Real measurements call for operational solutions: ISABELE, applied to the housing sector
Showing whether promises have been kept is the main goal of measuring a building's intrinsic energy performance, whether it is a new-build or renovation project. In 2017, the CSTB’s ISABELE (In-Situ Assessment of Building Envelope Performance) measurement method was transformed from an R&D protocol into a fully operational system, known as MERLiN, made available to the professional sector. It was developed by the CSTB, the CEREMA (Center for the Study and Expertise of Risks, the Environment, Mobility and Development) and COSTIC (Scientific and Technical Committee of Climatic Industries) as part of the PACTE program (Action Program for the Quality of Construction and the Energy Transition). Here is a close-up of how this program applies to the housing sector, and its prospects for the future.
It is crucial to offer a collaborative, reliable method to measure the energy performance of buildings in the field. MERLiN provides a concrete, operational solution on this topic. MERLiN is a comprehensive procedure based primarily on the ISABELE measurement method of the CSTB, focused building envelopes. It provides a snapshot of a building’s energy characteristics at the time of commissioning, providing proof that the performance targets have been met. It also makes it possible to begin the building’s operational phase under optimal conditions.
The operational protocol of the ISABELE method was developed in collaboration with the construction industry. This also provided an opportunity to prepare for the transfer of knowledge to the market, well upstream in the process. In 2017, dedicated working groups in Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur and Brittany brought together project owners, consulting firms, measurement operators and professional representatives. They guided the development and validation of the method in the field. In parallel, ISABELE completed its “Tour de France,” during which it was deployed at several worksites. ISABELE is now ready to be applied to individual housing units.
In 2018, as part of the MERLiN project, R&D continued on the reproducibility of the ISABELE method in apartment and office buildings. The CSTB is also working to adapt the ISABELE protocol to meet the special requirements of renovation projects. The first experiments are being conducted in 2018 in close collaboration with the city of Grenoble, an R&D partner of the CSTB for the energy efficiency of residential buildings. partenaire R&D du CSTB au service de l’efficacité énergétique du parc résidentiel.
The MERLiN procedure (In-Situ Measurement of the Intrinsic Energy Performance of Housing at Commissioning) measures the intrinsic energy performance of housing units on completion of construction projects. It offers quick, simple instruments at controlled costs, to measure the actual energy performance of the building envelope and to check if the systems of ventilation, heating and domestic hot water production are operating properly. The innovative ISABELE method, developed by the CSTB, is one of the key components of the MERLiN system. In addition to the existing measurement of air tightness, it also measures the building envelope’s overall thermal insulation level at the time of commissioning.
