On the road with energy-efficient buildings
Responsible for 40 % of the EU’s total energy consumption, Europe’s building stock is the Continent’s single largest energy user. It’s also a major roadblock to Europe being able to achieve its ambitious climate goals. “The path to climate neutrality starts with energy-efficient buildings,” says Dragomir Tzanev, executive director at EnEffect, a Bulgarian think tank on the efficient use of energy resources. Addressing this challenge are policy initiatives such as the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, which mandates that, as of 2021, all new buildings be nearly zero-energy buildings (NZEBs), and the renovation wave strategy, which aims to double the annual energy renovation rates of existing buildings over the course of the next decade. While these policy initiatives would put a substantial dent in the building stock’s total energy footprint, their success is heavily dependent on there being demand for such energy-efficient buildings and renovations, as well as for trained and qualified professionals to carry out these projects. For The nZEB Roadshow, an EU-funded project, the best way to stimulate such demand is to go straight to the end users: the homeowners. So, they packed up their relevant training materials, tools, equipment and demonstrators and hit the road.
Raising awareness about energy-efficient buildings
With the goal of showcasing the benefits of green and sustainable buildings, the project took its message across Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Italy and Romania. “We built mobile training and demo units designed to raise awareness about the benefits of NZEBs and to get homeowners, building professionals and other stakeholders interested and talking about energy-efficient buildings,” explains Tzanev, who served as the project coordinator. The project organised a wide range of events, including conferences, product exhibitions, training for professionals and information sessions for homeowners. There were also press conferences, events with policymakers, events for kids and school visits. “We did all kinds of crazy and fun activities, all of which aimed to educate and raise awareness about the importance of energy efficiency and how it saves both money and the environment,” adds Tzanev.
Fun for the entire family
The project even held energy efficiency festivals for the entire family. For example, in Croatia, the ‘MUZA’ demo truck has already visited 14 different cities, where it set up shop at popular locations. Families could go from tent to tent and participate in different hands-on activities, including games and contests, and learn about the benefits of energy efficiency – all while having fun. “What really made this event unique is that, while the entire exhibition was dedicated to NZEB, there was something for everyone – professionals, politicians, suppliers, homeowners and, most importantly, young people,” notes Tzanev. The Croatia roadshow was such a success, it received the National Geographic Award for best educational initiative. MUZA is now permanently hosted at the Nikola Tesla Technical Museum in Zagreb.
Connecting homeowners with building professionals
In total, the project organised over 30 public events, which attracted tens of thousands of visitors. It also successfully trained more than 4 000 building professionals in energy-efficient construction and renovation. “We helped connect homeowners who were excited about energy efficiency following one of our events with these newly trained professionals – showing how education and awareness raising can go a long way in terms of stimulating demand,” concludes Tzanev. The project is currently working with cities and authorities from across Europe – and beyond – to help them implement similar energy efficiency roadshows in their own countries and regions.
Keywords
The nZEB Roadshow, energy efficiency, energy, building stock, energy-efficient buildings, sustainable buildings, Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, renovation wave, nearly zero-energy building, NZEB, building professionals
