This decree-law, named after the former Minister of Economic Affairs, was specifically designed to promote applied research in the construction industry in order to make it more competitive. In application of this decree-law, the BBRI is mainly funded by the fees of it national members, the more than 90,000 Belgian construction companies representing all the industry’s professions (general contractors, carpenters, glaziers, plumbers, roofers, floorers, plasterers, painters, heating and ventilation engineers, etc.), most of which are SMEs.

Knowledge & Skills

The BBRI’s “Indoor Climate, Equipment, and Energy Performance” and “Energy” divisions work on the energy consumption of buildings, with five labs and 29 employees with extensive expertise in technical installations (including energy performance and monitoring) and the energy characterization of buildings.

These divisions are involved in projects that measure the energy consumption of buildings and technical installations:

• ECLOS: study of and improvements to lighting systems in the residential sector to reduce electricity consumption.
• MEASURE: measurement of actual performances and customer satisfaction in high-performance residential buildings.
• TETRA SWW: production and distribution of domestic hot water; selection and design.
• INSTAL 2020: complete design of the heating and domestic hot water system.
• RETERMAT: evaluation of the actual impact of phase-change material (PCM) on interior comfort.
• PERFECT: characterization of the actual energy performance of the building envelope and its components by means of on-site measurements.
• RENOFASE: creation of a structured action plan for an effective and high-quality energy-efficient renovation.

Photovoltaic and thermal installations:

BBRI is active in the field of photovoltaic and thermal installations on the following points:

• Quality and good practice for the implementation of solar panels on the roof (flat and pitched): mounting, sealing, fittings with cover …
• Design of the attachments and wind effect: hooks, ballast, …
• Wind Simulator (depressurization of an installation)
• …

BBRI therefore has a non-negligible experience in areas related to quality roof installation. This topic is often underestimated or neglected, compared to electrical aspects of an installation. Nevertheless, the quality of the implementation is essential to ensure the sustainability of the system (as a whole, not only at generating electricity elevel) and accessibility to an existing roof, for inspection or service , requires specific skills.