The Net Zero Tool project, driven by the Research and Development department of Zero Consulting, will be one year old in March. The project is committed to the creation of a software that improves sustainability and energy efficiency of the buildings.
Sustainability and energy efficiency software
The reduction of the carbon footprint is fundamental to the sustainability of buildings and reducing their environmental impact. At Zero Consulting, we work on optimized solutions that streamline the measurement and interpretation of these processes.
The Net Zero Tool project consists of the development of a new software tool focused on the sustainability and energy efficiency of buildings. Allows the carbon footprint to be calculated and reduced throughout its life cycle: product, construction, use, and dismantling.
The project, funded by the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)is being developed in Barcelona and has funding until February 2024. These European Union aids invest in growth and employment and promote European territorial cooperation under the slogan 'A way to make Europe'.
Funding entities of the Net Zero Tool project
Open and interoperable code
The Net Zero Tool enables the progression of the design of sustainable and efficient buildings and will be published in open source and developed together with the developer community with parallel objectives.
Moreover, for the execution of the project, we have the support of leading research and technology centres. This is the case of the Instituto de Ciencias de la Construcción (Construction Sciences Institute) Eduardo Torroja (IETcc), with which a collaboration agreement has been established to study the certification of an open source energy certification tool. This centre belongs to the Spanish National Research Council (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas or CSIC). The project also counts on the expert collaboration of the Technological Institute of Galicia (ITG) to take into account the operation of the building through Digital Twins, which makes the project highly interoperable.
The objectives of the project
The Net Zero Tool project aims to develop an open and interoperable software tool that can calculate and reduce the carbon footprint of buildings throughout their entire life cycle.
To this end, Zero Consulting is working on the creation of new algorithms for interpreting three-dimensional models to convert them into understandable parametrised models. These models allow the different calculation tools to carry out their simulations and to return the results to the model, obtaining different parameterised models. Its application extends from energy analyses to lighting or embodied carbon analyses.
The main innovation is to centralise, in a single tool, the justification of sustainability certification standards and credits, as well as the CO₂ emission reductions, both in the design phase of the building and during its use phase.
The fact of having a 3D modelling core with internationally recognised calculation capabilities will enable studies that are less necessary for the construction of sustainable buildings, but crucial for emission reductions.
Three-dimensional model of a sustainable building
The know-how acquired by Zero Consulting during more than 10 years of work in sustainable and efficient building design is centralised in the Net Zero Tool software tool. This software improves the work process of both the company itself and other market players, resulting in benefits for the population and the environment.
