The SEREINE project recruits renovated houses for in situ energy performance measurements

A few months before the end of the SEREINE project, carried out within the framework of the PROFEEL program, the measurement which targets the thermal performance of a new or renovated building is operational.

Simple to implement and reliable, it is currently being tested in real conditions to consolidate the protocol and facilitate its transfer to the industry. Of the 40 to 50 field trials planned in individual houses and small collective buildings, around XNUMX have been carried out or are scheduled. It is to finalize this campaign that the project team is calling on the contracting authorities. They can offer their renovated homes this fall and thus benefit from a free measure.

An operational and reliable measurement

Any client (lessor, property manager, etc.) or owner whose house was renovated less than 4 years ago can apply for the trials. An email address of the SEREINE project team is dedicated to check if the building meets the criteria (sereine@qualiteconstruction.com). Once the house has been selected and its electrical installation checked, the measurement requires 4 days during which it must be unoccupied. It starts after an inventory.

The in situ testing procedure

A trained operator closes the doors, turns off the ventilation, heating and domestic hot water systems and covers the windows. Then he sets up the measurement equipment, namely the sensors, heaters, fans and the data concentrator. After opening his online measurement campaign and checking that everything is working, he leaves the premises and seals it. He will follow the measurement from a distance, until the end of the campaign. Once this is completed, he recovers the equipment, then returns the keys to the owner, after a new inventory. The results of the SEREINE measurement are analyzed by the project team, which draws up a report that the operator will present and give to the owner or manager of the fleet.

Why participate in the trials? A client responds

“SEREINE is today the only operational method capable of reliably measuring the real thermal performance of a building within acceptable timeframes. As a social landlord, at the head of a stock of 65 housing units, 000% of which are individual housing dating from the 98s, this method interests us because we renovate a lot. The measurement is done before the occupants enter the premises. We have absolutely nothing to do and for the moment it's free. There is even a small compensation of 1920 € for electricity consumption. This is why we offered the SEREINE team several renovated houses. These measures allow us to objectify the contribution of the work, in all confidence. But above all, they allow us to decorrelate the energy performance of the use of our tenants. In the event of a deviation in consumption, this gives us an objective basis for making them aware of eco-friendly practices ”. Alexandre Defrance, Expertise specialist in energy at MAISONS ET CITES

A solid experimentation system and trained operators

To carry out these tests, the project team set up a solid system covering the entire metropolitan area, with 8 branches and a network of 34 trained operators. Distributed throughout France, the antennas are responsible for organizing and monitoring trials in their region, from an administrative, logistical and technical point of view. As such, they supervise the recruitment of houses to be evaluated, train operators, manage equipment and assist operators in their measurements.

The operators take the measurements and present the final report. But their mission is also to recruit houses and to be true ambassadors of SEREINE. That is to say, to promote the method to project owners. A demanding mission which explains the rigor of their selection and training. They were indeed chosen in February / March 2020, via a call for expressions of interest (AMI) and then trained. Of the 54 pre-selected measurement companies, only 20 were selected.

A double challenge: consolidate the protocol and facilitate the transfer to professionals

Why carry out tests, when the measurement is operational and reliable? First of all to consolidate the solution. That is to say perfect the scientific method and define the best relationship between the duration of the measurement and the associated level of uncertainty. Optimize the measuring equipment, its size, its price. And fix the smallest details of the measure, from its launch to the submission of the report. But it is also about facilitate the transfer of SEREINE to professionals. By demonstrating to all the players in the sector that the solution is operational, ready to be deployed. And by forming a network of operators, capable of carrying out SEREINE measurements and of being future ambassadors.

The result of a collaboration between 8 partner organizations, the project is managed by the Construction Quality Agency (AQC) and coordinated by CSTB. Because of its scale and its challenges, SEREINE is the most strategic project of the PROFEEL program.