Explore opportunities to implement renewables in the rehabilitation of social housing in the Basque Country

2025/08/06 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Arkitektura
• Giza zientziak
• Energia
• Energia berriztagarriak
• Berdintasuna

In the rehabilitation of social rental houses in the Basque Country, the ENEDI group of the UPV/EHU has identified which buildings are best suited to combine photovoltaic energy with heat pumps. The research has been based on the Basque Government’s Zero Plan, also taking into account the technologies that the European Union wants to promote. It is concluded that, in general, the buildings of Álava provide the greatest opportunity for the implementation of the system.

In fact, buildings account for 40% of total energy consumption. Under the current European legislation on construction, rehabilitation actions based on renewable energies are required to achieve energy and climate objectives. The EAE public rental park has more than 7,600 dwellings in which the ENEDI research team has studied the possibility of implementing hybrid systems (photovoltaic technology and heat pumps).

In these hybrid systems, the electricity generated in the rooftop photovoltaic panels is used to power the heat pumps. In turn, heat pumps, using the heat from the air, and through a thermodynamic refrigeration cycle, transfer heat to the radiators. In public rental buildings, the goal is to centralize the thermal demand and distribute it from the heat pump to the entire building.

For this, it has been found that the most suitable buildings are in Álava. In fact, in Álava, in general, the buildings are not very tall, have greater access to solar energy and have less thermal demand. Therefore, they conclude that the proposed hybridization is very suitable for the energy rehabilitation of social rental buildings of this type.

The methodology they have created is also applicable in other places, and they anticipate that they also intend to improve it by introducing other variables, such as the water heating system.