IEA SHC Award 2022 recognises outstanding social housing projects

Tue, 4 January 2022

The IEA SHC Solar Award 2022 will recognise an organisation or individual that implemented a solar heating or cooling project in the last five years to cut energy consumption and costs in social housing. In order to win, the nominees will have to demonstrate that the use of solar thermal in their project has led to substantial achievements and measurable impact. The deadline for nomination is 31 March 2022. An online submission form is available here. The photo above shows a new neighbourhood aimed at low-income families in Brazil, with thermosiphon systems installed on each roof.

Photo: Tuma

“Social housing, also known as public or subsidised housing, is a form of mostly rental units that are constructed, and often also owned and managed, by the government or by non-profit organisations, usually with the aim of providing affordable housing to financially vulnerable people,” explained Ken Guthrie, who chairs the Solar Award committee within the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling programme. In these projects, solar thermal technology helps reduce utility bills and increase the comfort of living.

The international panel of judges will accept social housing projects that use solar heating and cooling and/or daylight technologies. Nominees can be non-profit, municipal, regional, provincial, national or associated entities (such as developers, architects and builders). The top five nominations will be shown on the IEA SHC website.

The 2022 Award ceremony will take place during the EuroSun 2022 conference, to be held in Kassel, Germany, between 26 and 29 September. The recipient of the award will get free conference registration and a travel stipend. The organisers of the EuroSun 2022 are the International Solar Energy Society (ISES) and IEA SHC.

Every two to three years, IEA SHC celebrates the work of those committed to expanding the role of solar heating and cooling technology. In 2019, the Solar Award went to Kyotherm, a French-based third-party investor. The company was one of six finalists, all of which had set up successful financing mechanisms. In 2017, the award was presented to Ingmar Höbarth, Managing Director of the Climate and Energy Fund, Austria, for his organisation’s successful support policies.