The BUILD_ME project is excited to announce the release of the Building Energy Performance Tool 2.0 (BEP 2.0), a significant upgrade designed to enhance energy efficiency assessments and streamline the energy performance certification (EPC) process. This new version introduces several innovative features and improvements aimed at providing users with a more comprehensive and user-friendly experience. The key improvements to the tool are summarised below.

Integration of Automated EPC Process

• EPC Workflow: EPC experts can now initiate the workflow directly from their accounts, ensuring a seamless start to the certification process.
• Fully Automated Process: The tool supports a fully automated process that includes the EPC expert, EPC auditor, and the certification authority, known as the EPC scheme operator.

Customizable Baseline Creation

• Renovation Project Comparison: Users can create their own baselines to customise calculations, making it easier to compare different renovation projects.
• National Standards Compliance: Baselines can be defined according to national standards or new standards, ensuring compliance and accuracy.

Display of Useful Energy Demand in Results

• Building Shell Improvements Visibility: The tool now makes the effects of building shell improvements more visible, helping users understand the impact of their modifications.
• Efficiency Differentiation: Users can differentiate between the influences of the building shell and HVAC system on overall efficiency improvements.

Country-Specific Cost Data

• Economic Indicators: The tool includes new, country-specific cost data for economic indicators such as investment costs and operational costs (including energy costs), providing more accurate financial assessments.

Improved User Interface

• The BEP 2.0 also boasts an improved user interface, which has been refined to enhance usability while maintaining its simplicity. Key updates include the removal of misleading input fields to reduce user confusion, and the addition of the capability to define up to six layers for wall, roof, and floor slab construction, allowing for more detailed and accurate modelling.

The release of BEP 2.0 marks a significant advancement in building energy performance assessment tools, especially in the MENA region. By integrating an automated process, using customisable baselines, detailed energy demand displays, and country-specific cost data, the tool provides users with a powerful resource for optimising building energy efficiency; while at the same time the improved user interface ensures that these advanced features remain accessible and easy to use, continuing the BUILD_ME project's commitment to innovation and user satisfaction.