On Thursday, January 15, the new energy roof of the City Hall was put into use. On the roof, 332 special solar panels were installed: PVT panels that generate electricity and heat. Additionally, 556 m2 of greenery was added. The buildings energy label improved from A++ to A++++.

Within the Municipality of Eindhoven, the program Smart Sustainability of Municipal Buildings (SVGG) is active. This program is a collaboration between the municipality and a consortium of market parties under the name !mpuls BV. Among others, the sustainability improvements of the City Hall, the City Hall Tower, and Mercado have been carried out.

Alderman Rik Thijs (Climate and Energy): Its great that we as a municipality can set an example by making our buildings more sustainable. We share the knowledge so that other building owners can use it.

What is the importance of this roof?

The roof of the City Hall is equipped with PVT panels that generate electricity (PV part) and heat (thermal part). This heat is used in the City Hall and for future buildings around the City Hall Square. Through the Smart Thermal Grid (STG) project, other buildings in the area are connected to this system. The STG consists of a pipeline network linked to Heat Cold Storage sources (WKO), allowing heat and cold to be exchanged between buildings.

Between the panels, a total of 556 m2 of vegetation has been added. These are various types of sedum and wildflowers, very suitable for bees and insects. Nesting places have also been installed for, among others, swift birds and bats. The available buffer capacity for rainwater has been increased by 4.65 m3 due to the green roof.

The placement of the panels and greenery is partly driven by the monumental status of the City Hall. A good balance has been found between the monument status and the sustainability of this building.

What does it yield for the municipality?

The energy roof on the City Hall aims for an energy yield of 119 MWh/year. Additionally, heat is supplied to the Heat Cold Storage (WKO) via the PVT panels. By storing this heat in the WKO during summer, it can be used for heating the building in winter. This system saves about 60 tons of CO2 annually, equivalent to the yearly consumption of over 28 households.

The total construction costs for this project are approximately 1.7 million euros. This is funded by the SVGG program. Additionally, the municipality receives a large contribution from the national government in the form of a DuMaVa subsidy, about 30% of the project budget.