Yesterday, November 20, 2023, the Regional Energy Agency North, as part of the activities within the nZEB Ready project organized an expert conference titled “nZEB becomes ZEB” with the aim of informing and educating the professional public about the transition from the existing nZEB standard to the zero-emission building standard.
In addition to the professional audience, the event brought together representatives from the academic community in the fields of civil engineering and electrical engineering. Professor Bojan Milovanovic from the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Zagreb delivered a lecture on the principles of nZEB and CO2 in the life cycle, emphasizing the role of thermal bridges in the quality of executed works, airtightness, thermal insulation of the building envelope. Mirna Grzanic, an associate professor from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing in Zagreb, gave a presentation on Energy Communities of Citizens and Communities of Renewable Energy, introducing conference participants to examples of established energy communities, challenges in their establishment and operation.
Tomislav Hlevnjak, an energy advisor at REA North, spoke about the application of geothermal energy in construction, highlighting the accessibility of geothermal energy, the use of artificial intelligence in its research, and the cost-effectiveness of investing in geothermal energy.
Tanja Herr from the company Fibran delivered a lecture on innovative solutions for green flat roofs, such as photovoltaic systems, the positive effects and components of green roofs, and the most suitable plants for planting on a green roof.
Accompanied by their professors, students from the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Zagreb and students from the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University North attended the conference.
They were introduced to the advantages and specificities of nZEB construction through demonstration elements such as a mobile nZEB house and a study visit to nZEB buildings in the KAMPUS area, gaining real experience with nZEB buildings.
During the study visit to nZEB buildings in the KAMPUS area, students were introduced to the use of drones in planning the installation of a photovoltaic power plant, an electric car, and an electric bicycle.
In the final part of the expert conference, a panel discussion “nZEB Becomes ZEB” was held, with the participation of Tomislav Capuder from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing in Zagreb, Bojan Milovanovic from the Faculty of Civil Engineering in Zagreb, and the director of REA North, Ivan Simic. The discussion was moderated by Tin Basic, the editor of the portal Zgradonačelnik.hr.
Panel participants discussed the challenges of energy renovation of buildings in terms of the lack of qualified workforce, the quality of executed works, and the set of EU goals for energy renovation.