SUREFIT – ” Sustainable solutions for affordable retrofit of domestic buildings”

In an increasingly sustainability-conscious world, Europe is leading the charge towards a greener future with innovative projects like SUREFIT. This European project, which might sound like science fiction, is focused on making our buildings more efficient and sustainable, and it could have a profound impact on how we live and work in the future.

What is SUREFIT?

In a nutshell, SUREFIT is a European research and development project aimed at improving the energy efficiency of existing buildings across Europe. Why is this important? Because buildings are responsible for a significant portion of energy consumption in Europe, and enhancing their energy efficiency is crucial for reducing the carbon footprint and moving towards a more sustainable society.

The project is a consortium of institutions and companies from Finland, France, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Turkey and Greece, working in harmony to achieve their goals, which are:

• A 60% reduction in primary energy use and carbon emissions.

• A 50% reduction in costs.

• A 40% reduction in renovation time.

How Does SUREFIT Work?

SUREFIT focuses on energy refurbishment of buildings, meaning the enhancement of already constructed buildings rather than constructing entirely new ones. This makes sense because Europe is teeming with old buildings that do not meet modern energy efficiency standards. The project seeks to develop innovative solutions for renovating these buildings and making them significantly more energy efficient.

One of the most exciting aspects of SUREFIT is its focus on customized solutions. Instead of applying a one-size-fits-all approach, the project utilizes advanced technologies to tailor renovations to the specific needs of each building and geographical context. This means that each renovation project adapts to the unique conditions and requirements of a particular building, ensuring maximum energy efficiency.

To achieve this adaptation, the project works on five pilot cases located in different parts of Europe. These pilots are in Finland, Portugal, Great Britain, Spain, and Greece.

A key element of the project is the sequence used for implementation. Conditions have been simulated in each location, and with this simulation, the technologies to be implemented in each place have been designed. Subsequently, the installation is carried out, and finally, there is a process of control and verification of the estimated savings with the real conditions of use.

Benefits for Everyone

In the current context, it's easy to understand the benefits that SUREFIT offers, and how they can positively impact your life. First, greater energy efficiency in buildings can lead to reduced energy bills, which is beneficial for both owners and tenants. Moreover, lower energy demand in buildings means less strain on the electrical grid, which could contribute to greater stability in the electrical supply.

This, which is already a standard in Europe, with SUREFIT, aims to take a step further in improving the efficiency of systems, as well as their cost and installation speed.

Of course, the most significant and substantial benefit is the contribution to the fight against climate change. The reduction in energy consumption for heating, cooling, and lighting in buildings means fewer greenhouse gas emissions, which helps Europe meet its carbon reduction targets.

Key Technologies of the SUREFIT Project: A Deeper Look

The European SUREFIT project is supported by a range of innovative technologies that enable sustainable and efficient building renovation. While we don't need to be experts to understand how these technologies can transform our built environment, it's helpful to know some of the tools that make this transformation possible.

Energy Management Systems: SUREFIT incorporates advanced energy management systems that control and monitor energy usage in renovated buildings. These systems enable intelligent adjustment of heating, cooling, and lighting, ensuring that only the necessary energy is used at any given moment. This optimization reduces energy waste and lowers operational costs.

Innovative Building Materials: The selection of appropriate building materials is crucial for improving a building's energy efficiency. SUREFIT focuses on the development and implementation of advanced materials, such as high-quality thermal insulation, vacuum windows, and facade infiltration reduction systems. These materials act as a barrier against heat loss, maintaining a more stable indoor temperature and reducing the need for constant heating or cooling.

Renewable Energy Systems: To reduce dependence on conventional energy sources and promote sustainability, SUREFIT advocates for the integration of renewable energy systems. This includes the installation of hybrid PV/T  panels on roofs and the adoption of geothermal energy systems that harness the natural heat from the ground. These clean energy sources help decrease the carbon footprint of renovated buildings.

Real-Time Monitoring: Buildings renovated under the SUREFIT project are equipped with real-time monitoring systems that allow continuous tracking of energy consumption. The data collected helps assess the effectiveness of renovations and make necessary adjustments, ensuring optimal performance over time.

In more detail, the project focuses on integrating passive and active systems to improve energy efficiency, as well as developing prefabrication processes that make installation faster and simpler.

Passive Systems for Energy Efficiency

The passive systems in the SUREFIT project play a crucial role in improving the energy efficiency of buildings without requiring active energy consumption.

Phase Change Materials (PCM): PCMs are materials that store and release heat during phase changes, such as melting and solidification and serve as a thermal battery. In the context of SUREFIT, they are used in roofs providing comfort by regulating indoor temperature. During the day, PCMs absorb and store excess rising heat, by return keeping the room temperature stable and at night, as temperatures drop, they release the stored heat, maintaining a constant comfortable indoor temperature. This process reduces the need for active heating and cooling.

Aerogel Insulation (UNOTT, CJR): Aerogels are extremely lightweight and highly insulating materials.    Silica-based aerogel prefabricated panels are a porous silica-based insulation that, with low thickness, can significantly reduce heat loss through the building envelope when applied to exterior walls and roofs. This results in a reduction in heating use, improving the building's energy efficiency and reducing energy costs. Bioaerogel is a variant that incorporates biodegradable materials, making it more environmentally friendly. These materials enhance energy efficiency by maintaining a constant indoor temperature.

Breathable and Waterproof Membranes (WINCO): These membranes are used to maintain the integrity of structures while allowing moisture to escape, preventing moisture buildup within the walls. This is essential for preventing issues like mold and ensuring that buildings remain habitable and efficient over time. Another feature is that they reduce energy losses due to infiltration or excessive ventilation. Additionally, given their composition, they reflect solar radiation, which is particularly valuable in the summer as it prevents interior overheating.

Adjustable Louver Shutters (KOESTER): SUREFIT is researching in daylight blinds which are consisting of single slats with special mirror optics on their upper surface. The idea is to create a bifocal optic whereby the high angles of incidence hitting the blinds in summer will be reflected back into the sky while lower angles of incidence are partially harvested for an improved daylighting and solar gain in winter. An optimised application of such daylight systems is researched for different types of windows like compound windows or standard windows with double or triple insulation glass. In the Finish project we integrate the louvers into the cavity between an inner and an outer window. In the Spanish project we install the blinds behind the glass within the window frames. In both cases the louvers have a width of 20 mm. In the balcony area of the finish project 80 mm blinds are installed with different functionalities: In the upper window area the louver optics are redirecting the sun mainly horizontally into the room depth for better daylight illumination and saving of electric lighting. Only in the lower part of the window the single louvers are designed to deflect the overheating summer sun back outside and to reflect the lower angles of incidence towards inside the room.

All the blinds are controllable by hand crank. The standard position of the blinds is designed to be horizontal to guarantee an optimise view to outside, but the blinds are tiltable into a more closed position for darkening the rooms. Only for the very low sun the blinds might be closed to avoid any glare which otherwise would transmit between the single louvers. For dark days and overcast sky, the blinds can be removed.

The research also relates to the quality of the mirror surfaces. The better the reflectivity of the mirrors, the less energy is being absorbed. Therefore, highly reflective mirrors with 96% reflectivity have been chosen for the Finland project. The louver surfaces are vacuum coated to enhance the reflectivity. The blinds are installed between two windows. By better reflectivity overheating of the cavity between the windows is avoided and the passive cooling effect in summer is improved. In the balcony area, for practical purposes, we have used aluminum reflectors with anodized surfaces and 86% reflectivity. Those reflectors are insensitive to dust.

 Active Systems for Energy Generation and Climate Control

Active systems are components that actively generate energy or regulate temperature. In the SUREFIT project, these systems are efficiently integrated into the renovated buildings:

Hyb­­­rid PV/T Panels and Photovoltaics (SOLIMPEKS): Hybrid PV/T panels generate electricity and useful thermal energy from a single panel. Due to the active cooling of PV layer, extra electricity generation up to 25 % annually due to cooled PV cells. Also, the lifetime of PV cells is extended due to reduced cell operating temperature. Moreover, less area is occupied compared to separate solar PV and thermal systems. These technologies enable buildings to produce a portion or all of the electricity they consume, reducing dependence on conventional energy sources and decreasing carbon emissions. In the case of SUREFIT, the innovation lies in the integration of the two panels with minimal loss in the efficiency of each system if installed separately.

Surface Geothermal-Assisted Heat Pump (UNOTT): This system harnesses heat stored in the shallow ground for heating and cooling. Surface geothermal is more efficient and sustainable than conventional systems, as the ground serves as a constant source of thermal energy.

Solar-Assisted Heat Pump (UNOTT): This technology combines solar energy with a heat pump to provide efficient heating and cooling. Solar energy powers the heat pump, further reducing conventional electricity consumption.

Photovoltaic Glass (UNOTT): Photovoltaic glass serves as both windows and solar panels. It is installed in windows to capture solar energy while allowing natural light to enter. This means that buildings can generate electricity while still benefiting from natural lighting.

Heat Recovery Units in Window Units (UNOTT): These systems enable controlled ventilation of buildings without losing heat in winter or cool air in summer. They recover heat from the outgoing air and transfer it to the incoming air, improving indoor air quality without significantly increasing the heating or cooling demand.

In summary, SUREFIT combines a range of passive and active technologies to achieve sustainable and efficient building renovations. These solutions not only reduce energy consumption but also contribute to a more comfortable, healthier, and environmentally friendly built environment for local communities and the world.

And this is the key - the combination of technologies, prefabrication, performance control, and a complete life cycle assessment to ensure the sustainability of the interventions, to achieve the project's proposed objectives.

Conclusion

The SUREFIT project is a prime example of how technology can be used to address current challenges in sustainability and energy efficiency. Through energy management, advanced materials, and renewable energy sources, SUREFIT is paving the way for a future where our buildings consume less energy and are more environmentally friendly. While these technologies may sound complex, their impact on everyday life is clear: more efficient buildings, lower energy bills, and a healthier planet for future generations.