The QualDeEPC project is aiming to both improve quality and cross-EU convergence of Ener-gy Performance Certificate (EPC) schemes, and the link between EPCs and deep renovation: High-quality Energy Performance Assessment and Certification in Europe Accelerating Deep Energy Renovation (QualDeEPC). The objective of the project is to improve the practical implementation of the assessment, is-suance, design, and use of EPCs as well as their renovation recommendations, in the partici-pating countries and beyond. Recommendations for renovation shall be made coherent with deep energy renovation towards a nearly-zero energy building stock by 2050. In order to reach these objectives, the project will organise its activities in four stages: 1 | Analysis of existing EPC schemes, good practice, shortcomings, and priorities for improvement 2 | Development and testing of concrete proposals and tools for enhanced EPC assessment, certifi-cation, and verification, as well as Deep Renovation Network Platforms 3 | Adaptation to country needs and implementation of consensus elements, and developing a roadmap for further dialogue and 4 | Sustainability Strategy and Conclusive policy recommendations, dialogue, and transfer. Project partners will work to achieve consensus and implementation during the project for as many improvements as possible, seeking the cooperation of certification bodies, energy agen-cies and other organisations. Some of these are project partners, many others agreed to sup-port the project as associated partners. However, many of the potential improvements to EPC assessment, certification, and independent monitoring and verification will need adaptation of standards, regulations, or even legislation. The QualDeEPC project will stimulate such changes by (1) intensive dialogue involving the important stakeholders at all levels from the very beginning in the above four project stages and (2) disseminating its findings among the relevant target audiences in Europe.

SDHp2m stands for ‘Solar District Heating (SDH)’ and actions from ‘Policy to Market’. The project addresses market uptake challenges for a wider use of district heating and cooling systems (DHC) with high shares of RES, specifically the action focuses on the use of large-scale solar thermal plants combined with other RES in DHC systems. The key approach of the project is to develop, improve and implement in 9 participating EU regions advanced policies and support measures for SDH. In 3 focus regions Thuringia (DE), Styria (AT) and Rhone-Alpes (FR) the regulating regional authorities are participating as project partners to ensure a strong implementation capacity within the project. In 6 follower regions from BG, DE, IT, PL, SE the regulating authorities are engaged through letters of commitment. The project activities aim at a direct mobilization of investments in SDH and hence a significant market rollout. The project work program in the participating regions follows a process including 1) strategy and action planning based on a survey, best practices and stakeholder consultation 2) an implementation phase starting at an early project stage and 3) efficient dissemination of the project results at national and international level. Adressed market uptake challenges are: Improved RES DHC policy, better access to plant financing and business models, sustained public acceptance and bridging the gap between policy and market through market support and capacity building. Denmark and Sweden reached already today a high share of RES in DHC and shall be used as a role model for this project. The direct expected outcome and impact of SDHp2m is estimated to an installed or planned new RES DHC capacity and new SDH capacity directly triggered by the project until project end corresponding to a total investment of 350 Mio. € and leading to 1 420 GWh RES heat and cold production per year. A multiple effect is expected in the period after the project and in further EU regions.

The untapped potential of energy efficiency will be addressed by the GEAR@SME consortium by substantiating the role of a local Trusted Partner to bridge the gap between SMEs (demand side) and suppliers of energy services toward SMEs (supply side) such that SMEs will effectively undergo energy audits and implement energy saving measures. The Trusted Partner will be supported by the GEAR@SME methodology, which aims to catalyse the implementation of energy efficiency measures by taking a local, collective approach based on multiple benefits, tailored to the specific locality. After demonstrating the effectiveness of the common methodology in four use cases, large-scale rollout will be supported by an online platform offering documentation, stand-alone tools, and an interactive platform to support a Community of Practice for Trusted Partners. The GEAR@SME methodology will be tested and validated in four countries (Germany, Italy, Netherlands and Romania), reaching out to a minimum of 300 SMEs per location. While four locations will be targeted within the project as use case, another 80 locations will be reached through the communication and exploitation activities within project lifetime. Beyond project lifetime, another 600 locations will be reached through dissemination events and the online portal. The GEAR@SME consortium has extensive expertise on activating, organising and enabling SMEs to take energy efficiency actions, from concept to validation to implementation. The team includes research organisations (TNO, C-MAC), consultancies with expertise on SMEs and energy efficiency (CIT, CCS). Validation of the methodology will be carried out by CCS, C-MAC, BEA and SERVELECT all of whom have track records in engaging with SMEs on energy issues. Finally, an exploitation strategy and further roll out will be carried out by SYNYO and multiplier organisations (CNA, CLOK and TUCN).

The energy and building sector are vital to Europe’s environment and energy policies. In the current energy transition, the building sector is recognized as a cornerstone due to the possibility to easily adopt advanced control strategies and smart management systems. Thereby cost-effectively increasing buildings’ energy efficiency and flexibility, while improving building users’ comfort, productivity, and health. This cost-effective energy use reduction will render faster implementation of on-site and nearby renewable energy sources, facilitate demand electrification, hence reducing Europe’s energy dependencies. Achieving the building sector energy transition demands an improvement of the interoperability of European buildings with energy carriers and non-energy services. Buildings must play an active role in ensuring the reliability, resilience, and sustainability of the energy system, particularly in the face of evolving challenges such as climate change, resource constraints, and other threats (e.g., cybersecurity, geopolitical, etc.). Therefore, the aim of ENTRANCE is to enable smart-grid-ready and decarbonized buildings through the integration of energy efficiency, flexibility, on-site renewables, mobility, empowerment of end-users, and interoperability between buildings and district heating and electricity grids. The ambition of ENTRANCE is to develop and demonstrate solutions that promote building integration and active participation in the energy system and market through guaranteeing end-users’ comfort and empowerment while creating value for the economic actors of the energy landscape. Through four core principles based on integrated technology, digitalization, user engagement, and performance-driven economics, ENTRANCE solutions will be demonstrated in relevant environments. To generalize the solutions for different geographical regions, ENTRANCE includes demonstration sites from six different countries around Europe.