Tabula project in energy efficiency.

Tabula is a European funded project by the European Intelligent Energy program based on the Energy Efficiency.

We find it interesting to rescue and remember a project international that at the time had a lot of repercussion based in the Energy Efficiency of Residential Buildings and that in today is so fashionable.

What is Tabula?

The EEI-TABULA project is at a European level. Each country participant established a typological classification of the buildings constituted according to their characteristics energetic. The project focused mainly in residential buildings, but also non-residential are included. Each model building represents a certain construction period and a building size of each country. The main result of the project is a tool interactive web that allows the use of classification typology established for different applications such as example, energy advice, the evaluation of a portfolio of buildings, the evaluation of the building stock of a country or the comparison of the different stocks of buildings between different European countries.

What is the typological classification of buildings?

In the TABULA project in efficiency energy, special emphasis is placed on the energy evaluation of buildings and in improving their efficiency, thus In this way, the concept of project typology focuses on the parameters related to energy consumption, the main ones are:

1. Period of construction of the building
2. Building Size: Single Family Homes isolated, single-family row houses, buildings multi-family or apartment blocks.

These two parameters constitute the axes of the matrix building typology. There are other parameters in a building that also have an influence on the consumption of energy and that should be considered in the classification:

1. Type and age of equipment air conditioning.
2. Regional location: The energy-related building features may vary from region to region. With this section, those Countries that have a wide range of climatic zones can make a distinction between the different regions either adding special classes or establishing typologies complete for each region.

The structure and characteristics of the typologies of each country are set out as follows:

1. A “Matrix of buildings” that gives an overview of the types established in the classification.
2. A “individual file” for each building type in which the properties are reflected thermal (type of construction, transmittances of the thermal envelope, air conditioning systems); measures appropriate savings for each constructive element and the installations (for example the thickness of insulation necessary, new transmittances, air conditioning systems efficient) and potential savings.

Online tool Table

For the TABULA concept, an application has been created in line aimed at energy efficiency experts from buildings all over Europe. The tool offers the option of interactively explore the different features of residential building typologies and understand easily the calculation procedure used.

TABULA's web tool complies with the following functions:

1. Display of the typological classifications of the different countries.
2. Query the characteristics assigned to each type of building, both the construction characteristics and the heating and domestic hot water systems that have been assigned.
3. Calculation of the demand and energy consumption of each building type from the common calculation method established and from the calibration established for each country according to the available data.
4. Calculation of energy savings for each type of building in relation to two levels of energy improvement measures, a standard level and an advanced level.
5. Possibility of variations within each type depending on of construction systems and facilities assigned.

The tool is available at the following link… &-typology.eu/

How can typologies be used established in TABULA?

1. Use in the field of counseling energetic

A building typology can be used by the consultants for initial energy advice to homeowners as an overview of the energy efficiency of a building similar to yours. Besides, the typologies can be used as a set of buildings example within software comparison studies or for the evaluation of grant programs.

2. Use in the economic evaluation of a portfolio of buildings

A building typology classification is an instrument useful for real estate companies looking to evaluate the energy efficiency of its portfolio of buildings. offers the ability to provide a wide range of information for different types of buildings and assess their impact on the population.

3. Use in the evaluation of the building stock residence of a country

A typological classification at the national level can be use as a model to approximate the energy consumption of the residential building stock of a country. For this it would be need to know:

1. Frequency of the different typologies and facilities;
2. Frequency of rehabilitation measures adopted in each country;
3. Current consumption of the housing stock for compare it with the calculated values.

Publications

The complete list of publications made in the framework of the TABULA project is available at…HERE.

In the framework of the TABULA project, in May 2012, an held an international symposium on building typologies. The presentations of the speakers can be found at