Built environment

Around 30% of all Dutch energy consumption takes place in buildings and dwellings. The energy used in buildings is steadily increasing, while on the other hand a significant potential for saving energy exists.

Dutch and European energy policies aim to enforce and stimulate energy savings and renewable energy in the built environment. The built environment is characterized by various segments and actors and therefore diverse, which should be taken into account when designing policy measures. >>

Role for ECN Policy Studies

ECN Policy Studies supports policy making by conducting research in the following areas: 

• Policy Studies has a large knowledge base of saving measures and renewable options and their costs and benefits. By combining this knowledge with long term projections, energy potentials, costs and benefits of energy saving measures and renewable techniques can be established in coherence with each other. 
• Policy Studies monitors historic energy consumption in the built environment and determines realised energy savings. The built environment is included in integral analyses of the Dutch energy system.
• Policy Studies carries out ex ante and ex post evaluations of policy in the built environment. Examples of ex ante studies are the Reference projections of 2010 in which the built environment is described. Ex post studies have been conducted for example on the effects of the energy performance standard for new dwellings (EPC Evaluatieonderzoek ) on energy use, behaviour and buildings concepts and costs.
• As energy use in the built environment is significantly determined by consumer behaviour, social scientific research is also conducted. See for instance the IDEAL EPBD project and the Changing Behaviour project.
• An important barrier to realise energy savings and renewable energy are additional investment costs and available options to finance these. ECN researches the benefits, costs and potentials of available financing options.

Projects

• Quality improvements modelling and monitoring of  the services sector
  Improving the quality of modelling and monitoring of the energy use in the services sector.
• Monitoring tool for More with Less policy
  Construction of a tool for monitoring energy savings in the existing building stock, to evaluate the More with Less policy programme.
• Real EPC
  Development of a methodology to assess the real energy performance of existing dwellings.
• Energy use of new buildings
  National project in which the theoretical (EPC) and real energy performance of new buildings are compared.

Publications

Dutch publications

• Naar een groter financieringsaanbod voor energiezuinige gebouwen en woningen, 2012
  Article about the limited amount of financing that is currently available for energy efficient buildings and dwellings and possible solutions for this.
• Verkenning voor de Motie-Halsema, 2011
  Assessment of the government policies for environment, climate and nature.
• EnergiebesparingsMonitor Wet Milieubeheer, 2010
  Calculation tool for monitoring the energy savings in buildings, for inspections enforcing the Dutch Environmental Protection Act.
• EPC evaluatieonderzoek, 2010
  National project on the effects of the energy performance standard for new dwellings.
• Referentieraming energie en emissies 2010-2020 Gebouwde Omgeving, 2010
  Background report on the Reference project findings and data, for the Built Environment sector.
• Lokaal energie en klimaatbeleid, 2010
  National project evaluating good practices of local energy and climate policy.
• Duurzame warmte en koude in Nederland, 2009
  Overview of the state of the market for heating and cooling in the Netherlands.
• Besparingskentallen voor besparing in de bestaande woningbouw, 2009
  Evaluation of data sources and methods to determine figures for energy saving measures in existing dwellings.
• Financiering van energiebesparingsmaatregelen voor huiseigenaren, 2009
  Research on available financing options for private homeowners to take energy saving measures
• Een blik op de toekomst met SAWEC, 2005
  Description of usage and results of SAWEC, a model used for analysing the gas use of Dutch dwellings.

English publications

• RE-BIZZ, 2011
  European project on business models for renewable energy technologies in buildings and dwellings.
• Do energy efficiency investments lead to lower household expenditure?, 2011
  Detailed analyses of the cost effectiveness of energy saving measures in households.
• Obligations in the existing housing stock: who pays the bill?, 2011
  Paper on energy saving obligations for existing dwellings.
• Modelling the energy use of products, 2011
  Benchmark study on international modelling approaches for energy using products analysis which support electricity saving policies.
• IDEAL EPBD
  European project on consumer response to energy labels in buildings.
• Change Best project, task 2.3: analysis of policy mix and development of energy efficiency services, 2010
  Publication for the European project Changebest on energy efficiency service companies.
• Renewable heating and cooling in the Netherlands, 2009
  Overview of current state of the market for heating and cooling in the Netherlands.
• Change Best project, task 2.1: national report on the energy efficiency service business in the Netherlands, 2009
  Publication for the European project Changebest on energy efficiency service companies.

Tools

Policy Studies has various models and gathers information for the activities mentioned, which are used to make detailed projections up to 2040.

• SAWEC is used for projections of gas consumption in houses. The effects of specific policy measures can be established, among other things.
• EVA is used for projections of residential electrictity consumption for appliances and lighting.
• SAVE-Services for projections of energy use in utility buildings.
• The HOME research provides detailed information on domestic energy use.

More information

For more information please contact Marijke Menkveld.