Maintaining and managing social housing stock

The AFTER project conclusions

Brussels, 30 April 2014 | Published in Economy, Social

Federcasa, Boligselskabernes Landsforening and USH, members of CECODHAS Housing Europe, are involved in one IEE project producing several useful tools aiming to enable participating and non-participating Social Housing Institutions and Organizations all over Europe to improve the energy efficiency of their housing stock with cost optimal solutions. Its goal is to promote and develop existing European knowledge in the areas of energy saving strategies and encourage their implementation by companies in the housing sector.

The AFTER project means “Cost Optimum and Standard solutions for Maintenance and management of the social housing stock”. Social Housing Organizations in 6 different countries (Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy and Slovenia) and their partners - including National Housing Associations, Scientific Committee and National Tenants Associations- are cooperating to highlight and evaluate the most efficient and adaptable energy saving measures.

AFTER asserts the importance of establishing energy efficiency as a major goal even after construction of the building. The project promotes measures adapted to a variety of investments and situations. A special emphasis is placed on the important contributions of operation maintenance and management in the energy performance of buildings.

In order to help the Social Housing Operators to implement the energy saving operations, AFTER has produced several guidelines and tools:

Handbook on AFTER Methodology: Indicators for economic and energy performance, assessment on common measuring units; Indicators for energy awareness; «Tips» regarding the implementation of the ESM.
"Retrocommissioning: What is Retrocommissioning? Main steps and Tools; Retrocommissioning step-by-step"
Energy efficiency measurement protocol
Tenants survey
Optimization solutions and measured performance improvement