At a press conference held today at the Energy Institute Hrvoje Požar in Zagreb, the completion of the project ‘Establishment of a National Training Center for Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings (nZEB)’ was marked – a platform for education, knowledge exchange, and experience sharing, aimed at encompassing and educating all stakeholders involved in building renovation and demonstrating the benefits of building renovation according to the nZEB standard (English: nearly zero-energy building) through a pilot action. The pilot action is the Institute’s building, which in September 2023, when the first cycle of education began, initiated the first phase of comprehensive renovation aimed at achieving the nZEB standard and has recently been completed. This has allowed the Energy Institute Hrvoje Požar building to enter the green and digital transition, and with the opening of the nZEB training center, one of the significant chapters of the Institute (which celebrates 30 years of existence this year) in the field of energy efficiency and transfer to smart technologies in construction begins.
– A photovoltaic power plant with an installed capacity of 50 kW has been installed on the roof of the building, which will provide us with 30 percent of the necessary energy for new heating, cooling, and lighting systems, achieving a total energy cost saving of 65 percent for heating and cooling. All technical systems have been replaced and digitized, and a new automation system has been introduced based on space occupancy and comfort parameters, such as temperature, CO2 concentration, and humidity – emphasized Dražen Jakšić, director of the Energy Institute Hrvoje Požar, presenting the results of the project implementation, challenges, and future plans for the training center. He highlighted that the new building management and automation system will enable the Institute to monitor energy consumption and influencing factors, understand their correlation, and conduct targeted analyses, which will enhance the Institute’s professional work as it will have a kind of ‘living laboratory’. The conclusions of the analyses will be regularly published by the Institute to the professional and general public.
“Due to the situation in the construction market, as well as the installation of certain elements that go beyond the project framework, the costs of the entire investment have increased. We have learned a lot from our own example, gained better insight into administrative procedures, and the actual costs of comprehensive renovation. We will continue with education in the training center, as well as promoting technologies for green and energy transition through strengthening support and consulting services in this area,” said the director of the Institute, announcing that the next phase of this project involves the installation of an electric vehicle charging station, a battery energy storage system, and heat pumps for heating and cooling. The goal, he emphasized, is to achieve a zero-emission building by 2030.
The renovation project of the Institute’s building also involved the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the University of Zagreb, and Prof. Dr. Stjepan Lakušić, rector of the University of Zagreb, stated that the nZEB project is an excellent blend of cooperation between the academic community and the economy. – By 2030, we must renovate 20 million square meters of residential buildings and 10 million square meters of non-residential buildings, ensuring they meet safety criteria. Even if we manage to renovate all 30 million square meters, we need 25,000 workers, educated and trained to work in the relevant sector. Only through cooperation between the academic community and the economy can we achieve this. This training center is one of the levers of development where this is being proven – said Lakušić. The Minister of Regional Development and EU Funds, Šime Erlić, also addressed the attendees, emphasizing that this project, as well as the Institute itself, is a ‘beacon of green transition in Croatia’.
