EURAC Research has submitted an abstract and full paper to the Sustainable Built Environment (SBE) Regional Conference 2025.
Abstract. This paper introduces the comprehensive web-based IWG5 tool to evaluate energy consumption, renovation costs, and environmental impacts for European residential and office building renovations. Developed to support the SET-Plan Implementation Working Group 5 on Energy Efficiency in Buildings, the tool establishes benchmarks across five European climate zones by integrating dynamic building performance simulations with environmental life cycle assessment and economic life cycle cost analysis. The database underlying the tool is built from extensive parametric simulations—covering over 800,000 cases— that explore various building typologies, retrofit options, and climate scenarios. Data on the current European building stock were collected and structured into representative reference models, with separate models developed for single-family houses, multi-family houses, and office buildings. Key building components such as envelope properties, HVAC systems, infiltration rates, and shading controls were systematically varied to assess their impact on energy performance and renovation viability. The tool also incorporates current and projected weather data to evaluate the effects of climate change on building performance. Validation through statistical data demonstrates that the database confirms both the accuracy of the parametric approach and the representativeness of the selected archetypes. The IWG5 Tool offers a holistic evaluation framework that can guide policymakers and professionals in developing cost-effective, environmentally responsible renovation strategies, contributing to the EU’s goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving climate neutrality.
Read the full paper here.
