Small to Medium Enterprises will invest, innovate and create new jobs as demand for Energiesprong retrofits grows. This is the message from two early phase solution providers, Melius Homes in the UK and Operene in France. The excitement all started when Operene and Melius Homes team members were invited to Energiesprong site visits in the Netherlands. Seeing social housing refurbished to net zero energy levels, they were inspired to seek similar solutions tailored to their own markets. Melius Homes and Operene both take pride in delivering high performance retrofits for social housing providers. These are small, agile teams, with a passion. Both have adopted an Energiesprong-style energy performance guarantee as part of their holistic retrofit offer. Melius Homes delivered the first award-winning Energiesprong pilot in the UK in late 2017, refurbishing 10 hard to heat homes in Nottingham to make them near net zero energy. Meanwhile, Operene attracted government innovation funding to optimise retrofit solutions for France. Planning for growth Melius Homes is already realising its ambition to design, fabricate and construct new homes and transform existing dwellings. The team continues to innovate and Technical Director David Adams says that they learned a key lesson from the Nottingham pilot. For this first pilot project, co-funded by REMOURBAN, a third party produced the second skin of wall panels used to wrap and insulate the properties. Adams explains the challenge; “We found that we needed to make those panels even more bespoke. And what we recognise is the only way of doing that is actually manufacturing the panels locally, so setting up our own factory to do this and keeping that learning cycle very much within our own business.” Setting up a factory will enable Melius Homes to industrialise, improve performance and drive down costs. Panels will pre-fabricated to the exact size with laser precision, then delivered to site and craned into position for easy fixing, allowing fast installation by fewer on-site workers. Automated cutting will increase the volume and speed of delivery and reduce on-site waste. A highly skilled workforce will be needed to support this more bespoke, more scalable service, including designers, engineers, technical workers and management. Melius Homes plans to recruit between 15 and 25 people. These are jobs that will be particularly welcome in Nottingham where the unemployment rate is more than 3% higher than the UK national average of 4%. Small players playing mayor roles French SME Operene is similarly anticipating growth. It coordinates a network of specialist construction SMEs. Recently it successfully bid to deliver a 10M€ R&D project that will culminate in the renovation of 170+ dwellings. This has attracted the support of ADEME, the French Agency for Environment and Energy Management. Hugo Vigneron, General Manager of Operene, is excited that a network of SMEs has secured government support. He says “We’re really proud to show that it’s not only big companies that can have research and development funding.” One of Vigneron’s observations of big construction companies is that they may be tempted to deliver a ‘cut and paste’ version of a Dutch retrofit, rather than a tailored solution for the local market. This is where Operene’s network of SMEs will come into their own. Each brings a specialism such as insulated facades, windows, low carbon heating solutions or ventilation. They will work together to develop integrated retrofit solutions more suitable for France. R&D for tailored solutions, not cut and paste When the French team saw Energiesprong retrofits in the Netherlands they immediately saw that these would need to be adapted for France. For example, building regulations would not allow polyurethane foam insulation around windows in France. Anticipating higher environmental standards, the embodied energy in materials is also a concern the French team felt should be taken into account. Operene subsequently came up with their Energiesprong-inspired R&D project called ES’OPE . This will be 50/50 funded by ADEME and the companies involved in the project – Chanel Sas, Enertech, Eolya, IRFTS, Lorillard, Operene and Rosaz Energies. ES’OPE will allow new retrofit solutions to be prototyped and tested in the research laboratories of the CEA, then deployed and monitored once in place. The participants will explore light, durable, sustainable products and techniques and will also take into account the whole-life cost of materials including embodied energy. The final phase will involve on-site testing with social housing providers. The plan is to retrofit a mix of individual homes and apartment blocks using the solutions most suitable for rollout across France. Bridging the gap to allow innovation Hugo Vigneron sees government R&D funding creating space to develop and test the best solutions before taking them to market. ES’OPE gives Operene until 2022 to develop their solutions together with its network of six specialised construction firms. Bespoke products are needed and now Operene, like Melius Homes is looking to develop and provide these. Pilot projects provide a vital opportunity to test a model against local commercial realities. David Adams sees European Union funding providing much needed time and space for innovation. He says “European Union funding is allowing us to bridge the gap between that early learning to give us some time to drive the costs down.” Pilot project Longueau, France

Energiesprong UK, hosted by NEF , is looking for the right people to fulfil three different roles. Supply Chain Procurement Manager To develop the supply chain for Energiesprong solutions, to support suppliers to understand Energiesprong, create solutions, and reduce costs. The core elements of this role will include: Establishing a network of specialist contractors and suppliers including consultants (architects, engineers, energy modelling specialists, M & E suppliers or installers, system integrators, component manufacturers) Supporting solution providers and suppliers to develop their business models, plan for cost reduction, helping suppliers to think creatively and to understand risk Running supply chain engagement events and presenting at relevant events Working with solution providers to develop their supply chain, including understanding and testing opportunities for cost reduction through sharing solutions or products (e.g. is procurement for monitoring equipment across all Solution Providers going to save money and if so can we agree a specification?) Establishing key works packages and supply agreements Read the whole job description Renewable Energy Systems Technical Officer To critically appraise the options available for the energy services system, including controls and monitoringto identify requirements for the appointment of suitable specialist contractors. The core elements of this role will include: Appraise the current proposals and options Develop templates, cope of works and technical specification document Identify specialist contractors and how to evaluate proposals/tenders Read the whole job description Roll Out Project Manager To supply solution providers in mobilising and leading the operational delivery of rolling-out Energiesprong solutions. The core elements of this role will include: Mobilising and delivering projects Establishing an effective team for delivery of the project Ensuring project objectives and required outcomes are understood by the team members as appropriate Managing risks and ensuring project objectives and outcomes are achieved Providing regular reports on status of key deliverables to key stakeholders as appropriate Read the whole job description

Housing association Néotoa awarded SOGEA Bretagne (Vinci Group) a contract to design and deliver a pilot project renovating 4 homes in Chateaugiron, near Rennes. The Energiesprong approach will be used to deliver net zero energy, comfortable and affordable homes for all. SOGEA will work with two suppliers, Sylvestre Energie and Euroénergie, who will take care of operations and maintenance from the start. The renovation will start in November 2018. 988 apartments net zero energy ready Meanwhile housing association Est Métropole Habitat and solution provider CITINEA have signed a contract to design and deliver the renovation of 988 apartments in Vaulx-en-Velin, near Lyon. The facades of these apartment will be highly insulated as is requested for net zero energy retrofits. In the future the building might be upgraded to net zero if they unplug from the district heating system and install PV roofs. Although the will is there a net zero energy retrofit is not possible for these apartments at this moment. High quality affordable solutions for high rise are not yet available on the market that is why Energiesprong is looking for good solutions for high rise as well. Dwellings in Chateaugiron

NYSERDA, the organisation that hosts an Energiesprong programme under the name RetrofitNY, announces first contract awards for $30 Million RetrofitNY Initiative. This is a first-of-its-kind energy efficiency program in the U.S. The six winning teams design retrofit solutions for affordable multi-family buildings that achieve or approach near net zero energy. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) announced six design contracts have been awarded to solution provider teams under RetrofitNY’s High-Performance Retrofit Solutions pilot program. The contracts are the initial step for RetrofitNY, a first-of-its-kind program in the U.S. launched earlier this year by Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. The program is intended to create standardized, scalable deep energy-efficient retrofit solutions that can be replicated throughout the entire housing industry and support Governor Cuomo’s goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 40 percent by 2030. Creating scalable energy efficiency solutions for New York’s building stock Alicia Barton, NYSERDA President and CEO said, “RetrofitNY capitalizes on the expertise of building owners and designers for identifying and creating scalable energy efficiency solutions for New York’s building stock that will reduce energy costs and improve the quality of life for residents. Under Governor Cuomo’s clean energy economy, the state is creating opportunities for market-wide transformation and we are thrilled with the market response to the first phase of this innovative energy efficiency program.” The energy efficient retrofit products designed through the RetrofitNY program will offer multi-family buildings cost-effective and efficient means for cutting emissions and reducing their residents’ energy costs while making their homes more comfortable. The six announced contracts are the first step in a two-step competitive application process. Under this process, review committees qualified both solution-provider teams to design high-performance retrofit solutions and multifamily affordable housing buildings to receive the prototype retrofit designs. Each solution-provider team was awarded $75,000 for the design phase of their project, which will last approximately six months. Designs are also required to exclude the use of fossil fuels onsite, and demonstrate that the designs are cost-effective, standardized, scalable and aesthetically pleasing. The winners are The winning contract teams are: The International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology (ICAST):  working with Beacon Communities on a two-story, six-unit building that is part of a six-building campus in Troy. The Levy Partnership:  working with Joint Ownership Entity (JOE) NYC on a six-story, 21-unit building in Harlem. Bright Power:  working with Volmar on a five-story, 42-unit building in the Bronx. SWBR Architects:  working with Conifer Real Estate on a two-story, 24-unit building in Portville in the Western NY Region. King + King Architects:  working with Rock PMC on a two-story, eight-unit building in Phoenix outside Syracuse that is part of a five-building campus. Chris Benedict, RA:  working with RiseBoro Community Partnership on a four-story, 46-unit building in Brooklyn. What is RetrofitNY? RetrofitNY is a $30 million program funded over 10 years and made available through the State's Clean Energy Fund. It intends to bring a substantial portion of New York's affordable housing units to or near net-zero energy over the next decade. Net-zero energy buildings consume no more energy, on an annual basis, than they produce onsite through renewable energy technologies like solar panels or other distributed energy resources. RetrofitNY is based on Energiesprong , which has brought over 5,000 units of affordable housing to net-zero energy with 20,000 more units in the pipeline. The teams’ progress and more information about the RetrofitNY program can found at the NYSERDA  website .

Net zero energy renovations continue to become a reality in France with the Energiesprong E=0 pilot project of Housing Association ICF Habitat Nord-Est in Longueau (Somme), coordinated by Bouygues Construction. On Monday 25 June social housing provider ICF Habitat Nord-Est took visitors behind the scenes of its net zero energy renovation project which consists of 12 upgraded houses in Longueau. It´s the second E=0 project in France using the innovative Energiesprong approach which will enable these social housing units from the 1960s to reach the net zero energy standard, with a 30-year performance guarantee. This pilot operation is co-financed by the Interreg North West Europe E = 0 programme and is supported by ADEME and Caisse des Dépôts. French Minister welcomes the project The French Minister of Ecological Transition and Solidarity Nicolas Hulot welcomes the pilot project . He mentions in a press release that it is a pioneering initiative that is fully in line with the ambitions of the French government's energy renovation plan launched in April. The Minister: " The Energiesprong approach used in Longueau outlines an innovative and ambitious way to meet the ecological and social priority of scaling up housing refurbishment and fighting fuel poverty, which is what the French government’s national housing energy retrofit plan wants to achieve. ​" Working in partnership The 12 houses located in Longueau in the Somme are built in the 1960s and were chosen by ICF Habitat Nord-Est for their orientation, simple architecture and the need for refurbishment in the coming years. Collaboration and innovation are essential for the project to meet the Energiesprong performance standard. A group of partners mobilized by ICF Habitat Nord Est is working to achieve this: Bouygues Bâtiment Grand Ouest, the Ranson Bernier Architecture Studio, Dalkia, Alterea and Pouget Consultants. "The energy performance of housing is a concern for us social landlords and also a key issue for our tenants and for the planet. The Energiesprong approach is innovative in terms of the time and efficiency of the works and the 30-year guarantee. ICF Habitat Nord-Est is proud to be one of the pioneers of this approach that opens the way to new possibilities for low energy renovation" said Christine Richard, General Manager of ICF Habitat Nord-Est. What´s been done? The original facades have been captured digitally, making it possible to design and prefabricate new 40cm thick facades to insulate the houses. These facades have helped lift the Energy Performance Certificate rating of these homes up to A. They were rated D or E before. Heating, controls and solar PV systems are integrated before they are placed on the existing house. All heating equipment is installed outside the house for easy maintenance. Annual electricity production from the solar panels is estimated at 7,000 kWh per dwelling. This covers the electricity consumption of each home. The energy savings achieved make it possible to finance part of the work. There’s also less worry for the tenants thanks to the shorter intervention times and the approach which limits the rise in energy costs, with a guarantee of efficiency for 30 years. Feedback and improvement ICF Habitat Nord-Est’s pilot, coming in the wake of another conducted by Vilogia in Hem , confirms that the Energiesprong approach works in France. The demonstrator projects are helping to point the way to lower-cost retrofit. Now, having shown the concept works both technically and legally, a period of user feedback, improvements and scaling will start, aiming for more renovations across more regions leading to lower costs. The retrofit in Longueau, will be finished in July 2018. The movement is growing The two demonstrator projects in France are part of a larger movement. In October 2017, 36 organisations (including 9 social landlords) signed a charter including a collective commitment to renovate 3,600 homes using the Energiesprong approach, with support from the European H2020 Transition Zero programme. In October 2018, new partners and new solution providers will enter a second phase of this commitment during the HLM conference. The virtuous circle has begun. It is promising, but it needs to grow, with more projects and more territories. After two pilots and 22 renovated homes, France can't match the lower price levels reached in the Netherlands yet, but this doesn't surprise - the Dutch didn't achieve these economies of scale until they'd renovated 1000 homes. The E=0 project The E=0 demonstrators in Longueau are part of the Interreg North West Programme funded by the European Union. The E=0 project supports the deployment of a first wave of pilots in the UK, France and Luxembourg, and is expected to lead to a larger volume commitment in these countries and the Netherlands. This support makes it possible to co-finance net zero energy pilot renovations in these countries, to extend the movement in North-West Europe by promoting the sharing of knowledge between partners and to help deploy better solutions over time. For more information see: http://www.nweurope.eu/projects/project-search/e-0-desirable-warm-affordable-homes-for-life/ Read the full article in French https://youtu.be/-SxXahCaCpQ

Advanced Energiesprong whole house home refurbishment is to be piloted in London boroughs. 10 hard to heat homes built between 1950 and 1980 will be renovated, ensuring long-term affordable warmth for the tenants. The Mayor of London, Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance (CNCA) and social housing providers in London are supporting the pilots as part of the Mayor’s Energy for Londoners programme. By carrying out these pilots, the partners hope to learn how the Energiesprong model will work for London and how it can be rolled out more widely. The social housing providers involved are currently consulting with tenants about the improvements that can be offered. New build potential The Dutch experience with Energiesprong suggests that economies of scale will come with mass roll-out and volume prefabrication. The insulated roof and wall modules used in the refurbishment will be manufactured offsite. Solar panels on the roof will be sufficient to power space heating, hot water and electrical appliances. This approach means that new homes could be built to a similar net zero energy specification. With a need for London to build 66,000 new homes every year to a zero carbon standard, there is significant scope to apply the model to new build housing. Interesting details Domestic buildings are responsible for around 36 per cent of London’s total CO2 emissions. A quarter of London’s homes that have been given an Energy Performance Certificate since 2009, have the worst energy ratings of E, F or G. The Mayor of London has set out the ambition of London becoming a zero carbon city by 2050. In his vision, A City for all Londoners, the Mayor committed to developing new approaches to energy efficiency, starting here with the early trial of net zero energy retrofitting of homes. Funding for the pilots The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, secured $169,200 funding from the CNCA and allocated an additional £450,000 of grant funding to the pilots in 2017, which is being matched by participating social housing providers. The pilots take place against a backdrop of strong European Union support for innovative solutions to older hard to heat housing stock. The Energiesprong UK team, through Transition Zero , is helping deliver the right market conditions for 5000 net-zero energy refurbishments in the UK. In 2016, with help from the Greater London Authority, the European Energiesprong team secured €5.4m of Interreg NWE programme funding for E=0 . This will enable partners to run further pilots demonstrating advanced retrofit solutions in the UK, France, the Netherlands, Luxemburg and Germany. Place: London Amount: around £900,000 Housing association: Multiple Solution provider: To be confirmed

Tonight the World Green Building Council has awarded Energiesprong the prestigious David Gottfried Global Green Building Entrepreneurship Award for their unique and innovative contribution to the global green building movement. Jasper van den Munckhof, Founding Director of Energiesprong received the award from Lisa Bate, Vice-Chair of WorldGBC at the Awards Gala reception in Toronto, as part of the 'Building Lasting Change 2018 with WorldGBC Congress Canada'. Driving the global transformation to net zero building stock worldwide The WorldGBC’s David Gottfried Award recognises individuals whose contributions have been particularly pioneering, displaying an entrepreneurism that has helped to transform or advance the green building mission. David Gottfried was an entrepreneur who originally helped form the World Green Building Council and the US Green Building Council. Energiesprong is chosen as this year’s winner. WorldGBC is inspired by the leadership that is demonstrated in driving the global transformation towards a net zero building stock by setting a new industry standard for super energy efficient home refurbishments. Tai Lee Siang, Chairman of WorldGBC, said: “I am truly inspired by Energiesprong’s role in advancing the global green building movement. We believe that Energiesprong’s model addresses so many previous challenges which have blocked widespread retrofit, and we believe that innovative models such as this could help us meet our goals of decarbonising the building stock by 2050. I’d like to congratulate Energiesprong on this achievement, and I wish them every success for the future as we continue on our collective journey to deliver green buildings for everyone, everywhere.” Every home needs a retrofit Jasper van den Munckhof, Founding Director of Energiesprong, said at the CaGBC Awards Gala reception in Toronto: “4 million homes per year have to be retrofitted in Europe alone because of maintenance and modernisation needs. Worldwide, every home in the western world needs a retrofit before 2050 regardless of our climate challenges. Energiesprong has the solution for a large portion of the housing stock: upgrade these regular retrofits into quick, affordable high quality net zero energy retrofits. The extra investment to achieve net zero energy is covered by the energy saving. The extra comfort, durability and aesthetics one gets for free. The use of prefabricated elements for the retrofits and IT solutions that are well established in other sectors enables the building sector to industrialise, resulting in a more efficient labour force, higher quality products, faster project delivery and lower costs. This brings a new perspective on reaching our climate goals in the built environment while transforming our homes into more pleasant places to live in.” Energiesprong -  a new global standard? Today, over 4000 net zero energy houses are already in use in the Netherlands. The first prototype projects of 10 performance guaranteed highly energy efficient energy retrofits were completed in both the UK and France. In New York State and Germany, first pilots are in preparation. Italy, Ontario and British Colombia are next areas where Energiesprong market development teams are being set up. By winning this award, Energiesprong joins an illustrious list of previous David Gottfried Award winners following William McDonough and Professor Dr. Michael Braungart, co-creators of the Cradle to Cradle® Design Framework winning it last year. Pierre-André de Chalendar, CEO of Saint Gobain (2016) and Nils Kok, Founder and CEO of GRESB have previously also won the award. Energiesprong International In Europe, currently the Energiesprong market development scale-up has been largely funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and the Interreg North-West Europe programme. Energiesprong is also funded and supported by Greenflex , Climate Works , NYSERDA , NEF , European Climate Foundation , OAK Foundation , dena , German Ministry for Energy (BMWi), Neobuild and Stroomversnelling . Partner meeting with all participating countries in Berlin, May 30

Biense Dijkstra strides purposefully into his factory in an industrial district of Dokkum, a town in the proud province of Friesland in the Netherlands. There stands a gleaming new automated production line. The metallic arms of Robi-One are flashing with movement, a robot that attaches stone veneer. The trusted smell of wood permeates the hall, alongside the shriek of saws and the rapping of hammers. Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits sings: “That ain’t workin’, that’s the way you do it. Money for nothin’ and your chicks for free.” Dijkstra's index finger leads to the first station of the production line for building facades: the framing machine. “It saws by itself, it makes the recesses, it frames and it mills. Exactly according to the drawings. Normally you would see two men leading six carpenters for a station like this. You don't find them here anymore.” “We're following the automobile industry”, says Dijkstra. But it takes practice. Within three weeks the production line will be in full swing, the building group has to upgrade 350 houses. “Currently we produce eight units per day. If we set the machine to 100%, we will reach one unit every 45 minutes.” Such speed is necessary as the Netherlands needs to accelerate its energy transition. According to the Friesian entrepreneur, this requires robots in the building industry. Along with production time, the price also comes down, “man-hours are a high-cost component” says Dijkstra. The idea for a facade robot was already around three years ago. Dijkstra, an enthusiastic Friesian who uses his eyebrows and hands to give weight to his words, was keen to invest, but only if the facades were appropriate for renovation as well as new build. “Otherwise we never would have started with the robot.” This way it makes no difference if a corporation wants to build a new house or upgrade. The building group made a call to H&M Wood – a company from the city of Sneek who produce manufacturing machinery and further invited Smart Robotics to the table. Together, they breathed life into Robi-One. “This is the first robot made this way.” The first seed of Dijkstra's drive to modernise had actually been sewn much earlier. Hennes de Ridder, former professor and pioneer of prefabrication techniques in the building industry, had a hand in the process. De Ridder came to speak at the opening of a new building by Dijkstra Draisma in 2002 in Bolsward. “Hennes explained how badly organised our industry was” Dijkstra reflects fondly. Dijkstra stayed in contact with De Ridder, who continued to challenge and defy building industry norms, just as Jan Willem van de Groep, founder of Stroomversnelling, later did. Dijkstra became convinced, especially when crisis hit Friesland. Dijkstra orients the building group further towards the customer Working “abroad” (outside the provinces outside Friesland) became one of the life buoys. More importantly: Dijkstra oriented the building group further towards the customer. That meant thinking cooperatively with the client. “Design and build suits us well, that is more that 70% of our work these days. Multidisciplinary contracts involving energy, installation, design and construction. We want to work in teams that complement each other and offer each other contracts, we don't work with buyers.” We walk further along the production line, past the stations for insulation and window frames. Suddenly Dijkstra's attention is drawn to a robot further along. The arms of the Robi-One hang still. An employee kneels over a facade that is half clad with a veneer, half prepared with glue. The man has a spatula in his hand. “He is removing glue” observes Dijkstra. Is the robot broken? Teething problems? It proves to be the latter. “That goes with the territory”, Dijkstra walks further. Yet more 'back to the future': The robot can read a drawing, but then who makes the drawing? A drone of course. Dijkstra Draisma has already been experimenting with this. With a 50 or 100 megapixel camera, one pixel in the camera is 1mm in the real world explains Folkert Linnemans, an innovator with Dijkstra Draisma. “We make a point cloud that gets loaded. The frame machine uses this information to make a facade.” Next stop. Outside the factory. In the middle of an asphalt terrain stands a house that was entirely made in the factory, complete with robot facades. “We haven't cleaned it” apologises Dijkstra as we enter. A few days before there was a celebration to open the new factory, glasses were raised to the transportable house. “This one is soon to be relocated to 22 Lombokstraat in Leeuwarden. The home is demountable and can be loaded onto a truck to be reassembled in another location. We have made dry connections, everything is able to be plugged in, the fuse box, the heating centre, we can pull it all apart and put it back together again.” Construction of the dry-stack-system is like stacking lego blocks. The floor is laid and the walls put in place. The prefab toilet with attached kitchen is hoisted into place. The components are secured to each other with a fastening system. 'Cable trees' are plugged in on each floor. Dijkstra offers one word to describe the demountable house and Robi-One: “powerful.” “I am living my dream,” he adds later as we talk further in the office adjacent to the factory. “That all these people here can enjoy doing what they are good at. It is my hobby. When your hobby is your work, what more could you want?” He goes on “this house was erected within two days.” It took five days to demount it. Linnemans comments that this needs improvement, especially the prefab wet cell. “We stood on the side-lines in the development of these prefab components, but we want to move to a more central position in the development, so that we can achieve the quality and production speed we want. The ideal situation is that once things are hoisted into position, someone walks around it and - click, click, click – it is finished. To date, no prefabbers have got this far. You get a half-made product where the builders still have a lot to do.” Dijkstra nods: “Things you can do before hand should not be done on site. Two weeks to completion on location is not what we want anymore.” What will building look like in 2030? Don't ask him The building time will be less of an issue for clients; reusability will be much more interesting for them. Does the owner want to relocate the house after 10 years? That's possible. Pack up, move, reassemble and get on with your life. Dijkstra: “A perfect system, but you have to be honest: You have to tick all the boxes and meet the rules before you can claim that it is circular. We know now that this building is 100% reusable, but actually that is if we think in the short term, because will that also be true after twenty years? Maybe in twenty or thirty years we think: “Shit, actually it should have been electric, oops.” Anyway, nobody can predict the future, including Biense Dijkstra. “I am not a man of the world, I am a practical Friesian with both feet on the ground” What will building look like in 2030? Don't ask him. “No idea. You're better off orienting to what you know now than following what you think will happen and what larger organisations predict.” But the future is circular, that is something Dijkstra is sure of. And everyone in the construction industry is taking the idea and running with it. “That bothers me.” Circular is the new buzzword and corporate teams want to score with it. “The term is sufficiently vague that everyone makes their own thing out of it.” Yes, the NEN is working on standards for it, but the building industry still doesn't have a definition of circular building. So, now there is a rule book for green building, with all concepts listed from A for All electric, to Z for Zero waste. Dijkstra Draisma is also working on something similar for circularity. In a nutshell circularity consists of three phases: 1) Use of reusable materials 2) Actual reuse 3) Auxiliary materials, energy and emission. If the sector won't define the rules of play then we will, thought Dijkstra. “We want to stimulate discussion in the sector.” Why does Biense Dijkstra want to write these sorts of things down? “My father always said that the bluntest point of a pencil is always still sharper than the sharpest memory.” According to his own rules the robot facade is now 83% circular. Soon to be 92%, if they replace the current insulation material with cellulose, which the building company is now testing. The closer they get to 100% the more difficult it gets. Linnemans: “True circularity remains a serious technical challenge. Just think of paint. How often do we use paint in the Netherlands? On just about everything. A requirement of paint is that it doesn't degrade, so there you go. Paint is essentially not a circular product.” Dijkstra: “Products that require high temperatures to make them and break them down also pose a problem. Bricks, insulation materials such as stone wool which requires temperatures of 1500 degrees to make.” Linnemans: “Yes, stone wool is reusable for one or two cycles, but it needs to be infinitely reusable.” Sustainability is in his genes It is blatantly obvious. Dijkstra is obsessed with sustainability. To the extent that he abandoned his trusted political party and voted for the party which, according to him, had “the best sustainability programme.” He admits that sustainability is probably in his genes. His grandparents on his mother's side were farmers from Appelscha, a tiny Friesian village, and pioneers in biodynamic gardening. “I admire how such people dealt with the world. When I was young I thought: you can overdo it. Building a fire because they didn't want to use gas; if you wanted to use the toilet you first had to fetch a bucket of water from the canal. My father, a local village contractor, drove a second hand Mercedes 200 diesel. My grandmother though this was terrible. A capitalist car. My father was the personification of capitalism. I thought: dad doesn't have such a big car. The steel producer from another village has a 300 diesel.” Later he came to the realisation: “Wow – those people were doing great work, they were getting on with things in their own way. Those delicious Dutch donut balls, 'oaljekoeken' as my grandmother in Applescha called them, they were made from their own flour. More delicious than any donut ball I ever tasted. That was because their heart and soul lay in generating sustainable products and circular practices. Practice what you preach. I have respect for that.” Practice what you preach. Dijkstra had to embrace that himself. Two years ago he traded in his two racing cars, Porsches, for his sustainable beliefs. “My only hobby.” Dijkstra raced circuits. “I find it incompatible now, it doesn't fit with sustainability.” Really? Well... he hopes that an electric race car emerges. With a boyish look he shares: “There is already a Tesla race car, but it is quite heavy, 1600kg. Actually a race car shouldn't weigh more than 1100kg so that you can corner hard and brake late. Weight can spell disaster on a circuit.” So sustainability, but also a genuinely better product. With this goal in mind, Dijkstra Draisma is going beyond the installation companies and talking with the manufacturing industry in the Netherlands. They want to interfere with the installation products. Not a single builder has found the holy grail yet That interference is necessary due to the performance guarantee Dijkstra Draisma offers on it's houses and utility buildings. Because it is not just, bang, throw a water pump in and, bang, a ventilation system alongside and, hey presto, it works says Linnemans. No, not a single builder has found the holy grail. Everything is linked together. The cladding on the facade, the heat emission system and the ventilation. If you want to offer good comfort levels you have to test, test and test again. Dijkstra Draisma does that. There has even been a freezer unit hired to test the facades. In addition, seven electrical systems have been put under the spotlight and two collective heating systems. “New build homes should be net zero energy in any case, we shouldn't even be discussing that, and we need to move away from gas. Further, the infrastructure for energy needs to be improved. We need system choices per building, per neighbourhood and per city. You make different choices for different conditions, depending on what is available in the neighbourhood. All electric seems like a good option for the countryside, and district heating networks where that is possible.” Dijkstra Draisma is itself investing in geothermal in Friesland, amongst other things in Leeuwarden. The building group wants to be able to offer heating via a heating network in the city. If the politicians make the choices, and that has to happen says Dijkstra, then the industry can offer its propositions. “Otherwise we'll stay in the pilot phase.” Sounds like an electricity company. Dijkstra doesn't deny it. “If sustainable heating isn't on offer then we need to be bold enough to offer it ourselves. We are not going to take on all of the risk, but we'll beat the drum and get things started.” He happily beats the drum of modernisation, as one of the few in construction who does. But don't put him on a pedestal. “I don't think we're special. I think that it is special that what we are doing now can be seen as so special. It actually indicates that our sector is very traditional. And, let's be honest, that is where our opportunity lies.” First published in Dutch at cobouw.nl by Marc Doodeman Net zero retrofits in Leeuwarden by Building Group Dijkstra Draisma

With our climate goals becoming more challenging as time passes, the call for homes that don’t depend on significant (or any) fossil fuels is more urgent than ever. Further, all over Europe indications are that a lack of construction workers is looming. However, there is a solution that both makes a step towards better energy performance and drives the economy forward by generating a labour force that puts out more economic value per unit. The solution lies in industrialised prefabricated homes and renovation products. Energiesprong, a revolutionary housing standard and funding approach, is pushing this forward. Construction, productivity and a ticking time bomb Studies show that the construction sector trails other industries when it comes to productivity. A study by McKinsey Global Institute summarised this in the following graphic: Mark Farmer came to similar conclusions in his famous analysis of the building industry in the UK. Farmer also points out the problem of a dwindling workforce: “The real ticking ‘time bomb’ is that of the industry’s workforce size and demographic. Based purely on existing workforce age and current levels of new entrant attraction, we could see a 20-25% decline in the available labour force within a decade.” (Mark Farmer 2016) The same trend is noticeable in Western Europe. Meanwhile we can read in McKinsey´s paper that around $10 trillion a year is currently being spent on buildings, infrastructure, and industrial installations, forming the backbone of the global economy. And demand is rising, by 2025 that amount is projected to reach $14 trillion. Clearly if there are less workers and at the same time a growing demand for housing, productivity needs to be dramatically increased. And it can. According to McKinsley the biggest impact on productivity should come from moving toward seeing construction as a production system: where possible encouraging off-site manufacture, minimising on-site construction through the extensive use of pre-cast technology and assembling panels in factories then finishing units on- site. (McKinsey 2017) The same McKinsey study shows that improvement in seven areas can boost productivity by 50 to 60 percent. The seven objectives are: “reshape regulation; rewire the contractual framework to reshape industry dynamics; rethink design and engineering processes; improve procurement and supply-chain management; improve on-site execution; infuse digital technology, new materials, and advanced automation; and reskill the workforce.” Energiesprong as an answer Energiesprong is an example of how to reshape the industry when it comes to housing. In the Netherlands, a government-funded innovation programme was set up work towards transforming housing stock in the country. In response, Energiesprong was born in 2010, and has already set a new standard in the market. Energiesprong is a revolutionary, whole house refurbishment and new build standard and funding approach. Today over 4.000 net zero energy houses (new build (>2000) and retrofit (>2000)) are already in use in the Netherlands. The first 10 performance guaranteed net/near zero energy retrofits have been built in both the UK and France, and in Germany the first pilot is in preparation. The Energiesprong approach creates a new market where integrated net zero energy products are being developed. One of the keys to a fast and economical retrofit (some can do a whole house in 3 days) is to prefabricate the facades and roof with insulation and solar panels integrated into the modules. An energy module then docks with all of the installations. In this way, construction companies work together with the supply chain to be able to offer a complete product. Robi-One does part of the job An example of such a construction company is the Dutch building group Dijkstra Draisma. They have built a whole new factory to make facades and roofs that only need to be hung/placed/connected onsite. Robi-One, a robot that puts the stone strips on the façade, is part of the production line. This machine saws by itself, it makes the recesses, it frames and it mills. “Dijkstra Draisma is following the automobile industry”, says CEO Dijkstra. The building group has taken on a contract to upgrade 350 houses. “Currently we produce eight facades per day. If we set the machine to maximum capacity, we will complete one facade every 45 minutes.” Due to their new innovative products Dijkstra Draisma is able to produce 4 to 5 times more with only twice as many people as before. So with 100% more skilled personnel, their productivity increased by 250 %. Faster, higher standards and less stress These kinds of production processes for low energy housing lead to prefabrication and faster production with higher standards. The Energiesprong approach also requires a performance guarantee from the builders. When compared to the traditional way of retrofitting (without performance guarantee) the quality of retrofits where monitoring is mandatory is significantly higher. In addition to the speed of onsite construction, working with prefabricated elements reduces the chance of mistakes as everything has already been measured and custom made in the factory. This also has a positive impact on tenant experience, as the refurbishment is fast and aims to minimize impact for the residents. New skills needed Designing and manufacturing these kinds of products demands a new kind of skills. While on site you need less workers, a highly skilled workforce is needed inside the factory like designers, engineers, technical workers and management. British construction company Melius Homes was the first in the UK that built 10 net zero energy demonstrators. They have now committed to refurbishing two houses every week in the coming years and are therefore planning to build a factory in the Nottingham area. David Adams, technical director at Melius Homes: “The new factory helps to industrialise the product which will bring the costs down. In addition, it will create around 20-25 new jobs for factory workers, on-site installation workers, an engineer, designer and managers.” A factory like this will be welcome in the Nottingham area where unemployment is 7.3%, relatively high compared to UK average of 4.5%. Some construction pioneers already see the opportunities in the market, but there is still not enough on offer. That’s why housing association Accord in the UK decided to build their own factory. Alan Yates, Executive Commercial Director Accord: “As a housing association with a strong commitment to sustainable housing, we identified the fact that we need new products with high energy performance standards so we can build high quality homes that offer real value for money, quickly and efficiently. This kind of product was not readily available in the market so that´s why we will set up our own factory to produce offsite manufactured houses that meet high energy standards for both new build and retrofits.” Scaling up It will come as no surprise that scaling is key to Energiesprong becoming a force for transformation within the industry. Although Melius is pioneering its approach, they are also aware that this is only a first step in the UK. “We are very excited to have done the first 10 demonstration homes and now even more excited to do the roll-out program starting with 213 more homes over the next 2 years. The most important step is scaling up so that we don't only make pilots (as too often happens).” What is the Energiesprong standard? Annually, an Energieprong house generates sufficient energy to heat the house, provide hot water and power its household appliances (net zero energy). A retrofit (or new build) comes with a long-year performance warranty on both the indoor climate and the energy performance. Money normally spent on energy bills and maintenance work pays for the upgrade. This way, residents get a refreshed, warm and comfortable home at the same (or lower) cost of living. See also http://energiesprong.eu/net-zero-energy-home-makeovers/ The McKinsey Global Institute has studied productivity in more than 20 countries and 30 industries, including construction. All reports are available in the productivity, competitiveness, and growth section of www.mckinsey.com/mgi. The monitoring of the energy performance by the builder is part of an Energiesprong net zero energy retrofit because all homes have a performance guarantee that needs to be verified. Article link monitoring

Last month Factory Zero launched their new iCEM-i - a smart compact energy module that is integrated in the roof. It´s easy to install, small (less than 1m2) and reduces noise nuisance. Factory Zero continually improves and develops smart energy products. No wonder the demand for their products is rising every day. Founded in 2016 they sold 8 modules in 2017, 350 in 2018 and at present forecast sales of 1,500 modules for 2019. The Factory Zero start-up has been established under the Interreg NWE project E=0 and continually improves and develops smart energy products. Factory Zero is a Dutch based incubator that focuses entirely on the development of components for high energy efficient retrofits and new builds. Their smart modules, such as the energy module, make it easy for construction companies to transition to high energy efficient concepts like net zero energy. Smart, small and easy to fit The recently launched new iCEM (Integrated Climate and Energy Module) is not even one metre square and easy to install. The energy module provides a house with a comfortable indoor climate (heating and cooling) and hot water. The module can also be delivered with solar panels for the roof, and all the energy performances are real time monitored. The model fits any existing or new build low-rise dwelling. In the case of new build homes, the installation would not use more power than a coffee machine, even on cold winter days. Another great advantage of this module is that it is integrated in the roof, and this reduces noise to a minimum. Currently 150 modules are placed and many more are to come The kind of products which Factory Zero make pushes forward a building industry that builds highly energy efficient prefabricated house and retrofits. The investment in development is shared with their partners, who are large companies such as Mitsubishi, Brink, Ubbink, BASF and ABB. In this way they are able to offer their products at the most competitive price available on the market. It comes as no surprise that demand for their products is rising every day. Their modules and products have already found their way into 150 homes in the Netherlands and another 1,500 are on order. Made possible by Interreg NWE Factory Zero participates in the Interreg NWE project E=0 . A driving focus of this project regarding the Netherlands is for homeowner associations to find a solid financial construction for NZE refurbishments with a duration of 25 to 30 years. The other main focus of the NWE interreg project E=0 has been to create the start-up and incubator  Factory Zero . Factory Zero works in close cooperation with innovative players in the building supply industry to develop, produce and deliver smart, complete Net Zero Energy systems. Industrial scale solutions, innovation and smart thinking are necessary to get the costs for Net Zero Energy refurbishments down whilst bringing the quality up. Factory Zero is the first start-up that has successfully built an installation module that is not only smaller, better and smarter, it’s also cheaper and it looks great.

Nottingham City Homes Energiesprong project won the prestigious UK Housing Award for Innovation of the Year earlier this week. The UK Housing Awards, run by the Chartered Institute of Housing and Inside Housing, are known as ‘the Oscars of the housing world’ and showcase the very best the sector has to offer. The Innovation award was given in recognition of Nottingham City Homes’ pioneering approach to tackling energy inefficiency in older housing stock to address both climate change and fuel poverty. Ground-breaking approach Nottingham City Homes is the first housing organisation in the country to adopt the ground-breaking Energiesprong approach. The project has radically improved the energy efficiency of ten homes in Sneinton. It upgraded homes with new outside walls and windows, a solar roof, and a state of the art heating system, dramatically reducing household energy bills and making homes warmer and healthier for residents. The construction partner has provided a performance guarantees for real life performance for both indoor comfort and energy use for 30 years. An Energy Plan paid by the tenants to Nottingham City Homes helps to pay for the investment, and tenants will pay no more for their energy than before. The construction partners for Energiesprong in Sneinton were Melius Homes , and the project has been supported and part financed by the REMOURBAN initiative that is developing a pioneering model to show how sustainability can be integrated into the regeneration of towns and cities across the UK. Councillor Dave Liversidge, the City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Energy and Sustainability, said: “It’s a great achievement to have won these awards and testament to the innovation and commitment that Nottingham City Homes has shown to ensure its homes are ready for the zero carbon standards required across the UK by 2050. Proud “Many of our residents live in fuel poverty so creating more energy efficient homes to reduce people’s energy bills is a high priority for us. We’re very excited that Nottingham is at the forefront of this revolutionary approach, which can help tackle both fuel poverty and climate change.” Nick Murphy, Chief Executive of Nottingham City Homes, said, “We’re extremely proud of the work we’ve done in Sneinton, and we intend to roll Energiesprong out to other homes across the city in the coming months and years to make sure that we’re combating fuel poverty and ensuring that more of our residents can benefit from warmer homes.” Ron Van-Erck, Energiesprong’s Head of International market development, said ““A fantastic achievement! We’re delighted Nottingham City Homes and Melius have been recognised for pioneering Energiesprong in the UK - providing desirable, warm affordable homes for life, helping to tackle fuel poverty and climate change. At Energiesprong UK we’re working with social housing and solution providers, policy makers and financers to launch and scale a market for these revolutionary net zero energy homes.” You can find out more about the project by watching this video. https://youtu.be/Es-7k4tl_3Q Nottingham City Homes the arms’ length management organisation (ALMO) that manages and maintains Nottingham City Council’s council homes, also took home the prestigious Landlord of the Year and Outstanding Approach to Tenant Involvement awards. The three awards combined highlight how by embracing new ideas and being tenant led Nottingham City Homes are making a real difference to tenants’ lives.

Good news from the Netherlands regarding the Interreg E=0 project where the MRDH (Metropolitan Region Rotterdam - The Hague) is working together with homeowner associations to forge solutions to finance net zero energy retrofits for people who are members of a homeowner association. Recently the Ministry of the Interior, several provinces and local governments signed a statement of intent to develop a financial model that will help such homeowners to finance the retrofits. This is an important step towards establishing more sustainable housing stock before 2050. In the Netherlands 1,2 million out of the 7 million homeowners are members of a homeowner association. Energy use in these homes covers 20% of national CO2 emissions. Retrofitting these homes to net zero energy will contribute significantly to climate objectives whilst simultaneously boosting and revitalising the urban environment. Building-linked finance Pilot projects in the Netherlands (most of them supported by the  Stroomversnelling ) show that residents are willing to choose a net zero energy retrofit if their cost of living would be the same after the retrofit. This is especially true when it improves their comfort of living and increases the value of their apartments. Building-linked finance can meet all of these criteria with the additional security that the apartment owner will not have to carry the debt if they sell the house before the investment is paid off. These loans are paid for by the costs that are included in the service fee of the homeowner association and are transferrable to future owners in exchange for very low energy bills and great comfort. Breakthrough Several pilots in the Netherlands have already proved that this model is possible. The most difficult aspect to date has been that the finance needs to be guaranteed by local government. The signed statement of intent and resulting development of a financial model with building-linked financing is a big breakthrough. The goal is that homeowner associations are able to get a loan with a national guarantee for a period of 30 years. Such long term loans enable apartments apartments to be retrofitted without increasing the cost of living for homeowners.