In the autumn of 2013, the Ministry of the Environment, the Confederation of Finnish Construction Industries (RT) and the Finnish Association of Mechanical Building Services Industries started the FInZEB project with the aim of defining the mutual view of the Finnish construction industry regarding nearly zero-energy buildings required by the EU. In addition, the aim has been to define the level of national energy efficiency requirements for different building types. Granlund Oy has been the main consultant in the project that is now in the home stretch as the results will be ready in February 2015.
Calculation results available on the website
“We have made calculations to find technical, functional and cost-wise optimal solutions that can be used as reference material and the starting point when defining the national nZEB requirements. We have compiled base material and pilot site data and made the necessary energy and condition calculations,” says Granlund’s Senior Energy Consultant Erja Reinikainen. The project has examined eight different building types and several example buildings of each type have been simulated.
Granlund’s energy and environmental department’s simulation expertise has been extensively utilized in the calculations. The current energy rating calculation rules have also been challenged, for example, by compiling information about water consumption and electricity consumed by equipment in new buildings. The project has emphasized openness and thus the calculation results as well as primary data and energy calculation files have been published on the project website.
The property and construction industries have been actively involved in FInZEB and the thoughts of different parties have been heard in four workshops and several other meetings. The project has accumulated plenty of information and opinions regarding technical solutions, building practices and cost impacts as well as user experiences from low and zero-energy buildings.
Energy infrastructure must be ready
The future nZEB requirement is directed at properties, but the technical implementation requires that the energy infrastructure around the property is ready for the changes brought along by renewable energy and this concerns both the technology and business models. Granlund’s review examined the changes that the nZEB regulations may cause in the energy production chains on a wider level than just within a property.
“For Granlund specialists the FInZEB project has not only offered diverse consultancy duties but also a unique opportunity to witness at first hand the changes that concern the construction industry extensively,” Reinikainen explains.
Further information:
Erja Reinikainen
Senior Energy Consultant, Granlund Oy
Tel. +358 (0)10 7592 311
firstname.lastname@granlund.fi
