SocialLowCostFlex - Collaborative flexible low-cost energy supply concepts for social housing

This project aims for feasible low-cost solutions, which allow residents of multi-party houses, with special focus on social housing to profit and participate in the energy transition process and associated trends (e.g. community generation units, exploitation of flexibility). The results of the project are low-cost concepts and business models of community generation units and utilization concepts, tested for their feasibility in a social housing complex. These concepts are based on special requirements of different lifestyles in low-income households and take the framework of social housing such as tenant fluctuation into account.

Short Description

Starting point / motivation

The current energy transition and the rising number of decentralized power generation units involve complex challenges for the current energy system. Different systematic concepts and models, such as local energy communities provide new prospects to overcome these challenges on a local and regional level. Usually, the implementation of these concepts implies substantial costs, which excludes social classes with low income. The transition of the energy system has to be comprehensive and include these social classes. Considering the potential of 900.000 flats of social housing in Austria with a share of 24 % on the total housing market, it is essential to consider low-income social classes. Furthermore, resulting cost such as rising energy prices and rental costs lead to a significant cost increase. Current solutions such as earmarked heating cost allowances selectively improve the situation of some individual, but these actions are no sustainable contribution to the energy system nor to all affected individuals. In order to tap this potential new low-cost solutions are needed.

Contents and goals

Hence, this project aims for feasible low-cost solutions, which allow residents of multi-party houses, with special focus on social housing to profit and participate in the energy transition process and associated trends (e.g. community generation units, exploitation of flexibility).

Methods

Individual requirements, needs and lifestyles are assessed based on a comprehensive user-centred co-creation process (involving focus groups. Workshops and surveys). Sustainable and high acceptability low-cost concepts for community generation units (ElWOG § 16a) for the utilization of existing flexibilities (e.g. hot water storage) with minimal impact will be developed together with residents/users of social housing. Together with external stakeholders and experts cooperation and business models as sustainable measures against a lack of energy will be developed. The viability of these concepts will be validated in simulation and optimization models based on monitoring data from test-households and verified in one housing complex.

Expected results

The result of the project are low-cost concepts and business models of community generation units and utilization concepts, tested for their feasibility in a social housing complex. These concepts are based on special requirements of different lifestyles in low-income households and take the framework of social housing such as tenant fluctuation into account.

Project Partners

Project management

University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien, Competence Area Renewable Energy Systems

Project or cooperation partners

4ward Energy Research GmbH
Wiener Netze GmbH
Avantsmart

Contact Address

University of Applied Sciences Technikum Wien, Competence Area Renewable Energy Systems
DI Frederike Ettwein, MSc.
Standort ENERGYbase, Giefinggasse 6, 1200 Wien
Tel.: +43 1 333 40 77 – 6678
E-Mail: frederike.ettwein@technikum-wien.at
www.technikum-wien.at