News & Events

This year’s World Cities Day focuses on the theme “Youth Leading Climate and Local Action for Cities.” Young people are stepping up, advocating for bolder actions to tackle the climate crisis in our urban environments. Their voices and actions are crucial in shaping a sustainable future. Upskilling students and professionals in new practices (ZEB and nZEB), content, and tools is essential to achieving these ambitious goals.

On July 4-5, 2024, HEP-ESCO conducted an "Energy Managers Course" for 15 participants from five major energy companies. The course focused on enhancing expertise in energy management and efficiency, covering EU energy reduction goals, Croatian legislation, and the "energy efficiency first" principle. Participants learned about the ESCO Monitor system, performance measurement protocols, and maintenance efficiency standards. Sandra Maganje also introduced the nZEBRA project and its future intensive course.

The concept of nearly Zero-Energy Building (nZEB) was introduced in the EPBD recast in 2010 (EPBD/2010/31/EU). Article 2 of the recast directive establishes what a nZEB is: a building with “a very high energy performance with the nearly zero or very low amount of energy required covered to a very significant extent by energy from renewable sources, including energy from renewable sources produced on-site or nearby”.

To achieve sustainability in the built environment through energy efficiency, we must decarbonise the building sector by using low-carbon materials and ensuring proper insulation. Additionally, we need flexible energy systems for heating and hot water that can adapt to various energy sources, such as district heating from renewables and industrial excess heat, along with energy-efficient appliances and lighting to create nearly zero-energy buildings.

Cities, responsible for over 75% of global energy consumption, face challenges from urbanization, climate change, and extreme weather. To adapt, urban energy systems require resilience and smart, integrated solutions.

Earlier this month, the European Commission marked a major step toward sustainability with the adoption of the updated Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, a key part of the European Green Deal.

We want to co-create a multidisciplinary course on Master level, with mixed groups of students from several engineering and architecture programmes as well as professionals from companies.

In September, the nZEBRA project kicked off in Halmstad, Sweden, with a pivotal two-day meeting organized by Halmstad University. The project aims to develop an intensive blended course focusing on Climate Neutral Buildings using micro-credentials.