Approximately one-third of end-use energy consumption in IEA Member countries occurs in residential, commercial and public buildings. Uses include heating, cooling, lighting, appliances, and general services. Buildings are therefore a major demand on energy resources and the emissions associated with supplying and consuming this energy make up an important component of total emissions. Despite a general improvement in the thermal performance of buildings, much energy is still inefficiently used. The Implementing Agreement on Energy Conservation in Buildings and Community Systems (ECBCS) focuses its work on ways to improve energy efficiency in buildings. Its programme includes developing techniques to analyse how energy use in buildings impacts on the interior, local, regional and global environments; work on the optimisation of building envelopes, advanced local energy planning, computer-aided fault detection and diagnosis, and the use of daylight in buildings (in collaboration with the Implementing Agreement on Solar Heating and Cooling); and improving the availability and use of design tools. ECBCS administers the Future Buildings Forum. In cooperation with other buildings-related Implementing Agreements, the Forum organises workshops aimed at identifying long term energy, environmental, economic and technical issues related to buildings and the R&D needs associated with them. The Agreement also operates the Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre, which distributes R&D results and undertakes selected studies on specific topics. The Centre operates an Internet site at http://www.aivc.org Work by ECBCS has resulted in numerous achievements. These include the development of techniques for energy efficient avoidance of condensation in buildings; the development of a tool to assist practitioners in the design of non-refrigerative cooling of buildings; evaluation of the performance of computational methods for heat loss, ventilation and air/pollutant transport; the development of techniques for fault monitoring and the optimising of building services systems; and the use of new information technology to link building energy management systems to remote control and monitoring centres via the Internet. These and other results have been successfully applied in participating countries. The majority of ECBCS’ work is conducted through task-sharing in which each country commits resources to the programme.

05. Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre
Established for over 20 years, the Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre provides technical support in air infiltration and ventilation research and application.

27. Evaluation and Demonstration of Domestic Ventilation Systems
Develop methods for evaluating domestic ventilation systems, validate the methods with data obtained from measurements and to demonstrate and evaluate domestic ventilation systems.

35. Control Strategies for Hybrid Ventilation in New and Retrofitted Office Buildings
Control Strategies for Hybrid Ventilation. The objectives of this annex is to develop control strategies for hybrid ventilation systems, develop methods to predict hybrid ventilation performance, promote energy and cost-effective hybrid ventilation systems.

36. Retrofitting in Educational Buildings - Energy Concept Adviser for Technical Retrofit Measures
Develop simple prediction tools for retrofit concepts, which allow the decision maker to evaluate integrated construction, installation and lighting measures.

37. Low Exergy Systems for Heating and Cooling
Investigate the potentials for replacing high valued energy (fossil fuels and electricity) by low valued energy sources and to assess its impact. Assess existing technologies and components for low exergy heating and cooling.

38. Solar Sustainable Housing
represents a joint venture between the ECBCS and Solar Heating and Cooling (SHC) Task 28. The objective of this Annex is to help achieve in participating countries a significant penetration of solar sustainable housing in the housing markets (i.e. >5%) by the year 2010 by providing builders and institutional real estate investors with:

- Good examples of built projects with proven successes, - Hard facts to make cost/benefit decisions on the mix of solar and conservation strategies, - Guidance to improve energy, environmental and cost performance of their own designs.

39. High Performance Thermal Insulation Systems (HiPTI)
The general objective of the Annex 39 is to develop reliable components for buildings based on high performance thermal insulation (HiPTI). They are known as HiPTI systems (e.g. façade element, door, water heater). The successful developments should lead to competitive products which are available on the market.

The main technology which will be used in the Annex are Vacuum Insulation Panels (VIP). They consist of a microporous core material, packed in a gas tight envelope which is evacuated to a pressure of about 0.1 mbar.

40. Commissioning of Building HVAC Systems for Improving Energy Performance
The primary goal of building commissioning, from an energy perspective, is to verify and optimise the performance of energy systems within a building. The objective of this annex is to develop, validate and document tools for commissioning buildings and building services that will help facilitate the achievement of this goal.

41. Whole Building Heat, Air and Moisture Response (MOIST-EN)
The annex has two main objectives:

1. A detailed exploration of the complex physics involved in whole building heat, air and moisture response (HAM-response). This includes basic research, a further development of existing and new models, measurement of the moisture storage function of materials, measurement of the air permeance of envelope parts as build, mock up testing, field testing and validation by inter-comparison of models through common exercises and confrontation with measured data. This first objective should foster a basic understanding of transient moisture storage in different finishing materials and moisture exchange with the indoor air. For this purpose material storage properties will be measured. It should help develop numerical models and back experiments that link the heat and moisture storage and HAM-transfer in enclosures to the performance of the building and the HVAC system. Mock up and field measurements must prove the effectiveness of moisture storage under different weather conditions (cold, warm and dry, warm and humid and maritime).

2. An analysis of the effects of the whole building HAM-response on comfort, enclosure durability and energy consumption. A literature review should increase the awareness for these effects. Simultaneously, measures will be studied to moderate possible negative impacts on comfort, enclosure durability and energy consumption, with air-tightness, moisture management, thermal insulation and humidity storage as some of the measures projected.

The following four subtasks will be carried out in order to reach the objectives:

Subtask 1: Modeling principles and common exercises

Subtask 2: Experimental Investigations

Subtask 3: Boundary Conditions

Subtask 4: Long Term Performance and technology transfer

Annex website www.kuleuven.ac.be/bwf/projects/annex41/index.htm.

42. Simulation of Building-Integrated Fuel Cell and Other Cogeneration Systems (COGEN-SIM)
The Annex will address the modelling of building-integrated cogeneration systems by developing and incorporating cogeneration models within whole-building simulation programs. Emphasis will be placed upon fuel cell cogeneration systems and technologies suitable for use in new and existing single- and low-rise multi-family residential dwellings will be considered. The models are developed at a resolution which is appropriate for whole-building simulation operating at sub-hourly time-steps.

The overall goal of the proposed Annex is to develop simulation methods that advance the design, operation, and analysis of residential cogeneration systems. Objectives include:

- Develop models to simulate the performance of fuel cells and other cogeneration systems and associated equipment, such as controllers, thermal cooling, thermal storage, refrigeration, fuel processors, and power conditioning systems.

- Characterize occupant-driven electrical usage patterns for various demographic groups and geographic locations. These loads are a significant component of the thermodynamic system that must be modelled by the simulation tools.

- Implement the new models into existing whole-building simulation programs.

- Validate the models and their implementation into the whole-building simulation programs.

- Perform technical, environmental, and economic assessments of selected cogeneration applications using the new models.

The annex is organised into three subtasks:

Subtask A: Characterization of cogeneration systems and occupant-driven electrical and domestic hot water

usage patterns

Subtask B: Development, implementation and validation of cogeneration system models in building simulation programs

Subtask C: Technical, environmental and economic assessment of selected cogeneration applications using the models developed in Subtask B

43. Testing and Validation of Building Energy Simulation Tools
The goal of this Task is to undertake pre-normative research to develop a comprehensive and integrated suite of building energy analysis tool tests involving analytical, comparative, and empirical methods. These methods will provide for quality assurance of software, and some of the methods will be enacted by codes and standards bodies to certify software used for showing compliance to building energy standards.

This goal will be pursued by accomplishing the following objectives:

- Create and make widely available a comprehensive and integrated suite of IEA Building Energy Simulation Test (BESTEST) cases for evaluating, diagnosing, and correcting building energy simulation software. Tests will address modeling of the building thermal fabric and building mechanical equipment systems in the context of solar and low energy buildings.

- Maintain and expand as appropriate analytical solutions for building energy analysis tool evaluation.

- Create and make widely available high quality empirical validation data sets, including detailed and unambiguous documentation of the input data required for validating software, for a selected number of representative design conditions.

44. Integrating Environmentally Responsive Elements in Buildings
The annex will, based on the knowledge gained in the work so far (particularly the results of IEA Annexes 32, 35 and 37, SHC Task 23), address the following objectives:

- Define state-of-the-art of reactive building elements

- Improve and optimise reactive building elements and technologies

- Develop and optimise new building concepts with integration of reactive building elements, building services as well as natural and renewable energy strategies

- Develop tools for the early assessment of the impact of reactive building elements on the environmental performance of buildings - Develop guidelines for procedures and tools for detailed simulation of environmental performance of reactive building elements and integrated building concepts

There are four subtasks:

Subtask A: Reactive Building Elements

Subtask B: Integration in Building Concepts

Subtask C: Design Tools and Environments Performance Assessment

Subtask D: Implementation

45. Energy-Efficient Future Electric Lighting for Buildings
The goal of Annex 45 is to identify and to accelerate the widespread use of appropriate energy efficient high-quality lighting technologies and their integration with other building systems, making them the preferred choice of lighting designers, owners and users.

The aim is to assess and document the technical performance of existing promising, but largely underutilized, innovative lighting technologies as well as future lighting technologies and their impact on other building equipment and systems (ie: daylighting, HVAC). These novel lighting system concepts have to meet functional, aesthetic, and comfort requirements of building occupants.

The Annex intends to reach its objective by means of four Subtasks:

Subtask A: Targets for energy performance and human well-being

Subtask B : Innovative technical solutions

Subtask C : Energy-efficient controls and integration

Subtask D : Information dissemination

46. Holistic Assessment Tool-kit on Energy Efficient Retrofit Measures for Government Buildings (EnERGo)
The objectives of this Annex are:

1. To provide tools and guidelines for decision makers and energy managers, performance contractors and designers in order to improve the working environment of Government buildings through energy-efficient retrofitting projects. Although the focus of this Annex is on Government buildings, many results can be applied to similar private sector buildings.

2. To provide recommendations on how to operate the retrofitted buildings.

3. To promote energy- and cost-efficient retrofit measures by providing successful examples.

4. To support decision makers in evaluating the efficiency and acceptance of available concepts.

5. To improve application of Energy Performance Contracts (ESPCs) for Government building retrofit measures.

47. Cost-Effective Commissioning for Low-Energy Buildings
This work will address the following objectives:

- Extend previously developed methods and tools to address advanced systems and low energy buildings, utilising design and the buildings' own systems in commissioning.

- Automate the commissioning process to the extent practicable.

- Develop methodologies and tools to improve operation of buildings in use, including identifying the best energy saving opportunities in HVAC system renovations and standard reporting methods for the energy performance of buildings in support of the “European Union Energy Performance of Buildings Directive”.

- Quantify and improve the costs and benefits of commissioning, including the persistence of benefits and the role of automated tools in improving persistence and reducing costs without sacrificing other important commissioning considerations.

This project will begin by identifying existing barriers to the acceptance of commissioning as standard practice and will develop enabling technologies; for example, methodologies and automated tools to support the "field optimization" approach to commissioning for low energy buildings. The use of automated tools that speed up the process and reduce dependence on scarce and relatively expensive skilled practitioners is expected to further broaden the market for commissioning. Once developed and applied to low energy buildings, these procedures could have substantial impact if eventually applied as standard commissioning practice to all buildings, potentially doubling the energy impact of commissioning in new buildings.

48. Heat Pumping and Reversible Air Conditioning
The aim of this project is to promote the best heat pumping techniques applicable in air conditioning of commercial buildings. Focus is given to the integration of these techniques inside the whole air conditioning system. Specific objectives include: This project aims to make air conditioning as reversible as possible. It intends to make the best use of the currently available technology. Technological information already gathered in previous ECBCS, SHC and HPP projects will be extensively used. The specific characteristics of the building, of the occupancy and of the climate will be carefully taken into account. Guidelines about where and how to use each type of equipment will be established. Optimal control strategies will be also identified. A selection of (new and existing) building types will be established during the preparation phase, according to priorities expressed by the participants and to specific expertise available. Participants will carry out research and development in the framework of the following six research areas: Analysis of building heating and cooling demands; Performance analysis and comparisons among the different components and systems available; Design; Global performance evaluation and commissioning methods; Case studies and/or demonstration; Dissemination.

49. Low Exergy Systems for High-Performance Built Environments and Communities
The main objective of the project is to use exergy analysis as a basis for providing tools, guidelines, recommendations, best-practice examples and background material for designers and decision makers in the fields of building, energy production and politics. Another important objective is to promote possible energy/exergy and costefficient measures for retrofit and new buildings, such as dwellings and commercial/ public buildings, and their related performance analyses viewed from a community level.

50. Prefabricated Systems for Low Energy Renovation of Residential Buildings
Energy conservation is largely dominated by existing buildings. In most industrialized countries new buildings will only contribute 10% - 20 % additional energy consumption by 2050 whereas more than 80% will be influenced by the existing building stock. If building renovation continues at the current rate and with the present common policy, between one to over four centuries will be necessary to improve the building stock to the energy level of current new construction. Currently, most present building renovations address isolated building components, such as roofs, façades or heating systems. This often results in inefficient and in the end expensive solutions, without an appropriate long term energy reduction. Optimal results can not be achieved by single renovation measures and new problems could arise, including local condensation or overheating. The objectives are the development and demonstration of an innovative whole building renovation concept for typical apartment buildings based on: Prototype, prefabricated roof systems with integrated HVAC, hot water and solar systems, Highly insulated envelopes with integrated new distribution systems for heating, cooling and ventilation. The advantages of these prototypes include: Achieving energy efficiency and comfort for existing apartment buildings comparable to new advanced low energy buildings; Optimised constructions and quality and cost efficiency due to prefabrication; Opportunity to create attractive new living space in the prefabricated attic space and by in-corporating existing balconies into the living space; A quick renewal process with minimised disturbances for the inhabitants. The project will be structured according to the following five research areas: Concept definition and specification; Integrated roof systems; HVAC and solar systems; Façade elements; Monitoring and dissemination.

51. Energy Efficient Communities
Scope The scope of the project covers the design of long-term energy conservation and greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation strategies and their continuous optimisation either on a community level or on the level of a municipal quarter. A holistic approach is decisive for the spectrum of measures that are to be developed – comprehending generation, supply, transport and use/demand of energy and considering short-term as well as long-term measures – in order to ensure the best possible economic efficiency for the community. Another part of this approach is the use of modern management methods using delegation of responsibilities, marketing and conflict resolution, as described in the ALEP (Advanced Local Energy Planning) guidebook of Annex 33. The use of integrated evaluation methods and tools suited to identify an optimised combination of measures that will increase the overall energy chain efficiency in communities ‘from cradle to grave’ will be necessary. During implementation, the improvements should be quantified and monitored using the same tools, as the achieved improvements can be traced using the same energy system model as in the planning phase. The availability and quality of such tools will be verified through the evaluation of existing experiences from case studies. Such an integrated approach is not focused solely an ever-increasing reduction of the energy demand on the one hand or on technologies which improve efficiency or increase the use of alternative energy sources on the other. The real issue is to find the ideal combination of both and to devise a strategy that ensures that these measures will be implemented in practice. Objectives and Benefits The main objective of the project is to use an integrated and multidisciplinary approach as a basis for providing tools, guidelines, recommendations, best-practice examples and background material for designers and decision makers in all fields concerned. This integrated approach will enable communities to set up sustainable and secure urban energy structures and identify the specific actions necessary to reach ambitious GHG-reduction goals. The second objective is to transfer these experiences to other communities and enable them to establish their own local strategy in order to reach their desired sustainability goals. The players addressed by the project are planners, decision makers on urban investments (buildings, infrastructure, commercial estates) and local administrations. The novelty of the approach lies not in technical innovations, as is the case with most other ECBCS projects, but in exploring effective paths that implement these innovations in communities with an increased rate. Research Issues The project will address the following research issues: The energy conservation approach: how to find the economic minimum of energy demand using recent advances in building physics, heating/ventilating innovations and “smart building” potentials The low exergy approach: how to minimize exergy consumption during energy distribution and supply in communities The renewables approach: how to maximize contributions of solar, biomass, geothermal technologies etc. by integrating them into existing or new supply structures. Potentials of existing and novel technologies will be evaluated using new analysis tools. Needs for new developments will be identified. The holistic system approach: evaluation of the dependencies between energy supply and energy demand within the communities and development of a long-term strategy for the system as a whole including distribution. Structure The project will be structured according to the following four research areas: Methods and Design Tools for Energy Efficient Communities; Case-studies I: Local Energy Planning for City Quarters or Neighbourhoods and Implementation; Case Studies II: Integrated Energy Planning for Communities and Implementation Strategies; Knowledge Transfer and Dissemination.

52. Towards Net Zero Energy Solar Buildings
The objective of the project is to study current net-zero, near net-zero and very low energy buildings and to develop a common understanding, a methodology, tools, innovative solutions and industry guidelines. A primary means of achieving this objective is to document and propose practical NZEB demonstration projects, with convincing architectural quality. The projects will aim to equalise their small annual energy needs, cost-effectively, through building integrated heating/cooling systems, power generation and interactions with utilities. The planned outcome of the project is to support the conversion of the NZEB concept from an idea and a 'slogan' into practical reality in the marketplace. It is anticipated that demonstrating and documenting real projects will also lower industry resistance to adoption of these concepts. The joint international research and demonstration activity will address concerns of comparability of performance calculations between building types and communities for different climates in participating countries. The goal is to achieve solution sets that are attractive for broad industry adoption. The scope includes major building types (residential and non-residential), existing and new, for the climatic zones represented by the participating countries. The work will be linked to national activities and will focus on individual buildings, clusters of buildings and small settlements. Research Areas Analysis, Methodologies & Large-Scale Implications Energy Efficiency and Energy Supply, Simulation and Tools Advanced Concepts, Architecture and Design for Non-Residential and Residential Buildings Dissemination

53. Total Energy Use in Buildings: Analysis and Evaluation Methods
One of the most significant barriers for achieving the goal of substantially improving energy efficiency of buildings is the lack of knowledge about the factors determining the real energy use. There is often a significant discrepancy between the designed and the real total energy use in buildings, in which a complex array of factors play a significant role, including the user / occupant behaviour. The reasons for this discrepancy are generally poorly understood, and often have more to do with the role of human behaviour than the building design. The ultimate outcome of this project is strengthening the robust prediction of energy usage in buildings, thus enabling the proper assessment of short- and long-term energy measures, policies, technologies. The main objectives are to: develop a new methodology for analysis of building energy use that makes it possible to investigate the effects of the main influencing factors demonstrate how these data can be used to provide meaningful indicators of energy performance of buildings (for example expression of energy use for different end uses that are generally applicable among different buildings) develop a methodology for performance prediction of energy saving policies and technologies that includes the influence of a number of related factors development of methodologies and technologies for long term monitoring of the energy use in buildings.