At Ingenium and Industrium, our energy experts conduct many studies to make existing and new buildings and sites as sustainable as possible. In this article, we list some interesting possibilities for your building.
First, there is the mandatory feasibility study of alternative techniques. This study is imposed by the Flemish Government for new buildings with a useful floor area of more than 1,000 m². In it, we investigate a number of alternative sustainable techniques such as heat pumps, solar panels, biomass heating, ... depending on the type of building. At the client's request, we can also go beyond the minimum legal requirements for this study and can list a lot of sustainability scenarios, up to, for example, climate-neutral buildings, ready for the future and ready for the phasing out of fossil fuels.
In an energy audit, we provide a more in-depth understanding of the energy consumption of an existing building, site or process in order to arrive at an energy allocation. We then look for interesting opportunities to reduce this specific energy consumption and make it more sustainable.
Through a feasibility study, we investigate the potential energy savings and profitability of one or more agreed specific energy-saving interventions, such as, for example, replacement of the building's joinery, integration of a heat pump, recuperation of residual heat present, installation of solar panels on the roof or on residual space,... In this type of study, we can also look at the effects on the comfort of the building users, for example, on the basis of a dynamic building simulation.
In an energy master plan, we go much further. In it, we set out a vision for existing buildings or sites to expand the existing infrastructure (heating, cooling, ventilation, SWW production, electrical infrastructure, etc.) in an orderly and sustainable manner. We create a phased roadmap on how to achieve this goal step by step. Expansion plans of a building or site often offer important opportunities to also realize a sustainable vision for the existing buildings. We first clarify the goal and map out the current installations and energy consumption. Then we look very broadly at the possibilities of the building envelope, phased adaptation or replacement of the existing installations, reuse of residual heat, integration of local renewable energy, linking opportunities with surrounding buildings or sites, ... Finally, we link an investment plan to this, and determine the energetic and financial potential of this roadmap. Also for new buildings, sites, city districts, ... we provide advice on the conception of (phased) sustainable technical infrastructure.
For both new construction and existing buildings or sites, we can also look specifically at what the possibilities are for completely fossil-free heating and the necessary steps towards this (fossil-free heating study), or more broadly at how a building could be CO2 neutral (CO2 neutrality study).
An energy plan is a mandatory study for energy-intensive establishments with annual primary energy consumption exceeding 0.1 PJ. This energy plan must be updated every four years. In this type of study, we identify current facilities and energy consumption. We propose measures that reduce energy consumption, and determine their energy savings and cost-effectiveness. The highly cost-effective energy-saving measures must also be implemented on a mandatory basis.
If an energy-intensive site anticipates a change with an annual primary consumption of 10 TJ, then an energy study is also required for this change in order to demonstrate that this change is done as sustainably as possible. Ingenium and Industrium have a number of accepted energy experts for this type of study.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg of what we all do! Each study of any type is carefully customized for you and is highly dependent on the local context, the sector, the type and age of the building or site and the client's specific request.
Feel free to contact our energy experts for more information. They will be happy to work with you to make your buildings or site more sustainable with a study tailored to your needs.
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