The building sector in Norway is consuming 40 percent of the energy and 40 percent of the materials. Globally, dwellings are contributing to 30 percent of the global energy use and 21 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions.

Both simple and more comprehensive measures can drastically reduce the energy use and emissions connected to buildings. Energy saving projects in the building sector is the cheapest measure in order to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions, and most of them are even profittable.

Isolation, energy efficient windows, ventilation with energy recovery, solar heaters, heat pumps, solar shadowing and control systems for the energy use is just some examples of measures to reduce the energy use in buildings

Thermal energy from the surroundings can be utilised with the aid of a heat pump. Heat sources include outdoor air, ventilation air, background heating (mountains/ground water), ground-source heat, sea water, lakes and rivers.

Research at NTNU, SINTEF and IFE
A division in SINTEF Energy Research is responsible for managing Norway's work in The International Energy Agency Heat Pump Programme Annex 29 "Ground-Source Heat Pump Systems Overcoming Technical and Market Barriers" (2004-2007). Ground-source heat is a generic term for the withdrawal and storage of low temperature thermal energy in bedrock, ground water and earth.

There is growing interest in ground-source heat in Norway. In 2005, for example, Europe's largest thermal energy storage in mountain was completed in Nydalen. New information about energy wells in the mountains has evoked renewed interest in heat pumps in larger buildings, in particular due to the fact that the systems are effective in both delivering heat and cooling.

More information ZEB - The research Centre on Zero Emission Buildings - NTNU
Ground-Source Heat Pumps
Terrestrial heat, SINTEF
Geological survey of Norway (NGU)

Contacts
Professor Kai Nielsen, +47 73 59 48 49
Researcher Jørn Stene, +47 95 06 86 60

SFFE participates in:

Zero Emission Buildings (ZEB)