Housing association Woonborg has built new residences in two locations in the Netherlands: 36 in Nieuw-Roden, part of the Drenthe municipality, and 32 in Haren, an area in the City of Groningen.
When it came to energy efficiency, the association took into account not only the mandatory NZEB (nearly zero-energy building) standard, but also the ZOM (zero-on-the-meter) standard, which imposes stricter requirements.
To help tenants reduce their energy consumption, the residences are equipped with an energy-saving, KNX-based smart home system from Theben and ThinKnx.
In addition, the IRIS monitoring system from PureDomotica provides valuable insights into energy generation and consumption.
The impact is clear: residents of the completed homes have an increased awareness of their energy consumption and have shown themselves to be more likely to stick within the energy limits.
Tenants of energy-neutral buildings are often hit with an expensive bill for their electricity consumption at the end of the year for various reasons – perhaps because they have installed a jacuzzi, or because they have been keeping the heating on at a steady 24 degrees with the windows open.
The result is that they exceed the amount of energy allocated to them and the PV yield is not enough to cover their needs.
Woonborg wanted to prevent exactly that and relies on ZOM homes, of which a total of 117 have been built over the last five years, with a concept based on heat pumps, ventilation systems, solar collectors and good insulation.
In the process, the association also embarked on the hunt for an additional system designed to encourage lower, more conscious energy consumption by tenants.
