In Freiberg, the performance of two single-family homes conceived as energy self-sufficient buildings is being scientifically investigated. The buildings’ very low heating requirements are met by generously sized solar collectors and heat storage tanks, supplemented in each home...

In autumn 2011, a hotel chain opened in central Munich its first hotel conceived as a green building in accordance with the sustainability principles of the EU programme of the same name. The post-war building, which has undergone extensive refurbishment, has been designed...

The new building for the Hamburg Department for Urban Development and the Environment, which was completed in 2013, forms part of the International Building Exhibition (IBA) in Hamburg. The exemplary building complex is designed to be energy-efficient, sustainable and cost-effective.

A large proportion of Germany’s CO₂ emissions can be attributed to the supply of heat. Large-scale heat pumps powered by greenhouse gas-free electricity could help the country to reduce its CO₂ emissions.

CHP plants can be made more flexible by integrating thermal storage systems in district heating networks, as this enables temporal decoupling of the electricity and heat provision so that the electricity generated by CHP plants can be better adapted to the power requirement or residual load.

Energy-efficient LED technology also facilitates targeted light distribution, making it suitable for lighting small areas. This further reduces the energy requirement while improving the lighting quality in cities.

In the “iHEM” research project, an integrated energy supply using solar energy is being developed for residential construction. A specially developed energy management system coordinates the systems for generating solar power and solar heat with electricity and thermal storage systems...

Phase change materials (PCMs) are only used sporadically in construction, although various products and systems have been available on the market for several years now. The PCM Demo II research project therefore intends to test and scientifically evaluate the practicality of PCMs in buildings.

A special financing model was used for delivering the project: a public private partnership or PPP for short. Despite a tight public budget, the client (the Region of Hanover) has succeeded in constructing a consistently energy-optimised building for 300 staff.

On the campus of the vocational college in Detmold, three school buildings and a sports hall were completely refurbished. The facades and top floor slabs were insulated with cellulose, passive house windows were installed and the roof surfaces were covered with PV panels.

This project is aimed at developing and testing innovative strategies for the energy-efficient operational management of non-residential buildings. This is intended to make the supply of heating and cooling energy to buildings in the commercial, trade and service sectors energy-efficient and..

How does the sensor arrangement affect the energy requirements for heating and air-conditioning systems? And how can this impact be quantified under differing usage conditions? This research project intends to answer these questions based on coupled system and flow simulations in conjunction with...