Image
Execution of energy planning for building procurement
Published on 12 July 2021
Finland
Länsi-Suomi
This is the good practice's implementation level. It can be national, regional or local.
About this good practice
New constructions require planning and modelling for energy use, which often meet strict environmental criteria. Procuring process must meet these expectations, and here the planning was based on simulations and multi-objective optimization process for the whole life cycle of an energy-intensive building complex, including a public swimming hall. Time frame was set for 25 years. The process gave valuable support for the procurement process. Both energy consumption and LCC were evaluated for the building complex. Optimized measures focused on both energy efficiency of the building envelope and energy performance of the HVAC and building services systems. The optimization work helped city of Rauma to select cost-effective and low-energy consumption options for the separate tendering of energy efficiency systems of the building complex. Beneficiaries are city of Rauma and all tax-paying Rauma inhabitants.
Expert opinion
The EC Communication “Public Procurement for a Better Environment” set an indicative target that, by 2010, 50% of all public tendering procedures should be green in the EU, where “green” means compliant with endorsed common core EU GPP criteria for ten priority product/service groups including construction. This good practice from Rauma (FI) shows how LCA modeling can serve as a decision support in a procurement situation and help administrations with the implementation of green procurement. Modeling LCA for a building to be procured helps assess the environmental impacts over its entire life time and informs the tendering process. It is excellent to provide tendering authorities with this information upfront. The practice should be applied by all public construction tenders all over Europe.
Works at
Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform
Resources needed
One consultant (Granlund Ltd) was utilised for calculations. MOBO energy optimization tool (Palonen et al., 2013; developed by Aalto Univ. & VTT, Finland) was used.
Evidence of success
Several options for potential energy savings with economic savings were found through optimization process. LCA and LCC were utilised in evaluations. By selected options, 40% energy savings were obtained (214t CO2/year). By Investing into energy efficiency, 25 years’ time frame, city saves over 1,7 m€. The simulation study clearly shows, how e.g. the initial higher investment costs (for e.g. solar panels, and heat exchanger systems) result finally in diminished LC and energy costs.
Potential for learning or transfer
The practice shows how a complex public procurement process can be greatly facilitated even for very complex environment, to meet the requirements for low energy consumption, cost-effectiveness and material efficiency. Simulations and modelling with a long period, by considering all aspects of a building life cycle as a guiding document, results in significant cost savings for the municipality, and results in beneficial environmental impacts. Political decision-making will be much easier, when LCA-based calculations are investigated. This way the decisions can be based on facts and on as accurate calculation results as possible using modern and sophisticated simulation and optimization methods, such as multi-objective optimization.
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Organisation
City of Rauma
Finland
Länsi-Suomi
Contact
circular economy specialist