Access the public deliverables published by the consortia within the scope of the SouthZEB project.
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Deliverable 1.1 Final Publishable Report
Workpackage 1
WP1 is related with the project management activities and delivered the following deliverable:
Workpackage 2
Current situation analysis, user needs and portal specifications took place during 5 months (from May to September 2014) and it has been a driving Work Package to define the starting point of the forthcoming Work Packages and their Tasks. WP2 delivered the following deliverables:
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Deliverable 2.1: Report on the current situation regarding nZEB in the participating countries
1. Current situation regarding the progress versus the nZEB targets
The SouthZEB project aims to outline the current situation for the implementation of the EPBD recast (Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, 2010/31/EU) and RES (Renewable Energy Sources, 2009/28/EC) Directives within the European Union (EU). It also aims to identify training needs required for the target Southern European countries (Greece, Cyprus, Italy (south) and Portugal) less advanced on the progress towards Nearly Zero‑Energy Buildings (nZEB). Additionally the project intends to initiate a wide-scale roll out of accessible and recognised continuous professional development courses.
As the Central and Northern EU countries are more advanced in implementing a number of articles within the directives, an opportunity exist to develop the training material necessary to assist the Southern EU countries to catch up in their progress toward nZEB.
The first step of the work performed was the assessment of the current situation in the target countries regarding the progress in the implementation of the EPBD and RES Directives and the progress versus the nZEB targets. The current situation was also evaluated for the front runner countries (i.e. United Kingdom, Austria, Germany, Italy (North) and France) for benchmarking purposes and for use in the training programmes design. A review of national legislation, the climatic conditions, the building stock characteristics, the building codes and architectural rules/restrictions of the target countries was also performed.
Within this deliverable the specific training and certification needs of the selected target groups (engineers, architects, municipality employees, decision makers) have been also investigated and categorized.
2. Main General Conclusions Relative to Current Situation Regarding nZEB in the Participating Countries
The status of the implementation of the EPBD in the target countries was evaluated on the basis of four core aspects: Energy performance requirements; National Plan for progression of nZEB (NREAP); Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) and Training.
It was verified that each EU country is implementing measures to move toward nearly zero-energy buildings by 2020 through the transposition of the EPBD and RES Directives. The energy performance requirements are defined and the national legislation of each country is adapted accordingly to the EPBD-recast. The building energy performance certificates are being issued in all target countries and national databases are being fed with information on regions and types of certified buildings. In what concerns the RES Directive implementation, it was verified that the objectives of the renewable share for 2020 are defined for each target country. The measures to achieve the Directives goals rely on national programs, economic incentives, legislation, licensing of new projects and other tools. Accordingly to the energy consumption projections for 2020 these measures will contribute to the accomplishment of the Directive target values.
The National Plan for progression to nZEB is defined or under development in each target country and has specific goals to be attended in what refers to the definition of nZEB, the national mechanisms to implement it. The set of measures to reduce energy consumption and increase renewable energy source for the sectors of electricity, heating and cooling and transport are established in the NREAP of all target countries.
It has been identified that there is a substantial need for professionals such as architects and engineers specifically trained and educated in nZEB design approach. These professionals must be able to work in integrated multi-disciplinary teams, to improve energy performance of buildings and to address the integration of sustainable energy in buildings and built environment, to design buildings meeting EPBD standards and especially buildings within the nearly zero-energy concept.
Summarily, it can be said that the Directives implementation is good, nevertheless a number of the southern EU counties lag behind on certain issue on the implementation of the EPBD and RES Directives and some aspects can be improved in all target countries namely the possibility to provide more specific training on the nZEB area since the existing training is more focused on the building energy certification process.
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Deliverable 2.2: Specification of the training and certification needs for the target groups in the target countries
To assess training and certification specific needs and the adequacy of the training modules proposed in the Grant Agreement to the local context, a set of Design Meetings took place in each of the four target countries – Portugal, Italy, Greece and Italy – with key stakeholders (engineer association representatives, energy agency representatives, architect association representatives among others) and future end-users of the training courses that the SouthZEB project will deliver (engineers, architects, municipality employees and decision makers). In order to formalise this support, four National Support Groups have been constituted in each of the target countries.
The Design Meetings took place from May 19th to July 3rd 2014. The Design Meeting in Portugal was jointly organized by Instituto Superior Técnico (ISTID) and Universidade do Minho (UMinho) and was held on May 19th at IST, in Lisbon. In Cyprus, two Design Meetings have been organised by Cyprus University Technology (CUT) and both took place at Scientific & Technical Chamber Cyprus Headquarters, Nicosia, the first held on June 4th and the second on July 3rd. In Greece, the Design Meeting was organized by KEK EUROTRAINING and was held on June 10th, in Athens. Finally, in Italy the Design Meeting was organized by Distretto Technologico Trentino (DTTN) and took place on June 17th 2014 at Habitec DTTN headquarters, Rovereto.
In all the Design Meetings held participants underlined the relevance and the opportunity of the SouthZEB project. Based on the joint assessment of the meetings several adjustments have been proposed to the ten training modules previously considered in the Grant Agreement: Training modules 1 and 2 should be mandatory for all participants (trainees and trainers) and a minimum number of four training modules (out of the 10 available) need to have a positive evaluation on the exam in order to receive the “nZEB Designer” or “nZEB Trainer” certificate; Several new nZEB related topics have been incorporated into already existent training modules, such as (1) Adaptive Thermal Comfort, (2) User Acceptance of Technical Solutions to nZEB, (3) Cost Optimality of nZEB technical solutions among others described above; New training modules have also been created to address some of the suggestions. This is the example of the renewed “Module 4 – Thermal Comfort” and “Module 7 – “Low carbon technology and automation for nZEB”. The table below presents the final set of training modules proposed.
Module Name Hours Target Audience 1 nZEB Basic module 20h Engineers, architects 2 nZEB Advanced module 40h Engineers, architects 3 Thermal bridging 20h Engineers, architects 4 Thermal Comfort 20h Engineers, architects 5 SouthZEB framework module and local architectural regulations 30h Engineers, architects, municipal employees 6 nZEB simulation and design software module 30h Engineers, architects, building technicians 7 Low carbon technology and automation for nZEB 20h Engineers, architects,building technicians 8 Retrofitting towards nZEB 40h Engineers, architects, municipal employees 9 Construction management and field supervision of nZEB 40h Professionals from construction sector 10 Preparation of funding schemes and other incentives for nZEB 20h Municipalities, local/ national entities -
Deliverable 2.3: Specification of requirements for the SouthZEB portal
The deliverable concerning the specification of the requirements for the SouthZEB portal includes the description and scope of the aforementioned portal, as well as the necessary contextual and technological preconditions for its successful development, running and maintenance.
In specific, the needs for the members of the target group are presented in terms of their possibilities through the eLearning platform, with the objective of maximising the impact of the SouthZEB project results, along with the necessary functions, roles and possibilities for them.
The selected platform to host the SouthZEB eLearning modules is Moodle, following a comparative analysis undertaken. This selection was based on a series of criteria which included technical specifications, users’ possibilities and administrative tools, but also elements such as popularity, cost and troubleshooting possibilities.
The partners took into consideration the complexity of the project, the added value of the modules which will be developed under Work Package 3 and the role that the eLearning modules could play in enabling the members of the SouthZEB target group to obtain the nZEB trainer and nZEB designer certificates.
It is, therefore, the strong belief of the consortium that the SouthZEB platform will be a powerful tool for the professionals who choose to follow the modules developed, by providing them not only with the content of the modules, but also bringing them in direct contact with their peers for brainstorming, networking and exchanging opinions and ideas on any issue related to nZEB.
Workpackage 3
Development of the training and assessment programme takes place during 12 months (from August 2014 to July 2015) and is a driving Work Package during which 10 modules and 10 assessment exams are developed along with the SouthZEB certification framework. WP3 delivered the following deliverables:
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Deliverable 3.1: Definition of the SouthZEB framework
[full report-EN][full report-PT][full report-GR][full report-IT]
The SouthZEB Certification framework has been described within this report, covering the basics of the scheme, its operation, trainer certification and member certification. In order to be able to implement the SouthZEB framework it will be necessary to prepare a number of documents and guidance notes, all of which can be stored and accessible on the portal. This set of documents will cover the requirements for operation, trainers and members.
The portal will contain a publicly available SouthZEB register of trainers and members. This register will contain the names and contact details (email and phone number) of each certified trainer and member, as well as the level that each member has achieved (entry, advanced or industry leading). The register will be set out by country. Details will only be placed on the register on completion of the required number of training modules and assessments.
During the SouthZEB project period, members will be entered after completion of at least four training module and assessment. A pilot membership will be awarded that will have up to five years validity. Members may enhance their membership level over this period or subsequently.
The SouthZEB implementation will be based upon the collaboration agreement and business model between the partners in the four target countries and the front runner countries.
The framework set out within this document forms the basis for the creation of the SouthZEB certification of practitioners in near zero energy buildings within the countries of Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Portugal. The framework should be developed further in association with the development of the portal, which forms the basis of the implementation tool for the SouthZEB certification.
Finally, the training framework that supports the certification scheme is set out in detail in this document. -
Deliverable 3.2: SouthZEB training modules
[full report-EN][full report-PT][full report-IT]
This document provides the basic issues and contents of the training modules.
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Deliverable 3.3: SouthZEB assessment exams
[full report-EN][full report-PT][full report-IT]
This document presents the procedure followed for the development of the assessment exams and indicative examples.
Workpackage 4
SouthZEB portal development. In the WP4, the SouthZEB portal and its content were developed. The portal has various sections, since it contains project-related information, an e-learninq platform for remote training using the developed modules, links and information on all available nZEB simulation tools and information material on EU-wide, national or other funding opportunities for nZEB. The portal structure was developed by the technical partners, while the e-learning platform was developed by the Vocational training experts. WP4 delivered the following deliverables:
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Deliverable 4.1: SouthZEB portal
[full report-EN][full report-PT][full report-GR][full report-IT]
The objective of this report is to present a description of the portal and its sections present, as well as to describe the findings from the System Integration Test and User Acceptance Tests.
Workpackage 5
The main objectives of WP5 are the preparation and running of the train the trainer workshops in the target countries and the organisation of pilot training sessions for the building sector professionals, with the help of the trained trainers. WP5 delivered the following deliverables:
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Deliverable 5.1: Train the trainer workshops report
Workpackage 6
Evaluation, Quality control and Conformity to directives. The scope of WP6 is to continously monitor the project and its outcomes, in terms of quality and impact of action. Additionally, conformity to the targets and directives set by the EU and local authorities in the target countries are also closely monitored. WP6 delivered the following deliverables:
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Deliverable 6.1: Development of the assessment plan
This document is designed to assist the process and outline good practice in developing the training material for the SouthZEB project in addition to help plan and conduct the courses. It aims to provide information on the main steps and the stages in sequence of designing a training course all the way to evaluation. The plan follows the instructional design model called “ADDIE” which is an acronym of the main stages of the process: Assess; Design; Develop; Implement; and Evaluate.
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Deliverable 6.2: Project Evaluation Report
Workpackage 7
Communication. WP7 delivered the following deliverables:
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Deliverable 7.1: Project Website
[link]
The SouthZEB website presents the project consortium, goals and expected results. It disseminates the relevant nZEB news and events and gathers key information on good nZEB practices. Also, it is the main vehicle of information relative to the training to be offered by the project and the access point to the e-learning platform.
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Deliverable 7.2: Communication Plan
The Communication Plan contributes to the identification of key targets for dissemination at local, national and trans-national level. More specifically, the main objective is to outline the mechanisms that shall assist SouthZEB project to maximize the impact of the project outputs. Within this strategy plan, it is presented in detail the purpose of the dissemination for this project as well as the proposed ways to reach the desired stakeholders and to raise awareness regarding the activities and goals of the project. It is also expected that SouthZEB shall endure beyond the life of the project.
SouthZEB’s Communication Plan is structured around three types of targeted audience (vertical dimension) and a wide geographical outreach (horizontal dimension). It follows a multichannel dissemination approach with five main dissemination activity instruments: 1) Logo and graphical identity, 2) Website and dissemination portfolio, 3) Scientific publications, 4) Reaching the industry through International exhibitions and conferences and 5) Enhancing the European impact through liaising with other nZEB projects and the use of IEE dissemination tools. The dissemination activities shall run throughout project implementation.
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Deliverable 7.3: Collection of all project publications
