The RP 4 is a truly complete renovation kit for central heating and cooling systems. It is designed around a reversible commercial water-to-water heat pump powered by on-site BIPV (architecturally integrated photovoltaic) and connected to a thermal energy storage tank: a Thermal Energy Storage (TES) stratified with PCM inside.

The main aspects of renovation that our RP will innovate are:

• High use of recycled and/or bio-sourced materials and components, together with high ratios of recyclability to promote enhanced circularity within the construction value chain
• Affordable renovation components directly integrating or enabling the integration of onsite RES
• Smart management of energy transfers for more efficient and comfortable building performance

PCM storage system with optimized control logics  

As a further key result of the REHOUSE project, an advanced thermal energy storage system based on biobased Phase Change Materials (PCM) has been developed to support sustainable building renovation. The solution combines highefficiency PCM storage with smart control algorithms to optimize energy use and enable the integration of renewable energy sources. Designed as a prefabricated, flexible, and interoperable system, it can be easily connected to existing heating and cooling infrastructures while reducing installation time and costs. By lowering overall energy consumption, improving indoor comfort, and significantly reducing CO₂ emissions, the PCM storage system contributes to zeroemission building goals and enhanced building performance across diverse renovation contexts. 

Joint owners: Steeltech & RINA

Open source & interoperable Energy Monitoring System (EMS)

The REHOUSE Open-source and Interoperable Energy Monitoring System (EMS) builds upon an open-source cloud-based platform that supports the innovative renovation kit RP4. The platform integrates field data acquired by Tera’s multiprotocol edge computers , Linux-based units that gathers external data such as photovoltaic (PV) production, heat pumps (HP) performance and Italian fiscal energy meters consumptions data (Chain2). Designed around interoperability and open architecture principles, the EMS provides seamless data collection, real-time analytics, and visualization across diverse building systems.  

It enables: 

• Aggregation and analysis of sensor and device data for improved building performance. 
• Integration with advanced control logics to optimize energy efficiency. 
• User-friendly dashboards for clear insight into indoor conditions and energy flows, promoting awareness among residents. 

By leveraging open-source components and standardized communication protocols, the REHOUSE EMS ensures full interoperability with Tera’s edge layer and the RP#4 technology stack, enabling scalable and vendor-neutral energy management across multiple building typologies.  

Owner: TERA