The challenge to create a next generation technology and methods for testing its performance, led to Integration of heating/ cooling and ventilation with wall structures. Passive and Thermo-Active Cluster (PTAC) integrates hydronic heat exchangers with solar panels and underground water tanks (providing thermal storage) for heat pump. Â PTAC delivers a verified technology with 90 % energy reduction in new buildings and 70 % in retofitted (benchark 2004). It uses:
1)Â Â Â two-stage construction process to modify the pattern of financing.Â
2)Â Â Â building automatics to control contributions of sub-systems.
3)Â Â Â adaptable indoor climate and HVAC integrated with the building structure, jointly with monitoring and performance evaluation (MAPE) optimizes energy and indoor environment under service conditions.
4)Â Â Â climatic district network, with minimum two (historic buildings), will optimize energy use in the network.
PTAC selects practical improvements to the triangle: occupant-controlled comfort, energy efficiency and the smart energy grid to initiate a discussion on the public-private consortium linked with public education activities to develop the PTAC approach with a view to slow climate change.