VELUX Commercial’s Post

Last week the RePUP consortium (DTU Sustain, DTU Compute, CLIMIFY, Danfoss, VELUX, Høje-Taastrup Kommune, Panasonic, Center Denmark, ENFOR A/S) spent the day together to present and discuss progress on all the activities in the project. And there was a lot to talk about….. Monitoring and control are ongoing in a school and living labs at DTU, and five homes and a daycare centre will follow very soon with installation of heat pumps and innovative ventilation systems. Algorithms for fault detection and model predictive control have been selected, and a framework to include building users in the control of the indoor environment finalized. A dynamic comfort model that integrates information occupant perceptions with environmental data, energy use, electricity price, and weather forecast is in the pipeline. The coming year will be super exciting when results will continue to roll in. Stay tuned for updates on project findings. Davide Calì, Jørn Toftum, Rune Korsholm Andersen, Mariya Bivolarova, Marin H., Shahab Tohidi, Georgi Pavlov, Angela Simone,Marcus Brodersen, Marie-Louise Krogh, Marie-Louise Lemgart, Peder Bacher, Kristine Garde, Lone Najbjerg Andersen, Matthias Van Hove, Per Banke, Ricardo Forgiarini Rupp, Thomas V.

🏠✨ Last week, we had the honor of welcoming Sibylle Braungardt, Head of the Heating & Efficiency subdivision and Senior Researcher at the Oeko-Institut e.V. Freiburg, and Andreas Wagner, Vice Dean Research at KIT’s Faculty of Architecture, to the Energy Smart Home Lab! Guided by Leandra Scharnhorst from IIP, the tour sparked engaging discussions around social aspects of energy use in smart homes. The insightful exchange highlighted the powerful role of political context in energy choices, an intriguing avenue for future research, to consider how global events shape household decisions on energy savings or energy carrier switches. At the Energy Smart Home Lab, we’ve tested how far tenants are willing to adjust their comfort levels, including lowering heating set points during the energy crisis in the winter months of 2022-2023 – revealing valuable findings on adaptive energy behaviors. 📊🔍 See our publication here: https://lnkd.in/edDpr2p6 A big thank you to Dr. Braungardt and Prof. Wagner for their visit, their insights, and an inspiring discussion on how smart homes and informed choices can drive sustainable change. 🌍✨   #EnergySmartHomeLab #SmartHomeResearch #SustainableLiving #KIT #EnergyCrisisResponse #SocioEmpiricalResearch #AdaptiveEnergy

Wind and solar integration in urban building construction is currently limited in Africa, but it presents a promising future for Nigeria in the near future. As the country continues to grow and urbanize, there is a growing need for sustainable and renewable energy sources to power buildings and communities. Integrating wind and solar energy into urban building construction can help reduce reliance on fossil fuels, decrease carbon emissions, and promote energy efficiency.

We are excited to announce the recent publication of two articles in the magazine "Euroheat & Power International" on the optimal design of District Heating Networks (DHNs). 📰🔍 1️⃣ Our first article, "Optimal Extension Planning of District Heating Networks by Phased Investment", presents the work of our former master’s student Mathieu Peeters (issue I/2024). He extended our design optimization tool for DHNs, #PATHOPT, to automatically assess how phased investments can reduce the upfront investment costs of DHNs networks and give planners more flexibility. 🏗️💡 The attached figure shows, for a case study in Belgium, how DHN topologies differ when a) the whole network is built at once (greenfield), when b) the network is built in two phases and PATHOPT optimally considers the extension already when building the first part of the network (optimal extension), and when c) the network is built in two phases but the extension is not considered in the first part of the network (enforced extension). It can be seen that in the optimal expansion design, a part of the backbone connecting the consumers of the second phase is already built in the first phase. 2️⃣ The second article, "Digital Solutions for Future Proof District Heating Design", highlights the value of automated, physics-based, and scalable design tools for DHN design, such as PATHOPT (issue IV/2023). It allows designers to accurately and quickly assess costs of potential DHNs, while ensuring the feasibility of the proposed design to meet demand and comply with pressure limits. 💰💡 A big thank you to all the great contributors: Mathieu Peeters, Martin Sollich, Robbe Salenbien, Yannick Wack, Tine Baelmans and Maarten Blommaert. Read more about our research and exciting developments in district heating design in EUROHEAT&POWER international https://lnkd.in/endrTyhq (behind paywall)! And stay tuned for more groundbreaking work from our research group!🚀 #DistrictHeating #OptimalDesign 

For St. Charles Community College's new Regional Workforce Innovation Center, JEMA designed a sustainable building mechanical system utilizing ancient thermodynamic principles. #JEMA #ProjectUpdate #Sustainability https://lnkd.in/gZSeGsB2

Get ready for the next level of PV system..... Innovation is key.

Did you know the R-value measures how well a material resists heat flow?  The higher the R-value, the better the insulation, which means less energy is needed to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures. At Ontario Tech University, buildings are equipped with high R-values—30 for roofs, 24 for walls, and nine for windows—ensuring heat retention and energy efficiency during winter. By using advanced materials and high-performance window glazing, the university reduces energy consumption, lowers costs, and moves closer to its net-zero energy goals, all while maintaining a sustainable, energy-efficient campus.  #EnergyEfficiency #GreenBuildings #CleanEnergy   

🏗 Did you know that every square meter of a constructed home contributes approximately 600 to 1400 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent (kgCO2e)? 🛣 This figure doesn't even account for the additional carbon cost associated with car parking spaces, road infrastructure, and water and utility systems required to support these dwellings. As part of the #RECUGI initiative, IGBC and UCD are developing the PLACE tool to assist planners, policymakers, developers, green finance providers, and building design professionals by offering pre-planning and planning, liveability, and carbon quantification insights. The PLACE tool aims to facilitate the evaluation of potential sites and the development of low-carbon projects. Read more ➡ https://lnkd.in/dnDiks2c

Grateful for the opportunity to work on an energy efficiency review of Roebuck Hall, the place I call home at University College Dublin . Analyzing the energy consumption of my own building gave me a unique perspective on how sustainability can be woven into our daily lives. Through this project, I estimated that Roebuck Hall consumes around 150,000 kWh/year, with features like solar water heating, energy-efficient lighting, and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery playing a significant role in keeping energy use low. I also proposed upgrades like smart energy management systems and solar PV panels, which could further cut the carbon footprint while providing long-term savings. This assignment helped me sharpen my skills in #dataanalysis, #energymodeling, and #strategicproposaldevelopment while deepening my understanding of sustainable building design. It also got me thinking: how can universities and workplaces do more to integrate sustainability into their practices? Projects like this not only contribute to climate solutions but also give students practical skills and real-world impact. What are your thoughts on creating more opportunities for students to live and work sustainably? Tagging University College Dublin —a campus already paving the way toward a greener future! 🌍 #EnergyEfficiency #SustainabilityGoals #ClimateAction #GreenCampus #FutureIsGreen #UCDLife