Events

This IEECP’s conference combined different LIFE funded projects: Ineexs, Regio1st, CoolLife, RENOVERTY, Reverter, EP-0, GigaRegioFactory and ENSMOV Plus.

This two-day conference is a unique opportunity to meet, hear from research developed and experience shared in the past four years and interact with experts and practitioners from various countries and fields, and working on shaping the future of energy in Europe. 

The sessions showcased how a cleaner and more inclusive energy transition can be effectively achieved, from planning to implementation and monitoring. Among other topics, we discussed:

• business cases for smart energy services,
• how to get energy efficiency and demand-response considered as energy resources,
• implementing renovation roadmaps to tackle energy poverty,  
• gaps and challenges towards 2030 targets and how policy measures can overcome them.

Follow-up material

• Final agenda
• Speakers’ biographies
• Photos from the first day
• Photos from the second day
• Presentations
  • Day 1: The Future of Energy Efficiency: Insights and Replication from InEExS
  • Day 1: Advancing Regional Energy Planning: Putting Efficiency First through Heating & Cooling Integration with Regio1st and CoolLIFE, part of the EU Regions Week Close to You Events
  • Day 2: The Renovation Revolution: Unlocking Affordable, Sustainable, and Inclusive Energy Transitions, with RENOVERTY, Reverter, EP-0, GigaRegioFactory
  • Day 2: Living on a prayer? Halfway to 2030: how are energy efficiency policies delivering? with Ensmov Plus
• Recordings
  • Day 1: The Future of Energy Efficiency: Insights and Replication from InEExS
  • Day 1: Advancing Regional Energy Planning: Putting Efficiency First through Heating & Cooling Integration with Regio1st and CoolLIFE, part of the EU Regions Week Close to You Events
  • Day 2: The Renovation Revolution: Unlocking Affordable, Sustainable, and Inclusive Energy Transitions, with RENOVERTY, Reverter, EP-0, GigaRegioFactory
  • Day 2: Living on a prayer? Halfway to 2030: how are energy efficiency policies delivering? with Ensmov Plus
• Video Recaps:
  • Day 1: The Future of Energy Efficiency: Insights and Replication from InEExS and Advancing Regional Energy Planning: Putting Efficiency First through Heating & Cooling Integration with Regio1st and CoolLIFE
  • Day 2: The Renovation Revolution: Unlocking Affordable, Sustainable, and Inclusive Energy Transitions, with RENOVERTY, Reverter, EP-0, GigaRegioFactory and Living on a prayer? Halfway to 2030: how are energy efficiency policies delivering? with Ensmov Plus

Poster Sessions

Meet the poster that will be showcased on the two days:

• ESCALATE – local heating and cooling transition plans: Regional multipliers of capacity building and technical support to empower local administrations
• IN-PLAN – Integrated Energy, Climate and Spatial planning to enable local and regional authorities to effectively implement their plan
• ReLIFE – Improving data accessibility in the EU construction sector by providing ready-to-use resources for financial institutions and other stakeholders.
• Audit Plus Project – Supporting Energy Intensive Industries (EIIs) with operational groups for the implementation of cost-efficient energy efficiency measures and meet EU emission reduction goals
• FORTESIE – CBDC powered Smart PerFORrmance contracTs for Efficiency, Sustainable, Inclusive, Energy use Empowering local and regional authorities to design clean
• ENTRACK – ENergy TRAnsition plans through Capacity and Knowledge building actions
• CEESEN-BENDER – Building intErventions in vulNerable Districts against Energy poveRty
• I-PRODER (Challenges to prevent and address energy poverty)
• LEG-UP – Linking Energy Efficient Green Upgrades with Private Investments
• ASSERT – Large-scale multiactor training and mentoriship programme to ASSist people with physical impairments in energy povERTy
• DEESME 2050 – Assisting and motivating companies to overcome the obstacles in energy efficiency measures uptake in the furniture sector and its value chain, mainly in Bulgaria, France, Italy and Poland.
• SMARTeeSTORY (Integrated, interoperable, smart and user-centred building automation and control system for better energy performance of non-residential historic buildings coupling physics & data-based approaches)
• INHERIT – Next Generation Solutions for Sustainable, Inclusive, Resource‑efficient and Resilient Cultural Heritage
• ENERGATE – Energy Efficiency Aggregation Platform for Sustainable Investments
• META BUILD – Powering the METAmorphosis of BUILDings towards a decarbonised and sustainable energy system
• BlueBird – Building integrated user empowered flexibIlity trading
• DATAWiSE – Intelligent and Sustainable Building Management powered by Cross-Sectoral Lifecycle

Conference Agenda

Day 1: Wednesday, October 15th

Morning Session: The Future of Energy Efficiency: Insights and Replication from InEExS

This session marks the culmination of the InEExS project, showcasing innovative energy efficiency services across Europe. As the project concludes, this conference serves as a critical platform to disseminate key findings, highlight successful business cases, and explore the future of energy efficiency, all within the evolving framework of EU energy policy, particularly the recast Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) and its ambitious targets.

A core focus will be the in-depth presentation of InEExS’s five distinct business cases. Each will delve into end-user challenges, innovative solutions, practical experiences, and crucial discussions on their alignment with EU policy objectives, demonstrating how these solutions can help Member States achieve their EED energy efficiency obligations. A presentation on the Smart Energy Cluster will precede a dynamic panel discussion with cluster representatives, fostering collaboration and identifying synergies among smart energy initiatives, with a particular emphasis on how these innovations can support the EED’s provisions on smart energy systems, demand-side flexibility, and the integration of renewables.

The afternoon features a dedicated, smaller-scale replication workshop, offering a deeper dive into the practical aspects of business case replication, including how to navigate regulatory landscapes and leverage available EU funding mechanisms to scale up these proven solutions.

Join us to gain valuable insights into cutting-edge energy efficiency solutions, understand their real-world impact, and explore pathways for wider adoption and replication, crucially supporting Europe’s journey towards its energy efficiency and climate neutrality targets.

• 8:30 Welcome participants
• 9:00 Introduction from Filippos Anagnostopoulos, IEECP, InEExS
• 9:10 Keynote from Eleftherios Bourdakis, European Commission
• 9:20 The DSO landscape and the impact of digitalisation, Carmen Gimeno, GEODE
• 9:30 The InEExS five business case innovation and replication potential with Q&A
  • BC1: Recommendations for innovative energy contracts with Pay4Performance guarantees, Franziska Tucci, Berlin Energy Agency
  • BC2: Improved self-consumption of DER in Energy Cooperatives (Crevillent, Spain), Efren Guillo Sansano, Enercoop
  • BC3: Energy efficiency and flexibility services for legacy natural gas boilers (5 main Greek cities (Athens, Thessaloniki, Larisa, Trikala, Volos), Stratos Keranidis, Domx
  • BC4: Smart energy management for EV chargers and electricity-based HVAC appliances (Norway, Sweden, Finland), Lars Herre, Hiven
  • BC5: Decentralized Energy Efficiency Power Plant (DEEPP) (conceptual), Filippos Anagnostopoulos, InEExS
• 10:45 Coffee Break and poster session
• 11:15 Smart Energy Cluster: the power of collaboration, Katerina Papapostolou, NTUA
• 11:25 Panel discussion with Smart Energy Cluster representatives, moderated by Katerina Papapostolou, NTUA
  • Filippos Anagnostopoulos, IEECP
  • Nektarios Matsagkos, NTUA, EnPower project
  • Zoi Agorastou, ITI,  Datawise
  • Elissaios Sarmas, NTUA, DEDALUS
  • Matthias Strobbe, Ghent University, Bluebird
• 12:25 Concluding words
• 12:30 Lunch and poster session  
• 14:00 Replication workshop

Afternoon Session: Advancing Regional Energy Planning: Putting Efficiency First through Heating & Cooling Integration with Regio1st and CoolLIFE, part of the EU Regions Week Close to You Events

As Europe sees a growing focus on defense policies, it is crucial to ensure energy and climate objectives remain high on the agenda for a secure and sustainable Europe. In this context, the revised EED and its cornerstone Energy Efficiency First (EE1st) principle make regions and cities vital actors to implement this critical commitment to achieving EU’s 2030 energy consumption target. However, making EE1st a reality on the ground requires capacity, coordination, and commitment at the local and regional levels, as 100+ cities and networks pointed out in an open letter before another hot summer.

The Regio1st project has worked over the past three years to bridge this gap by raising awareness and supporting regional energy planners integrating EE1st in their plans, in particular with the Regio1st Planning Framework that can help them better assess their local context and understand where to start from, with maximized energy, financial and social impact.

Following the European Commission’s agenda to revise its heating and cooling strategy, this final event will bring together authorities and stakeholders to explore how EE1st can be fully integrated into regional planning, in relation with building renovation, heating and in particular cooling strategies, with the participation from the CoolLIFE project. Real case scenarios will highlight achievements and persistent barriers, including financial constraints and navigating complex funding. As highlighted by the Multiannual Financial Framework, regional and local authorities constantly cope with budget limitations and constant pressure to deliver EU directives with limited resources; this reality often underscores the need for streamlined processes and reduced administrative burdens, a need increasingly acknowledged by the EU Commission’s “Better Regulation” agenda.

The final event will thus provide a unique opportunity to explore the synergies between Regio1st and CoolLIFE, ensuring the integration of EE1st in the context of both heating and cooling solutions. This final event will thus serve as a launchpad for continued collaboration, replication, and policy alignment to address these barriers and turn the EE1st principle from policy into practice across more than 100 regions and beyond.

• 13:40 Wellness session by the Comet team
• 14:00 Welcome and introduction, Simon Pezzuto for CoolLIFE and Jeremy Clero for Regio1st
• 14:10 Keynote speech from Nikolaos Kontinakis, DG ENER, European Commission
• 14:20 Regio1st and the Energy Efficiency First application, incl. Q&A; moderated by Natalia Boemi, CluBe
  • Introduction to Regio1st, Jeremy Clero, IEECP
  • Planning Framework: Concept and concrete use cases for regional planners – Tim Mandel, Fraunhofer Institute
  • Social Cost-Benefits Analysis Tool and its application – Vlasis Oikonomou, IEECP
  • The policy application and the way forward – George Konstantopoulos, ICCS and Martin Desgrandchamps, South East Energy Agency
  • The replication potential of the Regio1st concept, Mickael Bianchin, FEDARENE
• 15:20 Coffee break
• 15:35 CoolLIFE and the heating and cooling framework, incl. Q&A
  • Overview of the project outputs – Simon Pezzutto (eurac)
  • Tool demo throught a concrete use case – Aadit Malla (TU Wien)
  • Good practices – Adrienn Gelesz (ABUD) & Giulia Conforto (e-think)
  • Main lessons learnt/ Policy recommendations – Jean-Sebastien Broc (IEECP)
• 16:35 Regional roundtable ‘the way forward’ Moderated by Giulia Conforto, e-think for CoolLife and Jeremy Clero, IEECP for Regio1st
  • Silvia Bovio, IRE Liguria
  • Cezary Molski, MAE, ESCALATE
  • Christos Tourkolias, CRES (PLAN4COLD & ENEFIRST+)
  • Adrienn Gelesz (ABUD)
  • Lukas Kranzl, TU Wien, ENEFIRST
• 17:25 Concluding remarks, Giulia Conforto for CoolLIFE and Jeremy Clero for Regio1st
• 17:30 Networking Cocktail

Parallel Workshop: Smart energy Cluster workshop with InEExS

(Afternoon Session) For those interested in a deeper dive, a dedicated parallel workshop will be held by InEExS, focusing specifically on the implementation of its business cases to real world examples.

Agenda

• 14:00 – 14:10 Welcome – presenting topics, format, agenda, Katerina Papapostolou (NTUA)
• 14:10 – 15:10 Presentations from four InEExS Business Cases and Guest projects from the Smart Energy Cluster: EnPower, Datawise, DEDALUS, Bluebird
  • Short description of the pilot cases, replication and synergies potential, Key Exploitable Results, Lessons Leart Presenter: BC leader, Smart Energy Cluster project representatives
• 15:10 – 16:00 Replication Labs – Business Case (4 parallel session), Moderator: Each BC leader
• 16:00 – 16:20 Key findings from the Labs
• 16:20 – 16:30:  Survey distribution (evaluation of the mentoring approach)
• 16:30: End of workshop

-Networking cocktail-

Day 2: Thursday, October 16th

Morning Session: The Renovation Revolution: Unlocking Affordable, Sustainable, and Inclusive Energy Transitions

This session marks the culminating conference for the Reverter, RENOVERTY, EP-0, and Giga Regio Factory projects, bringing together the transformative insights and practical solutions developed in energy efficiency, building renovation, and energy poverty.  

As Europe strives towards ambitious energy and climate targets, including those outlined in the Renovation Wave, EPBD, EED recast, and RED directives, the session will serve as a dynamic platform to disseminate key findings, showcase innovative tools, and foster strategic discussions on the future of sustainable and inclusive energy transitions across both urban and rural contexts.

This final conference session will synthesise the collective achievements of these four projects, offering actionable recommendations and fostering collaboration among policymakers, local authorities, industry stakeholders, and research communities. Ultimately, it aims to accelerate the deployment of sustainable energy solutions and ensure a just and equitable energy transition for all European citizens.

9:00 Welcome and introduction from high-level speakers

• Cecilia Bertozzi (JRC)
• Stefan Bouzarovski (University of Manchester)
• Julien Tami, DG ENER, EU Commission

Focus area A – Energy in the urban versus rural context, moderated by Stefan Bouzarovski (IEECP)

9:20 Policy framework and RENOVERTY solutions, Mara Oprea (IEECP) + Q&A

9:30 Panel discussion

• Slavica Robic, REGEA
• Doris de Bruijn, Slim Renovener
• Paula Fonseca (ISR) – REVERTER
• Pascale Van Doren (Rural Pact)

10:20 Coffee break

Focus Area B – Collaboration as key for scaling up deep renovation, from buildings to neighbourhoods and regions, Moderated by Pierre-Antoine Duffrene, Ressorts Energiesprong France and Marion Ligneau, GreenFlex

10:35 Giga Regio Factory and Energy Poverty 0 solutions – Pierre-Antoine Duffrene, Ressorts Energiesprong France and Marion Ligneau, GreenFlex

10:45 Panel discussion :

• Paul Sachot, Est Metropole Habitat
• Antoine Pages, Neomix
• François Snoek, BuildUp Offsite
• Ingrid Vogler, Housing Europe
• Kristaps Kass, EKODOMA

Focus Area C – Simplifying the Path to Energy Renovation: One-Stop Shops for Vulnerable Communities, Moderated by Laura Chillerón and Nicolas Espitalier (B.Link)

11:35 Policy framework and REVERTER solutions, Dimitris Damigos (NTUA)

11:45 Panel discussion:

• Maria Font Pernil (FEP)
• Marta García (Ecoserveis)
• Thibault Perraillon (Ressorts)
• Máirtín Ó Méalóid (EcoVision)

12:30 Lunch and poster session

Afternoon Session: Living on a prayer? Halfway to 2030: how are energy efficiency policies delivering?

This part will review recent trends and progress of Member States towards their energy savings targets (Article 8 of the Energy Efficiency Directive). Partners of the ENSMOV Plus project and guest experts from various countries will share lessons learnt from implementing and monitoring policies, and discuss further developments.

Part 1: Member States’ energy savings obligation (Article 8 of the Energy Efficiency Directive): progress and lessons for further developments

• 13:40 Wellness session by the Comet team
• 14.00 Welcome and introduction, Jean-Sébastien Broc (IEECP) and Imke Lubbeke (CINEA)
• 14.10 Implementing and monitoring energy efficiency policies: main lessons learnt from ENSMOV Plus, Samuel Thomas (RAP), Marek Zaborowski (KAPE, Poland), Solenne Toum (ATEE, France) and Gregor Thenius (AEA, Austria)
• 14.40 Q&A
• 14.50 Quantitative insights: gap-filling measures, and cost-effectiveness in the residential sector, Frederic Berger (Fraunhofer ISI) and Danai Sofia Exintaveloni (UPRC)
• 15.00 Q&A
• 15.10 Diversifying the financing of energy efficiency: experience from Croatia, Vesna Bukarica (EIHP)
• 15.25 Better anticipating future trends: insights from streamSAVE Plus, Matevz Pusnik (JSI)
• 15.40 Coffee Break

16.00 – 17.00 Part 2: What’s next – Key challenges and opportunities for the future EU energy efficiency framework, Moderator: Marion Santini (RAP)

• Arianna Vitali or Antonin Chapelot (Coalition for Energy Savings)
• Dimitar Kolichev (Eurima)
• Tzeni Varfi (SmartEN) 
• Felix Kriedemann (REScoop) 

• 17:15 Networking cocktail