heat pumps, 3 solar thermal systems and 16 photovoltaic systems as part of the refurbishment and construction activities. In addition, 10 energy systems ranging from charging ports for electric vehicles to electricity generation via wind turbines were installed.
*The KPIs for the new buildings are compared with the baseline of a reference building.
As a result of the energy efficiency, the total final energy consumption for the new buildings is estimated to be reduced by 609 MWh/yr when compared with the reference building. In the case of the refurbished buildings, the savings of final energy are estimated to be 1857 MWh/yr.
This makes a total 2466 MWh/yr of final energy savings, taking into account the renovation of the old buildings and the construction of the new ones, which corresponds to 48 % of final energy savings.
According to the primary energy and CO2 factors provided by the project, the primary energy savings rise to 4295 MWh/yr, which is 45 % of the primary energy use in the reference situation. The total amount of primary energy savings from the Energy systems integration is 8480 MWh/yr. In total, 12 775 MWh/yr (56 %) of primary energy are saved in Høje-Taastrup.
The refurbishment measures and high-performance new buildings yielded a CO2 savings for electricity and thermal energy of 806 tonnes per year (67 %). The total CO2 savings due to the integration of energy systems are 1101 tonnes per year. Overall there is a saving of 1907 tonnes per year (82 %) of CO2 emissions following the interventions.
Social
Country |
Encountered barriers |
Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark |
It is difficult and time-consuming to persuade homeowners to carry out energy refurbishment. |
Homeowners who at first were hesitant to be part of the change could be persuaded through competent guidance on a one-to-one basis from a trustworthy person. This person (e.g. from the municipality) can highlight the added values like the increased market value of a house and the improved comfort as an added value of the energy savings. In terms of social impact these interactions serve as groundwork for future engagement with the general public on measures connected with energy efficiency and environmental protection. |
| Denmark |
User awareness and communication with tenants regarding the refurbishment was a challenge. |
This was overcome by highlighting the added value of the interventions. |
Challenges
Country |
Description |
|---|---|
| Denmark |
For low-energy buildings and houses that underwent extensive renovation, users’ habits can influence the final energy consumption negatively. Inhabitants believe that the energy costs are lower in comparison to a normal renovated building, so they don’t pay attention to good housekeeping (e.g. venting through open windows and maintaining a higher room temperature). |
The measures in Høje-Taastrup, realised as part of the ECO-Life project, featured:
Energy efficiency in buildings
- Retrofitting the building envelope
- High-performance new buildings
- Building services (HVAC and lighting)
- Building integrated renewable sources
- Heat pumps
Energy systems integration
- Photovoltaics
- Wind turbine
- Thermal collectors
The total investment costs for interventions in Høje-Taastrup according to the SCIS calculations are EUR 52 million. This includes costs for new buildings, building refurbishment, building integrated renewable energy systems and Energy systems integrations. The total energy cost savings are EUR 511 700/yr (32 %).
According to the project’s reported information, the payback period is 4 years for the total Energy systems integration and the building’s integrated renewable energy systems, and 14 years for the new and refurbished buildings.
An important aspect of the ECO-Life project is the Gammelsø area of the Concerto community, which is a mixture of green field, old industrial and building area to be transformed to a sustainable CO2 neutral community. The area will be a prototype for sustainable town development, rehabilitation and transformation hosting several experimental solutions. The ECO-Life community areas of Fløng and Hedehusene are characterised by existing buildings, dwellings and single-family houses mostly built since the 1960s. The energy efficiency of the houses to be refurbished will be improved by about 50%. The buildings on the sites owned by the municipality will be developed for low-energy standard and some of them will be passive houses and even plus-energy houses.
The main energy-efficiency solutions applied in the Vision Area will be tested and adjusted prior to application to ensure that they are user-friendly and effective. This will be done in the nearby Energy Flex House at the Danish Technological Institute, which is a facility for the development, testing and demonstration of integrated innovative energy solutions for the built environment, i.e. solutions where the interaction of buildings, installations, users and overall energy system are crucial for the adaptation, usage and actual performance of otherwise well-documented single technologies.
- Estimated population involved: 12,000
- Approx. geographical area coverage: 7,800 ha
- Approx. energy saving: 50 %
- Approximate energy from RES: 100 %