Renovation of Older Homes

Skive Municipality participate in the project "Energy renovations of single family houses in the village communities" which is controlled by Energitjenesten Central and East Jutland. The vision of the project is that the existing housing stock in rural areas must become an attractive housing opportunity in the form of healthy, beautiful and climate right family houses. The intention is to create 10 climate right single-family houses in 10 cities – including Skive. These examples will inspire and be the intermediary of the project's vision.

Project description
Energy renovation is defined as a comprehensive renovation of the envelope and optimization of energy using renewable energy in order to store energy to be as CO2 neutral as possible. Depending on the architectural and technical capabilities is the goal that existing single-family houses will be renovated to an energy class, ranging from construction low class 2 for a future low-grade 0 to approx. corresponds to the level of passive-house. 

• The project will initiate a process which is locally based, to deploy 10 + 10 energy renovations of single family houses in rural areas respectively in Skive municipality and North and South Djurs municipalities
• The project will gather local teams of consultants, contractors and craft as well as financial institutions that may sell, plan and execute optimized energy renovations, and thus develop new business areas that can ensure growth and anchor local jobs in the construction industry
• The project will focus on ensuring a positive development of the villages, through beautiful and better living opportunities in rural communities as an alternative to increased (climate incriminating) new buildings and in addition to settlement in cities

The project stands out in particular by not only focusing on the technical and aesthetic challenge after isolating houses for low-level. The project is also based on local homeowners and their assumptions. This means that the project through showing the good example to Danes that it is possible that energy renovate houses for low-energy general class, while maintaining a good architecture. 

The project is based on the local roots, so that energy renovations carried out by a team of local consultants, contractors and financial institutions that provide a comprehensive package to the landlord. The project offers the local team training in the design of packages for integrated construction and energy optimization. The potential for energy renovations of single family houses is big. In the involved municipalities, there are approx. 10,700 single-family houses that are not connected to collective heating or natural gas supply and therefore generally have a large incentive to make an energy renovation. There is thus a large business potential with the possibility of significant job creation in a market which prospectively will have a great export potential. 

The project's high ambition for the minimization of energy consumption requires innovation and development of the participating companies. The economy will be tight, but will be offset by the fact that companies are free to seek professional assistance from a project team and because companies are offered training in the project. 

The project prepares the ground for an increased activity in repairing the area by:

• Increasing the skills levels in the region's construction businesses through free training for the renovation of single family houses in the areas of climate and renewable energy display
• Establishing a permanent cooperative (team) between the participating companies
• Participating companies will be marketed as credible partners
• That the project will be supported by Government decisions on grants for energy renovations

Financing
The project has a total budget of 4,922,000 DKK ex. VAT, which primarily is financed by the project participants and support from self-funding. Project participants are Energitjenesten Center-East Jutland, AplusB, Aarhus Architecture, Institute of Architectural Heritage, Skive municipality, North Djurs, South Djurs Municipality, National Building Research Institute (SBi) and AAU.  

Each building project is supported by 25,000 DDK, but the developer himself must finance the rest. 

Status and results

There are four phases of the project:

1. Project Formulation
2. Project Boot (PR about the project, local citizens' meetings, house visits, inspiration catalogue of technical solutions, training of renovation team, seminar on energy-renovation, the selection of participants)
3. Realization of the construction process (expert support to teams in the construction process, workshops during the construction process, PR at building process, open builders events)
4. Dissemination of results

The first phase is completed, and at August-September 2009, Skive municipality's project starts up. The plan is that the two other municipalities will follow in 2010.