On April 28, 2026, a train-the-trainer workshop was held at the University of Innsbruck as part of the project. The workshop focused on how integrated planning processes and practical tools can support the retrofitting of apartment buildings with heat pumps.
Under the theme “How Much Renovation Does a Heat Pump Require?”, project partners, planners, energy consultants, and other experts discussed key challenges in the building transition. The goal of the workshop was to test, refine, and adapt training materials and workflows for future training programs to meet real-world needs.
Integrated Planning as the Key to the Building Transition
Decarbonizing the existing building stock requires more than just replacing individual technical components. Particularly in multi-family housing construction, the building envelope, heating system, sound insulation, cost-effectiveness, user needs, and environmental impact must be considered together. This is exactly where KnowHowHP comes in: The project is developing an integrated planning process and a practical toolkit to help experts make informed decisions.
During the workshop, various renovation options, technical parameters, and evaluation criteria were discussed. The focus was on the following topics, among others:
- Heat Pump Integration in Multi-Family Housing
- Scope of Renovation and Choice of System
- Comparison of Options as a Basis for Decision-Making
- CO₂ Reduction and GWP Assessment
- Cost Optimization and Cost-Effectiveness
- Technical Feasibility and Noise Emissions
- Life-cycle-based and multi-criteria planning
Practice Meets Research
A key element of the workshop was the exchange between academia and practitioners. The participants shared their experiences in planning, consulting, building services engineering, and renovation, and provided valuable feedback on the training materials that had been developed as well as on the structure of the planned training format.
This participatory development process is a key component of KnowHowHP: Training materials and tools are not only developed within the project consortium, but are also reviewed and further refined in collaboration with future users. This results in solutions that are scientifically sound and, at the same time, practical.
Working Together to Develop Better Tools for Sustainable Renovation
The Train-the-Trainer workshop was designed to prepare future trainers to apply the content that had been developed and, at the same time, to gather feedback for the further development of the toolbox. The results will be used to optimize the training materials, workshop methodology, and digital planning support.
In the long term, the content is also intended to be integrated into external educational programs. In this way, KnowHowHP helps to permanently integrate knowledge about comprehensive renovation planning, heat pump systems, and sustainable renovation strategies into education and training programs.
Outlook
Sustainable renovations in multi-family housing require interdisciplinary collaboration, a solid basis for decision-making, and tools that make the complex planning process understandable and practical.
Through its “Train-the-Trainer” format, KnowHowHP lays the groundwork for sharing this knowledge, improving planning processes, and promoting scalable solutions for the energy transition in existing buildings.