fronTherm

Short Description

This project is developing an innovative system that enables the simultaneous retrofitting of a building’s envelope and heating system without requiring major work inside the building. It is designed to facilitate the efficient use of solar and heat pump technology and to be operated error-free even by semi-skilled workers. It could, in a disruptive way, enable drastically increased retrofitting rates and thus make a significant contribution to solving the climate crisis.

The solution is based on facade heating and cooling units that are mass-produced and mounted on the exterior of the facade. The modules contain a heat pump: during heating operation, the condenser surface for heat dissipation faces inward toward the building wall, while the evaporator surface faces outward toward the ambient air and sunlight. On facades with suitable exposure, this surface is equipped with PV modules. The facade heating and cooling units serve as the building’s sole source of heating and cooling. In this way, a single renovation project can simultaneously advance four steps toward climate neutrality:

• Reducing heating demand through facade insulation,
• Installing PV to generate the heating energy required on an annual basis in the form of electrical energy,
• Replacing old heating systems with efficient heat pump technology,
• Cooling in the summer.

1. The objectives of this project are:
2. Development of the facade heating and cooling units as well as the

July 1, 2024 – May 31, 2027

Consolar Solare Energiesysteme GmbH
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Tecomon
ME Wohnungsverwaltung