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How do we boost the energy efficiency of buildings while facing a historical spike in energy prices?

The answer, or at least one of the answers, according the BuiltHub project, is data sharing. Communities of data sharing users are integral to the transformation of the European building stock, because it is openly accessible (and plentiful!) data that helps to define building-related policies, directives and agendas.

To explore this topic further, as well as introduce a range of stakeholders to the nearly-launched BuiltHub data-sharing Platform, the BuiltHub project hosted a panel discussion and workshop at the World Sustainable Energy Days. The session was held at the Stadthalle in Wels, Austria on 3 March 2023 from 9:00-11:30, within the scope of the European Energy Efficiency Conference.

Moderated by ICLEI Europe's, Andreas Jäger, the session kicked off with a panel discussion featuring three speakers:

• Florin Vondung, Senior Researcher, from the Wuppertal Institute
• Ghazal Etminan, Senior Research Engineer, from the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT)
• Dr. Hans-Martin Neumann, Urban Development Director, from the City of Linz - who is also ICLEI Europe's liason at the City of Linz, which is an ICLEI Europe Member

The panel discussion covered questions like, "Do you think something positive can be taken from the current energy crisis - can this be a turning point towards a cleaner and more energy secure future?" and "How can we maximize the value of an increasing amount of data so as to develop smart and innovative building services?". Several questions were asked by the audience as a follow up to the discussion.

Following the panel and a brief refreshment break, some members of the BuiltHub consortium introduced the project, specifically within the scope of the conference topics. Presenters sought to answer questions like, "How is BuiltHub contributing to tackle energy poverty?" and "How is BuiltHub encouraging an increase in the renovation rate across Europe?". A live demonstration of the capabilities of the BuiltHub Platform was also performed.

Finally, the attendees were divided into three groups for the workshop portion of the session. The groups were asked to answer one of three questions, which focused on smart building, policy or energy communities. An example of such questions is, "How do we motivate different stakeholders to share their data?". The range of attendees provided some important perspective into the challenges faced by projects, like BuiltHub, that rely on the trust of various stakeholders to openly share their data.

Those interested in exploring the session further, can check out the presentation slides here.