KeepCool - "transforming the market from cooling to sustainable summer comfort"
According to recent EU-studies a four-fold growth in air-conditioned space is likely between 1990 to 2020. Despite this worrying perspective energy efficiency policy in European countries rarely addresses cooling. Available energy efficient and sustainable solutions hardly reach the market today. Despite the availability of passive solutions, the standard way of securing summer comfort is still the application of mechanical air conditioning. It is thus the overall goal of the project to contribute to a broad market transformation from “cooling” to “sustainable summer comfort” which can be defined as follows: Achieving good summer comfort conditions with no or limited use of conventional energy and through the use of environmentally non-harmful materials.
The overall goal of the project KeepCool was to implement activities that reduce the negative impacts from increasing cooling demand in Europe through an increased market penetration of sustainable cooling approaches and technologies.
One phase of the project provided analysis and technical tools to overcome the most important barriers to introducing sustainable summer comfort. Next phase addressed existing networks and policy makers on national and European level by providing them information materials with good practice examples designed especially for the target groups. It was then accompanied by dissemination campaigns and other activities.
In particular, the project pursued the following objectives:
• Consolidating the market chain of sustainable summer comfort solutions;
• Creating incentives for designers and planners towards integrated planning;
• Introducing resp. strengthening sustainable summer comfort into national Energy Efficiency Action Plans, guidelines for public procurement and national building regulation;
• Transporting the results directly into the relevant target group trough a wide range a dissemination activities on the national as well as on the European level;
Target group
The project addressed all relevant actors along the market chain. These are in particular:
• Suppliers and retailers of various sustainable summer comfort solutions
• Architects, planners, HVAC designers, construction companies
• Building owners
• Building energy consultants
• Building users
• Facility Managers and O&M Staff
• Public procurement organisations
• National and regional institutions for building regulations
• National and regional institutions for energy policy
• International Audience
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Here follows a more detailed desciption of the systematic approach of the project:
Definition of the barriers against the broad market penetration of sustainable summer comfort.
Furthermore practical recommendations and supplementary material to overcome the most important market barriers, such as: the prevalence of incorrect design rules and operating practices in buildings; the lack of financial reward for professionals making buildings energy efficient or even avoiding the need for cooling systems; national building that in many countries do not reward sustainable summer comfort solutions, were developed.
Introduction of sustainable summer comfort in the public sector.
This work package comes up – with a focus on the use of sustainable summer comfort solutions – with procedures and tools to support the Member States in implementing their exemplary role according to EEE-ESD in the field of public procurement and building management.
Assessing energy savings related to sustainable summer comfort.
This work package gives support to the national institutions preparing the EEAP under the Directive on energy end use efficiency and energy services. This was done by developing an approach for a bottom-up assessment of the energy savings related to sustainable summer comfort solutions.
Concrete product information as well as reports and best practice examples and information material in national language. It thereby addresses the entire market chain from the suppliers industry to the building owner mainly by making use of existing networks in the building industry as well as in the management field.
Creation of this webbased "ToolKit" to make all information accessible for the public.
Dissemination of the message “sustainable summer comfort instead of cooling”. Awareness is built up among the entire supply chain – from the industries manufacturing components to retailers, planners, architects, construction companies etc.
Input to legislation and regulation making use of the know-how developed within the project and gave input to the national policy making processes related to the EPBD and to the EEE-ESD. In addition it contributed to national public procurement policies.
Several dissemination activities at European level focussing on countries that do not directly participate in the project.
Direct outcomes
The following direct outcomes was reached by the end of the project contract period:
• Increased awareness among building owners on how to ask for “summer comfort” instead of “cooling” and among planners and suppliers on how to sell “summer comfort” as a service;
• Stronger cooperation of the different professional branches along the market chain of sustainable summer comfort as a result of the dissemination activities in the professional networks;
• Comprehensive information material in English, German, French, Italian, Portuguese, Slovenian and Swedish language, both physical and on the World Wide Web, used by a number of local or national initiatives and networks of the target groups;
• Recommendations for sustainable summer comfort incorporated in either public procurement schemes, national building regulations or the Energy Efficiency Action Plans (EEAP) in every participating country;
• New design rules for cooling systems and innovative remuneration schemes are used by a “critical mass” of planners, designers, building owners and building energy consultants in every participating country;
• The results of the project are demanded or already used by projects, energy agencies, public authorities etc. in at least 5 countries which are not directly participating in the project, but which are involved “only through the so-called “observers group”.