The public call for proposals is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund.
Integration of Quadruple Glazing in Zero-Emission Zero-Heating Buildings Using Photovoltaics and Battery Storage – QGU-PV-BESS
Period: 01.09.2026 – 31.08.2028
The project addresses one of the key challenges of modern buildings: how to reduce heating demand, emissions, and dependence on the electricity grid while making efficient use of renewable energy sources. The central idea is to combine advanced quadruple glazing units (QGU) with local photovoltaics (PV) and a battery energy storage system (BESS), and to develop and evaluate a building concept with very low heating demand or, under certain conditions, no need for a conventional heating system.
The main objectives of the project are:
– to develop a computationally efficient and experimentally validated model for analysing the durability of quadruple glazing units;
– to establish a quantitative Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) for the building envelope, enabling objective comparison of different façade elements;
– to evaluate QGU + PV + BESS configurations in terms of self-sufficiency, reduction of peak grid loads, and the potential to reduce or eliminate the need for conventional heating;
– to develop a life-cycle cost model for assessing the economic viability of individual solutions.
The expected results include a validated numerical QGU model, a catalogue of quantitative SRI indicators for different building-envelope elements, a software tool for the automatic calculation of indicators based on building energy simulations, and a prototype application for evaluating cost efficiency and environmental impacts. The results will support designers, investors, and industry in making more transparent and quantitatively informed decisions in the design of zero-emission buildings, while also providing a basis for further demonstration at higher technology readiness levels.
The total value of the project is EUR 148.600, of which EUR 139.950 is provided by the European Regional Development Fund. The programme is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the European Cohesion Policy Programme 2021–2027.
The project QGU-PV-BESS began on 1 September 2026 and will run until 31 August 2028. The programme is led by the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering. The consortium also includes the company REFLEX Gornja Radgona d.o.o.