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Unraveling the implementation processes of PEDs: Lesson learned from multiple urban contexts

Gohari, Savis (author), Castro Silvia, Soutullo (author), Ashrafian, Touraj (author), Konstantinou, T. (author), Giancola, Emanuela (author), Prebreza, Bahri (author), Aelenei, Laura (author), Murauskaite, Lina (author), Liu, Mingming (author)

The implementation of Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) is recognized as a promising approach to achieving energy efficiency and reducing the negative environmental impact of climate change through the surplus of local renewable energy generation. However, several barriers to the implementation of PEDs, coupled with the lack of a joint definition...

journal article 2024

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Lower temperature heating integration in the residential building stock:: A review of decision-making parameters for lower-temperature-ready energy renovations

Wahi, P. (author), Konstantinou, T. (author), Tenpierik, M.J. (author), Visscher, H.J. (author)

Lower temperature heating (LTH) involves using the lowest possible supply temperatures to meet residential heating demands, thus supporting the integration of sustainable heating sources and decarbonising the existing residential stock. However, choosing appropriate energy renovation options to prepare existing dwellings for LTH presents...

review 2023

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Evaluating Savings Potentials Using Energy Retrofitting Measures for a Residential Building in Jeddah, KSA

Felimban, Ahmed Abdulazeem (author), Knaack, U. (author), Konstantinou, T. (author)

Residential buildings in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) contribute to nearly half of the overall electricity consumption in the building stock, highlighting their significant role in energy consumption. While an upgraded energy code has been established and enforced for new buildings, existing buildings continue to operate at the same level...

journal article 2023

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Optimal Energy Scheduling of Flexible Industrial Prosumers via Reinforcement Learning

van den Bovenkamp, Nick (author), Giraldo, Juan S. (author), Salazar Duque, Edgar Mauricio (author), Vergara Barrios, P.P. (author), Konstantinou, Charalambos (author), Palensky, P. (author)

This paper introduces an energy management system (EMS) aiming to minimize electricity operating costs using reinforcement learning (RL) with a linear function approximation. The proposed EMS uses a Q-learning with tile coding (QLTC) algorithm and is compared to a deterministic mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) with perfect forecast...

conference paper 2023

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Renovation process challenges and barriers: Addressing the communication and coordination bottlenecks in the zero-energy building renovation workflow in European residential buildings

Prieto Hoces, A.I. (author), Armijos Moya, T.E. (author), Konstantinou, T. (author)

The implementation of Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings (NZEB) renovation packages in Europe needs to be accelerated to meet the current decarbonization goals. To achieve this level of performance, building renovation strategies should shift towards solutions that incorporate a multitude of passive and active components, increasing the complexity...

journal article 2023

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Façades-as-a-Service: The Role of Technology in the Circular Servitisation of the Building Envelope

Azcarate Aguerre, J.F. (author), Klein, T. (author), Konstantinou, T. (author), Veerman, Martijn (author)

The servitisation of the built environment, through the implementation of product–service systems, is considered a promising business strategy to achieve a circular economy transition. This servitisation faces a number of practical challenges, among them the technological readiness and effective integration and application of existing and...

journal article 2022

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A Technical and Energy Performance Approach for the Construction and Operation of the Zero-energy Renovation of a Residential Building in the Netherlands

Konstantinou, T. (author), Boess, S.U. (author)

Accounting for almost 40% of energy consumption in the European Union, the role of the existing building stock is instrumental in the energy transition and the goals for carbon neutrality of the built environment. An effective renovation plan must significantly improve the current energy performance towards a nearly zero-energy level....

conference paper 2022

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Industrialized renovation of the building envelope: realizing the potential to decarbonize the European building stock

Konstantinou, T. (author), Heesbeen, C. (author)

Given the European building stock’s current size and state, its potential to be renovated up to an energy-neutral quality is getting much attention, contributing to energy transition and other sustainable and societal benefits. To tackle this potential, both the number of buildings that undergo renovation and the amount of the resulting energy...

book chapter 2022

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Architectural Photovoltaic Applications: Lessons Learnt and Perceptions from Architects

Haghighi, Z. (author), Dehnavi, Mahboubeh Angali (author), Konstantinou, T. (author), van den Dobbelsteen, A.A.J.F. (author), Klein, T. (author)

Researchers have reported that despite technological development in photovoltaic technology and substantial cost reduction, there is still a narrow interest in architectural photovoltaic applications (APA). Lack of interest is correlated to various bottlenecks, and one of them is a lack of knowledge among architects on the possibilities and...

journal article 2021

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Positive energy districts: Identifying challenges and interdependencies

Krangsås, Savis Gohari (author), Steemers, Koen (author), Konstantinou, T. (author), Soutullo, Silvia (author), Liu, Mingming (author), Giancola, Emanuela (author), Prebreza, Bahri (author), Ashrafian, Touraj (author), Murauskaitė, Lina (author), Maas, Nienke (author)

Positive Energy Districts (PED) are areas within cities that generate more renewable energy than they consume, contributing to cities’ energy system transformation toward carbon neutrality. Since PED is a novel concept, the implementation is very challenging. Within the European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action, which...

journal article 2021

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Building renovation at district level: Lessons learned from international case studies

Rose, Jørgen (author), Domingo-Irigoyen, Silvia (author), Venus, David (author), Konstantinou, T. (author), Mlecnik, E. (author), Almeida, Manuela (author), Teres Zubiaga, J. (author), Johansson, Erik (author), Conci, M. (author), Dalla Mora, Tiziano (author)

Renovation at district scale is a key strategy to reduce CO2 emissions by optimising the implementation of renewable energy sources and taking advantage of economy of scale. This paper focuses on analysing good practice examples on energy renovations at district scale. The paper adapts a qualitative research methodology in four phases, including...

journal article 2021

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Development and Validation of a Roadmap to Assist the Performance-Based Early-Stage Design Process of Adaptive Opaque Facades

Juaristi, Miren (author), Konstantinou, T. (author), Gómez-Acebo, Tomas (author), Monge-Barrio, Aurora (author)

Adaptive Opaque Facades (AOF) is an innovative concept with potential to achieve low carbon energy buildings. However, so far AOF are not integrated in the construction industry. One remarkable issue that designers have when dealing with alternative low-carbon technologies, such as AOF, is the absence of previous built experiences and the lack...

journal article 2020

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The Total Cost of Living in Relation to Energy Efficiency Upgrades in the Dutch, Multi-Residential Building Stock

Konstantinou, T. (author), de Jonge, Tim (author), Oorschot, L.M. (author), El Messlaki, S. (author), van Oel, C.J. (author), Asselbergs, M.F. (author)

Decarbonizing the housing stock is one of the largest challenges in the built environment today, and is getting attention not only from policymakers, but also from social housing corporations, financial and tenants’ organisations. In line with the international Paris-Climate-Change-Conference 2015, Dutch cities and housing associations have...

conference paper 2020

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The relation of energy efficiency upgrades and cost of living, investigated in two cases of multi-residential buildings in the Netherlands

Konstantinou, T. (author), de Jonge, Tim (author), Oorschot, L.M. (author), El Messlaki, S. (author), van Oel, C.J. (author), Asselbergs, M.F. (author)

Purpose: Decarbonising the housing stock is one of the largest challenges in the built environment today, which is getting the attention not only from policymakers but also from social housing corporations, financial organisations and users. In line with the international Paris-Climate-Change-Conference 2015, Dutch cities and housing...

journal article 2020

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Flagships of the Dutch Welfare State in Transformation: A Transformation Framework for Balancing Sustainability and Cultural Values in Energy-Efficient Renovation of Postwar Walk-Up Apartment Buildings

Oorschot, L.M. (author), Spoormans, L.G.K. (author), El Messlaki, S. (author), Konstantinou, T. (author), de Jonge, Tim (author), van Oel, C.J. (author), Asselbergs, M.F. (author), Gruis, V.H. (author), de Jonge, W. (author)

Increasing energy efficiency of the housing stock is one of the largest challenges in the built environment today. In line with the international Paris-Climate-Change-Conference 2015, Dutch municipalities and housing associations have embraced the ambition to achieve carbon neutrality for their social housing stock by 2050. However, most deep...

journal article 2018

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Considering user profiles and occupants’ behaviour on a zero energy renovation strategy for multi-family housing in the Netherlands

Guerra Santin, O. (author), Bosch, H. (author), Budde, P. (author), Konstantinou, T. (author), Boess, S.U. (author), Klein, T. (author), Silvester, S. (author)

A number of facade solutions have been developed in recent years to solve the problem of large-scale renovation of housing. In the Netherlands, housing associations have the ambition to achieve an energy-neutral renovation approach, and so, some aim at energy neutrality. However, few address the complexity of multi-family rental dwellings and...

journal article 2018

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Stakeholders View on Commercial Benefits for Energy Neutral Refurbishment of Let Properties

Greco, Angela (author), Konstantinou, T. (author), Schipper, H.R. (author), Binnekamp, R. (author), Gerritsen, Esther (author), van den Dobbelsteen, A.A.J.F. (author)

In Europe, the DIRECTIVE 2010/31/EU requires increasing the number of nearly zero energy buildings. The existing building stock needs to be included in order to achieve the 2020 EU environmental targets. The main barriers of energy neutral refurbishment of existing non-residential buildings appear to be financial rather than technical, next to a...

conference paper 2017

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A zero-energy refurbishment solution for residential apartment buildings by applying an integrated, prefabricated façade module

Konstantinou, T. (author), Guerra Santin, O. (author), Azcarate Aguerre, J.F. (author), Klein, T. (author), Silvester, S. (author)

The ambition to renovate the post-war building stock to an energy-neutral quality is getting a lot of attention in social housing association and other institutional owners, financial institutions and users. The Energy Agreement for Sustainable Growth indicates that 300.000 dwellings have to be renovated in the Netherlands annually. An effective...

conference paper 2017

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Business case study for the zero energy refurbishment of commercial buildings

Greco, A. (author), Konstantinou, T. (author), Schipper, H.R. (author), Binnekamp, R. (author), Gerritsen, E. (author), de Graaf, R.P. (author), van den Dobbelsteen, A.A.J.F. (author)

Net zero energy is already an ambitious target for several buildings, especially since the DIRECTIVE 2010/31/EU that requires increasing the number of nearly zero energy buildings. The existing commercial building stock needs to be included in order to achieve the 2020 EU environmental targets. The main barriers of zero energy refurbishment of...

conference paper 2016

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An integrated design process for a zero-energy refurbishment prototype for post-war residential buildings in the Netherlands

Konstantinou, T. (author), Klein, T. (author), Guerra Santin, O. (author), Boess, S.U. (author), Silvester, S. (author)

Although refurbishment is a necessary step to reach the ambitious energy and decarbonisation targets for 2020 and 2050, which require an eventual reduction up to 90% in CO2 emissions, the rate of renovation is still relatively low. There is an increasing demand to upgrade both the physical condition and the performance of the building, with the...

conference paper 2015