The WeForming project aims to change the paradigm of efficiently managing energy in buildings, paying special attention to their interaction with the energy ecosystem (energy networks and markets) by developing, deploying and demonstrating innovative solutions addressing (i) digital operation, management and maintenance and (ii) efficient and interactive energy processing for Intelligent Grid-interactive Efficient Buildings (iGEBs), able to operate intelligently in a multi-energy, multi-user, multi-sector, multi-market, and multi-objective environment, without forgetting quality, comfort, health and acceptation. The WeForming Framework will deploy an umbrella framework covering all aspects around the establishment and adoption of iGEBs in cities, which consists of (i) a Building Operational Pillar encompassing all assets of iGEBs, including the energy management systems and the different platforms, aiming towards the building operational optimization, the actors and the actual flexibility resources, generation and storage components; (ii) a novel Interoperability Assurance Pillar which leverages on, adapts, evolves, and specifically validates leading-edge interoperable architectures; (iii) a Business Pillar including all necessary processes to bring the proposed solutions to the market, through the design and validation of sustainable and competitive business models, ensuring the economic viability of the investments needed for the establishment of smart cities featuring new and refurbished iGEBs; (iv) a Smart-city enabling Pillar integrating iGEBs as modular units addressing all different non-technical barriers and limitations for the widespread deployment of the proposed solutions that will create a stock of active buildings acting as active utility nodes within cities.

The Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) model has been successful in attracting investments in energy efficiency, but mainly for single, large projects. Energy efficiency programs, on the other hand, constitute an alternative path to scaling up the number of buildings that implement energy efficiency interventions, but the practice of rebates and incentives that are paid up front creates a need to rely on deemed energy savings and on complex and costly regulations that hinder innovation. SENSEI will propose a solution to this deadlock. Building on earlier successful experimentation outside of the EU, we will design concepts and business models that will help: (a) generate new sources of benefits that increase the value of an energy retrofit project by enabling the compensation of energy efficiency as an energy resource, and (b) turn the project’s value into an investable asset to attract private financing. The main concept underlying the SENSEI business models is pay-for-performance (P4P), which offers an effective way to engage both energy providers and third-party investorsin energy efficiency. SENSEI will first elaborate P4P schemes for financing energy efficiency that can be implemented across the EU, and then integrate these P4P schemes with the preparation and implementation stages of the EPC model, with the intention of increasing and/or financing the gains in a building’s value that are produced by energy efficiency improvements. The developed concepts will utilize actual building data and the consortium’s competences to carry out a series of negotiation games among all SENSEI parties – representing all links in the EPC and P4P chain. The project has planned a series of activities to both disseminate the insights from these games and to support stakeholders in using our recommendations with the goal of rolling out the first P4P pilots in the EU.

SocialWatt aims to support obligated parties under Article 7 of the Energy Efficiency Directive to develop, adopt, test and spread innovative energy poverty schemes across Europe. Utilities and energy suppliers will be able to build their capacity and exploit the SocialWatt tools developed for effectively engaging with their customers and implementing schemes that aim to alleviate energy poverty. Energy efficiency interventions at the household level and the increased use of renewable energy will be triggered, by promoting innovative financing options, such as Energy Performance Contracts, Energy Saving Agreements or on-bill repayment. SocialWatt will contribute to the following 3 main pillars: - Supporting utilities and energy suppliers contribute to the fight against energy poverty through the use of the SocialWatt decision support tools. They will be able to identify energy poverty among their clients, elaborate Energy Poverty Action Plans after having evaluated and selected energy poverty schemes, as well as monitor and assess the overall procedure. - Bridging the gap between energy companies and social services by promoting collaboration and implementing knowledge transfer and capacity building activities. - Implementing and replicating innovative schemes to alleviate energy poverty. Participating utilities and energy suppliers, operate in 26 European countries, with primary markets in Croatia, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Romania and Spain. The latter will be the focus of the pilot cases for developing and implementing energy poverty schemes, whilst the replication of SocialWatt across Europe will be pursued. Energy poor citizens are the main target group that will benefit from the innovative schemes. SocialWatt will support energy companies to fulfil their energy efficiency obligations, as well as improve public relations, promote Corporate Social Responsibility strategies, reduce debt and overhead in managing debt and enhance their public image.

i-STENTORE will examine the integration of diverse storage solutions and their combinations. Innovative storage systems will be showcased and their co-operation with the integrated assets will be co-optimized, placing the reliability, the power quality, the cost-efficient operation and the maximization of the assets’ lifetime as end-goals. i-STENTORE will introduce an umbrella framework aiming to showcase stand-alone and hybrid storage solutions highlighting the multi-purpose use of storage, not only as an energy buffer, but also as an active grid component capable of providing services and contributing to grid resilience, stability and efficient operation. The proposed framework will examine the applicability of versatile storage solutions in various applications covering the mobility, agricultural, industry, household, heating and other sectors, and in different timeframes, creating what-if scenarios for the selection of the optimal storage solutions to serve each individual application in the most effective way, promoting purpose-specific Hybrid Energy Storage Systems (HESS). To achieve this and to ensure a seamless integration in a technology-agnostic and interoperable manner, i-STENTORE will design a Reference Architecture towards an open and flexible storage-enabling European energy system leveraging storage-induced flexibility and facilitating the increased integration of renewable energy sources (RES). i-STENTORE will embrace the introduction of novel business models, towards building positive and attractive business cases for storage, identifying new revenue streams for storage operators and promoting storage systems as a facilitator of the energy transition. This approach will develop and validate the enhanced connectivity of multiple systems at different levels of the energy value chain, incorporating both front-of-the-meter and behind-the-meter solutions, targeting the essential empowerment of new actors and the strategic shift of the role of storage.

"Efficiency First" (E1st) is a fundamental principle applied to policymaking, planning and investment in the energy sector, which is gaining visibility in European energy and climate policy. ENEFIRST will help making the E1st principle more concrete and operational, better understand its relevance for energy demand and supply and its broader impacts across sectors and markets, focussing on the buildings sector. Its main objectives are to define the principle of E1st in practical terms, assess how it has been applied internationally and how it applies to the EU context, to assess the value of applying E1st across different policy areas for buildings’ end-use energy efficiency and to quantify the impacts of increased building energy efficiency for the future energy system in the EU, and to identify key policy areas for the application of E1st and develop policy proposals for its implementation in the EU Buildings Sector. The methodology of ENEFIRST has been designed in light of the novelty of the approach informed by a deep understanding of the current energy policy landscape and the existing practices of energy efficiency policy making and is based in three pillars a) identification of the most relevant policy areas where the E1st principle can be applied to achieve the highest impact in terms of energy system benefits, through screening 5 areas of potential application, modelling three scenarios and five modelling case studies and applying the E1st in three regions in the EU, b) application of the E1st in policy instruments, through assessing the applicability and transferability of international E1st approaches and quantifying the impacts of E1st (through modelling and multi-criteria analysis), and c) application of E1st through the design of policy instruments and the analysis of their application in country case studies. All the foreseen tasks will be carried out with the validation of experts’ groups that formulate the ENEFIRST Stakeholder Community.