R2CITIES contribution to the expected impacts listed in the work programme
Accelerating the retrofitting uptake of low efficient building stock before 2020
For the overall European market, it has been estimated that it will benefit from the early implementation of R2CITIES in around 5% of renovation market increase (additional output of € 17.4 billion per year), leading to € 87 billion for the period 2017-2022
Definition and methodologies: Setting up EU–wide low or zero energy/carbon buildings/passive house requirements
R2CITIES contributes to the definition of methodologies for zero buildings and districts. R2CITIES will achieve the following average reductions in the 3 demonstrator cases
- Heating and Cooling: 75 %
- Lighting: 50 %
- Water Heating: 50 %
- Advanced ICTs (design + control): 15 %
Considering RES contribution and savings related to building controls, this will lead to an overall reduction of energy consumption of 76%, or savings per site:
- Valladolid: 2478 MWh/year saving and 635 Tonnes CO2 reduction per year
- Genoa: 1691 MWh/year saving and 395 Tonnes CO2 reduction per year
- Kartal (Istanbul): 3009 MWh/year saving and 847 Tonnes CO2 reduction per year
Offering cost effective highly energy efficient retrofitting practices for districts accelerating the market uptake of highly innovative ICT tools for efficient buildings Management
R2CITIES will contribute to raise awareness among stakeholders, promoters, engineers and architects of the financial benefits of sustainable buildings by introducing the value increase concept for energy efficient retrofitting projects
Creating best practices based on innovation & competitiveness, with benefits for citizens and environment
R2CITIES will develop 3 high-quality demonstrators in 3 reference EU cities that will be disseminated as best practice examples through the EU. Innovation is considered at several levels, including integrated retrofitting design methodologies, highly innovative technologies and solutions, innovative approaches for tenant involvement and models for the calculation of value increase associated to these retrofitting
Social Impact
R2CITIES will take into account the indoor environmental quality of the buildings
Environmental Impact
It can be estimated that R2CITIES will contribute to reduce about 7.5 Mt the energy consumption and 6,5 Mt CO2 during the next 5 years after the end of the project, which corresponds to half the total gross energy consumption of Ireland in 2007. Additionally, R2CITIES will contribute to reduce water consumption, waste water production and construction waste incorporating these aspects within the integrated design approach
Raising performance standards and regulations in the building sector, through best practice examples
R2CITIES will contribute to EU policies
Impact on SMEs
According to FIEC, the building construction sector is the biggest industrial employer in EU being the number of enterprises in this sector about 2,9 million, of which more than 99% are SMEs. These figures stress the important role of SMEs in the construction sector. R2CITIES will influence positively the overall construction SMEs supply chain from the design phase developed by architects, through supplier, service providers and engineering companies, enabling them to: i) have new business opportunities through the outline of new business models; ii) access to a new building sustainable market concerned about environmental, social and economic aspects; iii) create new jobs as a result of the exploitation of the R2CITIES concept and individual technologies, allowing them to compete in new ways and enlarge their client list; and iv) improve commercial links, creating new opportunities for SMEs in these fields.