The IMPULSE Project (“Integrated Management Support for Energy efficiency in Mediterranean PUblic buiLdings”, introduces a support management system for the integrated planning of energy efficiency interventions in public buildings. The main challenge to be faced is the need for public authorities to design and then implement reliable and affordable Energy Efficiency Plans for their existing building stock, which at a local level leads to integrated Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAP).

The project is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) by 85% and by National Resources (Public Investment Program) by 15%. And it is part of the transnational European Territorial Cooperation Program for the Mediterranean (“Interreg MED 2014-2020”) (http://interreg-med.eu/). And is implemented by the Department of European Programs of the Directorate of Planning, Organization and Informatics in collaboration with the Department of Environment / Directorate of Environment of Rural Development & Trade.

IMPULSE provides extensive actions in the Municipality of Heraklion, as well as in other cities in 5 Mediterranean cities (Elche – Spain, Cannes – France, Ravenna – Italy, Osijek – Croatia, Mostar – Bosnia & Herzegovina). In the final phase of the project, a pilot energy upgrade intervention will be carried out in a properly selected public-municipal building of the city. The aim is to achieve the maximum real energy savings, in the context of an investment of 40,000 euros, and to study in the long run its economic return.

Based on the measurements of energy consumption that will be carried out before and after the intervention in the specific building, important conclusions will be drawn, which will be utilized by the competent bodies for the planning of similar interventions throughout Crete. Thus, it will be possible to prepare studies and carry out energy upgrade projects of public buildings that will combine the maximum possible energy savings / energy efficiency, depending on the type of building (typology), with the lowest possible cost.

The Municipality of Heraklion has already completed the first phase of the project, which concerned the investigation of the stock of buildings owned by it and its categorization into representative Typologies. In this context, scientifically proven technical methods were applied to determine representative Typologies of Municipal Buildings (TPCs) through their categorization based on 7 criteria (type / use of building, year of construction, number of floors, area (m²), type of construction, type of heating system, type of cooling system.) In this context, a total of 83 municipal buildings were studied, 76 of which were categorized into 10 representative typologies. The list of municipal buildings studied is analyzed as follows:

LIST OF MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS

The number of buildings per typology is:

Through this process, a representative building of each typology was selected to carry out economically optimal simulations of energy upgrade measures, in accordance with the relevant European Energy Efficiency Directives (2010/31 / EU and 2012/27 / EU). So, for any representative of the ten typologies have emerged sustainable refurbishment projects which can be implemented, with similar results, in all the buildings of each typology. But also in other similar buildings of other Municipalities of Crete.

The “ambassador buildings with their characteristics, which emerged with the above process are:

The results (typologies, simulation data, measurements, etc.) that will be obtained, for each city, will be organized in a transnational geographical (GIS) information system. Thus, the energy profile of a significant sample of municipal buildings in the Mediterranean will have been mapped and a decision-making tool will have been created for the preparation and implementation of energy upgrade action plans for buildings.

Finally, the project includes the promotion of its results in the technical world of Crete and in the local authorities. With the ultimate goal of its wider use by other local authorities in the context of their business / development planning.

The expected benefits for the Municipality of Heraklion from the project are summarized in:

• Utilization of data and conclusions of the project for energy upgrade interventions in other buildings of the Municipality / other municipalities.
• Compilation of Net metering files (development of photovoltaic systems for the production of energy in order to cover own needs, through the application of energy offset) for the building-representative of each typology.
• Utilization of the acquired knowledge and the tools of the project for the preparation of studies and maturation of energy upgrade projects in the context of realistic Sustainable Energy Action Plans.

Utilization of the methodology and know-how of the project for the creation of an Energy Efficiency Plan (L.4342 / 2015 art.7) in harmonization with the European Directive 2012/27 / EU.