KnowHowHP - Further training of specialists to promote the use of heat pumps in existing apartment buildings to achieve the EU climate targets

Project manager overall project: Energy Institute Vorarlberg EIV

Project manager University of Innsbruck: Fabian Ochs

Project staff: Samuel Breuss, Elisa Venturi, William Monteleone, Alice Tosatto

Project partner:

• Energy Institute Vorarlberg
• University of Innsbruck
• Renowave.at
• Fraunhofer Italia
• CasaClima
• EZA!
• Rosenheim University of Applied Sciences

Funding programme/tender: LIFE-2023-CET- HEATPUMPS (LIFE Clean Energy Transition)

Duration: 01.11.2024 - 31.10.2027

Project 101166831 - LIFE23-CET-KnowHowHP

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CINEA. Neither the European Union nor CINEA can be held responsible for them.

Summary of the project

The aim of the three-year KnowHowHP project is to train installers and professionals with a holistic planning process to increase the use of heat pumps (HPs) in existing multi-storey buildings. Heat pumps are increasingly being used in single-family homes, but hardly ever in existing apartment blocks. The increased use of HPs in this area contributes to achieving the EU's climate and energy targets and the European Green Deal. The training and qualification of planners and installers is crucial to ensure optimal coordination of HP and refurbishment concepts; otherwise, these modernisations and the transition to HP will simply not be implemented, with the argument that it is not feasible.

The special KnowHowHP training and further education consists of a knowledge-based, software-supported process. This means that planners, energy consultants and installers are qualified through a holistic planning and implementation process for the climate-friendly and socially acceptable refurbishment of apartment blocks with HP. Such planning offers the following advantages: better quality, simpler, faster, more robust planning, better planning documents, more planning security (lower risk, error avoidance) and better scalability (higher refurbishment rate). These planning tools are based on current research results from various projects and fundamental investigations.

The project consortium consists of three scientific and four knowledge transfer partners, all of whom have many years of experience in training programmes. In this composition, the existing training courses and planning processes will first be analysed and then the new KnowHowHP training course and the digital toolbox will be developed. The dissemination partners will then pass this knowledge on to the target groups of installers and professionals. At the same time, strong communication with all stakeholders involved, including building owners, will be ensured in order to disseminate the content beyond the project scope and duration.