Reducing Environmental Footprints of Buildings Heating, Cooling and Ventilation by More Efficient Use of Energy and Supply from Renewables

Greenhouse Gas Footprint minimisation and security of energy supply are important components of sustainability. Achieving these can be offered by the combination of technologies demonstrated by the Horizon 2020 project RESHeat presented in this work. The technology captures, stores and uses solar energy efficiently, employing Photovoltaic-Thermal and Thermal Solar collectors combined with underground heat storage and heat pumps. As a result, the proposed system has been shown to be capable of catering for more than 90 % of the energy demands of residential buildings and bears the potential to reduce more than 80 % of the Greenhouse Gas Footprint compared with the mode of using grid power only. Future project activities will focus on completing the technology demonstrations and a thorough sustainability evaluation – including further footprints and economic viability