Environment

LIFE & Energy EfficiencyThe EU LIFE Programme

Since 1992, LIFE has contributed to the implementation, updating and development of EU environmen-

tal policy and legislation by co-financing pilot or demonstration projects with European added value.

In the Energy field, LIFE has been continuously supporting innovative projects that upgrade energy

technologies and processes - both in the public and private sectors - all over the EU.

EFFERNERGY This project developed two new insulation products that improve the thermal per-formance of existing buildings:

• An “easy to install” thermal mass panel that can be used inside walls, floors and ceilings, including in existing buildings. This panel, called DuPont Energain, works by absorbing heat in the daytime and releasing it at night, thus evening out temperature fluctuations in buildings and reducing their energy consumption by 20- 60%. For example, a 200 m2 building fitted with these thermal mass panels might save between 4 011 kWh and 6 101 kWh per year depending on its loca-tion in Europe. In independent tests using a house with two identical attics, the panelled attic was up to 7°C cooler in the summer, whilst during he winter the total energy required to keep it at a constant temperature of 20°C was 8% less.

• An insulation system based on two reflective breathable membranes (DuPont Tyvek Enercor) that combines heat loss reduction and weather proofing. If fit-ted with this system, a house with 150 m2 of roof surface and 100 m2 of wall surface could achieve energy savings of 1 542 kWh/yr. This would result in annual economic savings of between €93 and €231.

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Project number: LIFE06 ENV/L/000121Title: EFFERNERGY - Energy Efficient Building SystemsBeneficiary: Du PontContact: Wim Maes Email: Wim.Maes@lux.dupont.comWebsite: http://www.effenergy.dupont.com

EcO-cAMPS This French project, led by the Regional Authority of Aquitaine, conceived and ap-plied a life-cycle approach to the design of campsites and installations. This result-ed in significant energy savings and an overall reduction in environmental impact.

The project selected five campsites that were planning to develop their facilities and provided them with the support of a consultant who guided them through a process of environmental evaluation called the HQE approach. This considered 14 elements of each site, covering eco-design, eco-management, health and comfort, and evaluated performance against indicators. Applying HQE helped the managers to evaluate the environmental impact of their plans, identify areas of weakness and select specific measures to improve performance.

One of the main project actions was the development of a new eco-design for a chalet, which consumed 28% less energy from appliances and 60% less energy for heating. Water consumption was also reduced by 45% and CO2 emissions by 40 tonnes per year. Other aspects of the camp-sites were also re-designed to make them more energy efficient and renewable energy sources were implement-ed where applicable.

INSU-SHELL The INSU-SHELL project proved it is possible to minimise the amount of concrete needed for the construction of the facades of buildings by using a high-tech, thermally insulated textile reinforced concrete (TRC) technology. The new system developed by the LIFE project enables the construction of lighter (by 83%), thin-ner-walled building facades (from 70 mm down to 15 mm) offering a superior performance than comparable materials made out of GRC (glass fibre reinforced concrete) or steel.

The technology was implemented as part of the new building facade of the (IN-NOTEX) textile research centre at RWTH Aachen University in Germany.

In terms of environmental performance the project has shown good results. The savings achieved in the concrete fabrication and transport as a result of the reduc-tion in the volume of the façade translated to a reduction of the global warming potential of the product by 55% and to CO2 savings of approximately 80 kg/m².

Taking into account the energy footprint for maintenance and recycling of the TRC material, the beneficiary estimates a similar daily energy use to a conventional facade.

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GREEN bEARINGS The GREEN BEARINGS initiative has developed a new and more environmentally-friendly range of bearings, with the potential for significant impact across Europe. The project introduced new sealing (hard seal coatings, counterface coatings and surface design) and lubrication (avoiding re-lubrication) technologies for high per-formance bearings, as well as the use of lighter elements (polymers).

The economic benefits of the new bearings are linked to substantial energy sav-ings (of 30-70%), reduced lubricant use and longer product lifespan, as well as low investment costs. The beneficiary also highlights a very good environmental cost/benefit ratio because its energy-efficient bearings can be used in almost all processes and products where bearings are required.

The project beneficiary has a 20% market share in Europe and estimates that if 50% of its customers switched to the new bearings, the net results would be:

• A reduction of energy consumption of 4 000 GWh/yr;

• A reduction of lubricant disposal of 400 000 tonnes/yr; and per year; and

• A reduction of disposal of waste lubricants of 4 million tonnes/yr.

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Project number: LIFE04 ENV/FR/000321Title: ECO-CAMPS - Eco-design and eco-engineering of buildings, amenities and accommodations in campsitesBeneficiary: Conseil Régional d’AquitaineContact: Jean-Christophe Le Breton Email: jean-christophe.lebreton@aquitaine.frWebsite: http://ecocamps.aquitaine.fr/

Project number: LIFE06 ENV/D/000471Title: INSU-SHELL - Environmentally Friendly Facade Elements made of thermal insulated Textile Reinforced ConcreteBeneficiary: Rheinisch - Westfaelische Technische Hochschule AachenContact: Thomas Gries Email: ita@ita.rwth-aachen.deWebsite: http://www.life-insushell.de/

Project number: LIFE06 ENV/NL/000176Title: Green Bearings - Demonstrating innovative technologies that significantly improve the environmental performance of bearingsBeneficiary: SKF B.V.Contact: Henk Van Esch Email: stathis.ioannides@skf.comWebsite: http://www.skf.com/portal/skf/home/sustainability?contentId=774005

Visit the LIFE website: www.ec.europa.eu/environment/life

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