GIZ Nexus Project in cooperation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) in Freiburg, the National Housing Authority of Thailand, Chulalongkorn University, and EGS Plan Consultants, organized a series of “Energy Plus Buildings” Workshops and site visits to energy efficient buildings in Bangkok from 15 to 19 August 2016.

With its focus on water, energy, and food security, GIZ Nexus project recognises the importance of decent housing in Asia. A home, where people live, is the concentration of resource consumption – especially energy. This brings about the opportunity to introduce an ambitious yet possible concept of “Energy Plus Buildings/Houses” to Asia.

What is an Energy Plus Building?
An Energy Plus Building is a building which is able to produce more energy than it consumes. On the economic side, not only does an Energy Plus Building reduce the operations cost of the building itself, but also provides the property owner with potential revenue through the sales of electricity to the main grid. Moreover, buildings worldwide consume up to 40 per cent of energy. So there is a huge potential for saving both energy and money on a global scale.

Environmentally, an Energy Plus Building uses renewable (solar) energy, and therefore reduces the consumption of natural resources such as fossil fuels, thus reducing the carbon footprint.

Socially, if the Energy Plus Buildings or Houses can be constructed at a low cost (ie. via incentives from Governments and/or via creative designs from architects and engineers), then on a large scale, society will benefit from having not only a home but also their very own power plant.

Technically, it is particularly difficult to find feasible technologies for Energy Plus Buildings in hot and humid climates. It is easier in Europe where the climate demands a strong component for heating and not only cooling and thus the technology is rather advanced, in particular in Germany, Switzerland and Austria. Discussion in the series of workshops covered extensively the design and technology application to achieve Energy Plus Buildings in Asia.

The first of the series of workshops, held on 15 August 2016 was co-organized by GIZ Nexus and National Housing Authority (NHA) of Thailand at NHA headquarters. The workshop was opened by the Deputy Governor Mr. Chavanintr Promrattanapong. The 50 participants were mainly architects and engineers of NHA along with representatives of a few contractors. Experts from Fraunhofer ISE, EGS Plan and GIZ discussed topics such as the application of renewable energies for buildings, examples and standards for construction in Germany and Thailand, marketing and business opportunities of Energy Plus Houses, and the roles of government agencies like the NHA and other relevant organizations in promoting and supporting Energy Plus Buildings.

The second workshop took place on 17 August at the Faculty of Architecture, Chulalongkorn University. In partnership with the university, GIZ Nexus shifted the focus of Energy Plus Buildings dissemination to students and faculty members. The GIZ Nexus team and the speakers from Fraunhofer ISE and EGS Plan Consultants were welcomed by Deputy Dean of Architecture Faculty, Associate Professor Phanchalath Suriyothin. Leading the discussion, Fraunhofer ISE presented the methodology for realising zero energy buildings, good practices in zero-energy buildings in Germany and Asia, the interaction of building and grid, and the role and importance of education and research.

The third and last workshop took place on 18 August 2016 and was designed to allow the Energy Plus Building concept to reach a wider Asian audience. Participants included representatives from GIZ Nexus partner organizations (UNESCAP, BISCAST), and partner countries and cities (China, Philippines (Naga), Vietnam (Danang), and Thailand (Chiang Mai and Nakhon Ratchasima). Fifteen representatives from private architecture and consulting companies operating both in Thailand and other Asian countries participated in the workshop.

Following the workshops, GIZ Nexus and EGS Plan led site visits on 19 August 2016. The participants had the opportunity to visit the energy-efficient building of Thai Health Promotion Foundation, which combines the concepts of energy efficiency, well-being and Thai culture. The second and last site visit was to the Energy Plus House of Pruksa real estate company. The designers used Pruksa’s existing house design and integrated several German technologies into the house in such a way that the house can produce and store more energy than the house itself needs.