Second Transnational Meeting

For Team GB the DEA project started with a visit to Vienna before heading over to Graz, via the amazing Austrian train network. It was great to see how the cities differ in terms of population, architecture and most importantly the people. We found Graz to be very friendly, and our host partner well prepared – as always. The 2nd project meeting took place in Graz, Austria on 20th – 21st May 2014. In total, 19 participants from Austria, Germany, Slovakia, England and Turkey came together to break the ice, as many of the project partners hadn’t met each other before.

This provided a good opportunity to understand each other’s involvement in the grand scale of things when it comes to energy efficiency, sustainability and issues of Climate Change. The focus of the project was the Domestic Energy Assessment market where people are trained to assess domestic properties, the energy efficiency standards they currently meet, with a view towards using this information to secure funding for energy efficiency, renewable energy technologies, or simply for the purpose of selling / renting the property.

On the second day, a workshop with a local DEA, Mr. Johannes Breitling took place. The workshop was combined with an excursion to the “Haus der Baubiologie” (House of Building Biology) where Mr.Breitling provided a lot of interesting information about thermal insulation, environmental friendly and energy efficient construction materials. An exhibition about these materials and further very informative discussions rounded up the interesting and fruitful project meeting. We have uploaded the video of Mr Breitling on our Blog, as well as some pictures from the tour. All in all, an insightful and valuable project which will surely bode us and our European partners very well for the future.

Funky Renewables, UK

The 2nd project meeting took place in Graz, Austria on 20. and 21. May 2014. 19 participants from Austria, Germany, Slovakia, England and Turkey took the opportunity to discuss different issues on:

• the national trainings for Domestic Energy Assessors 
• the work of the DEA to calculate and to issue the EPC 
• the framework conditions for DEA and 
• the need and content of EPC in the participating countries. 

At the second day of the meeting a workshop with a local DEA, Mr. Johannes Breitling, took place and gave us an excellent overview of the tasks and challenges of an Austrian DEA. The workshop was combined with an excursion to the “Haus der Baubiologie” where a lot of interesting information about thermal insulation, environmental friendly and energy efficient construction materials was given by Mr. Breitling. An exhibition about these materials and further very informative discussions rounded up the interesting and fruitful project meeting.

Cleaner Production Center, Austria

Since Graz is relatively close, we decide to come by car and it was a good choice. Already on the way we enjoyed the views on mountains and nature. We came late to the hotel in center but we noticed difference in prices of gasoline and diesel - they were cheaper by 20 cents than in Slovakia! In the morninig we went straight to the meeting at Bit-training center.

Their premises are very professional and nicely equiped for trainings. Since there were so many people at the meeting, they had make the room "bigger" (by removing the temporary wall). I was quite surprised that that many people were attending our project meeting - but that was good, we could share a lot more from more view points. We shared our results from the first stage of the project. I presented about DEA from Slovakia, we were quite succesfull with the interviews and prepared nice summary. I was surprised to learn there are so many differences among countries in their approach to the matter of Energy Certificates. In UK little requirements, shorter training, many tools and off you go - basically anyone - to measure and record building's data. IN Germany and Slovakia on the other hand, yuo need to study for 6 years to become Construction Engineer, then you have to pass extra training and go for exams full of normatives and standards, so very limited amount of people can be DEA.

We were so exhausted from the comparisons, that we decided to climb/walk after meeting on Schlossberg, where we found astonishing view from the top - where just by chance is a pub/restaurant. So we had a beer or two...or more and in the late eveninig, in the dark streets of Graz center there was an echo of silent songs from Slovak Folk culture... Next morninig we met again, to finish the agenda - we had to reschedule meetings, set the tasks for next period (I accidentaly raised my hand in improper time when they asked who wants to make the summary of the particular analyses and become that person :)) well, it will be nice to prepare the overview.

After all office stuff was done, we moved to special natural Bauhaus where are used interesting effective, modern and also "bio" ways to prepare internal climate of the house that is natural for inhabitants - for example using straw and clay with sidewall heating pipes - and many other ways to avoid unnecessary chemically produced materials used for insulation. Since the owner was a DEA himself, he also gave us a speech about the state of energy assesment in the region. I think the programme was positively enriched by including this visit. I would like to thank our hosts Christoph and Johannes, you did very good job hanlding quite a big group and making our meeting on professional level! I definitelly want to come for a "Schlossberg beer" and the view back to Graz some day again.

Regionálna rozvojová agentúra Turiec, Slovakia

Seit Dezember 2013 beteteiligt sich das BCS an einem internationalen Projekt „DEA - Europe 2013 Leonardo partnership meeting“, das sich mit dem Thema Energieausweis befasst. An ihm sind Experten aus Großbritanien, Österreich, der Slovakai, Portugal und der Türkei beteiligt. In jedem dieser Länder findet ein mehrtägiges Meeting statt in dem sich Energiefachleute über die unterschiedliche Handhabung des Energieausweises austauschen. Es geht darum eine landesbezogene Bestandsaufnahme über die gegenwärtige Ausführung, Inhalte und die Qualifizierungsvoraussetzungen für das Erstellen eines Energieausweises vorzunehmen. Im Ergebnis der Analyse werden Möglichkeiten gesucht eine Vergleichbarkeit des Dokuments im internationalen Maßstab zu gewährleisten.

Im Rahmen des Projektes haben wir die Möglichkeit uns als Einrichtung vorzustellen und unsere Beiträge bezüglich des Umweltschutzes zu präsentieren. Bestandteil der Seminare ist ein reger, länderübergreifender Erfahrungsaustausch über das gesamte Spektrum verschiedener Themen rund um die Energieberatung, die Energiegewinnung, die Energieeinsparung und das Umweltbwußtsein.

Die Projektteilnehmer lernen an den Seminarorten regionale Besonderheiten kennen und besichtigen Objekte in denen effektvolle Maßnahmen für den Umweltschutz praktiziert werden. Auch dadurch erhalten die Energiefachleute neue Anregungen, wie der Umweltschutz weiter verbessert werden kann. Die nächsten Seminare werden in der Türkei, in Deutschland und in Portugal oder der Slovakai folgen.

Bildung-Centre Suedthueringen, Germany