The residential sector has a key role to play in the energy transition: almost 27 percent of Austria’s total energy consumption in 2021 were accounted for by the electricity, heating, and hot water needs of households. In order to achieve a noticeable reduction in energy consumption, it is therefore essential to increase the renovation rate.

AEE INTEC, one of the founding institutes of the RENOWAVE.AT cooperative, launched the “Reallabor Gebäude” project together with the Österreichische Wohnbaugenossenschaft (ÖWG) and StadtLABOR Graz. The aim of the project, which started in autumn 2022, is to develop a comprehensive refurbishment concept for a pilot ÖWG property that can subsequently be applied to the entire ÖWG portfolio. This is intended to significantly reduce energy consumption while creating climate-neutral, needs-based, and affordable housing.

The ÖWG owns a total of 1,100 properties and about 16,000 flats, of which only 20 to 30 percent are currently renovated to various degrees. In order to solve this problem, the renovation concept includes the following points:

• decarbonisation of heat and power supply including monitoring
• green and blue infrastructure
• potential for redevelopment and simultaneous redensification
• material ecology
• sparing use of soil as a resource
• summer heat protection through construction and green infrastructure
• mobility concept
• life cycle considerations

The project also aims to promote climate protection at resident level and strengthen neighbourhood networks by reorienting communication between property management and residents, and through community facilities.

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