CENER and MIYABI win the national tender to develop energy certification procedures for buildings

18 September 2009

The National Government finalises the regulation that will force all buildings to have energy certification.

The consortium comprised of CENER and MIYABI, which also has the participation of CENIFER (National Integrated Renewable Energy Training Centre), has been awarded the public tender called by the Ministry of Industry to develop energy certification procedures for buildings in Spain. To explain the details of these procedures, Begoña Urien, director general for Enterprise of the Government of Navarra, José Javier Armendáriz, managing director of CENER, and Miguel Angel Pascual, director of MIYABI, a public corporation whose main activity is focused on energy in buildings, have intervened in the press conference.

The public tender was called by the Ministry of Industry, through the Institute for Energy Diversification and Saving (IDEA). 17 groups, comprised of enterprises, technology centres and universities of Spain have taken part. The IDEA has awarded this tender to the consortium comprised of CENER and MIYABI. These organisations have designed the method and computer program that will be used for the energy certification of already constructed blocks of houses, offices and utilities in Spain.

It is a known fact that from 2007 onwards all newly constructed buildings in Spain must incorporate energy saving measures and have energy certification. Furthermore, the National Government, pursuant to community directives on this issue, is finalising the regulation that forces already existing buildings to also have energy certification. This certification is similar to the certification that already exists for household appliances, which have levels A-G to certify efficiency degrees and it will enter into force at the end of 2009 or beginning of 2010. This regulation will establish, for example, the obligation to have certification to be able to sell or rent a house.

The fact that CENER and MIYABI have been awarded the certification procedures is important on a social, economic and environmental level, due to different aspects:

• 1. The scope of the awarding, which covers flats, offices, businesses or hospitals all over the country. (In agreement with the data of the Bank of Spain, the existing pool of flats alone in Spain reaches 25.5 million houses).
• 2. The residential and utilities sector represents 30% the final energy consumption expenditure in Spain (source: IDAE). Hence, the importance, of having a bearing on the measures for efficient energy use in this area.
• 3. The application of saving measures in buildings will lead to the generation of economic activity and employment in different sectors. MIYABI foresees that the energy certification process of buildings in Spain may represent the creation of 30,000 jobs, just in the case of the certifiers. (The building certifiers will be trained using a system implemented by CENIFER).
• 4. This awarding reinforces Navarra’ position as leader in renewable energies and saving, two of the main cornerstones of the energy policy of the Government of Navarra over the last few years.

Computer tool

This is practical, quick and simple software that helps obtain the energy qualification of the building and conduct a study of the most efficient energy saving measures in each case. The professionals of the sector will be able to immediately conduct a study of the most efficient measures for the target building in order to improve its qualification and reduce CO2 emissions. Thus, the application becomes a dynamic guide of specific recommendations for the target building.

CENER

The National Renewable Energy Centre of Spain is a technology centre specialised in applied research and the development and promotion of renewable energies. CENER has more than 200 researchers, carrying out activities on the five continents. The Board of trustees is comprised of the Ministry of Science and Innovation, the Research Centre for Energy, Environment and Technology (CIEMAT), the Ministry of Industry and the Government of Navarra.

It performs its activity in six work areas in the field of wind, solar thermal and solar photovoltaic energies, biomass, energy in buildings and renewable energy grid integration. Its headquarters are located in the Ciudad de la Innovación (Innovation Centre), in Sarriguren, although it has offices in other locations in Spain. It has modern accredited laboratories and facilities in Europe, as is the case of the Wind Turbine Test Laboratory (located in Sangüesa), a biomass laboratory, a thermal collector and photovoltaic module test laboratory, as well as a photovoltaic cell materials and processes laboratory.

CENER is currently developing an experimental second generation biofuel plant. The installation of the thermochemical treatment of biomass has already started and the design of the gasification and synthesis phases is well-advanced.

MIYABI

Miyabi is a public corporation attached to the Government of Navarra and in which it has a stake through Sodena. Founded in the year 2001, the corporate purpose of the enterprise is the promotion of energy efficiency, the rational use of energy and the integration of renewables in houses and bioclimatic urban spaces designed with a view to obtaining a sustainable energy system, at the same time as it maintains the equilibrium of the ecosystems and promotes economic development.