Highlights gender-inclusive mobility planning using data-driven and participatory approaches to improve accessibility, safety, and equity in urban transport systems.

Defines mobility management as a behavioural-change strategy using soft measures like awareness campaigns, travel planning, and stakeholder engagement to reduce car use and support sustainable mobility.

Explains scenario-based modelling tools for evaluating mobility and energy interventions through integrated simulations of environmental and spatial impacts.

Explains city dashboards as digital tools for monitoring urban indicators such as emissions, traffic, and air quality to support data-driven decision-making.

Introduces the 15-minute city concept, promoting proximity-based urban planning to reduce car dependency and improve accessibility and livability.

Explains how to design and implement public EV charging infrastructure, including interoperability, smart charging, grid integration, and policy tools for scaling zero-emission mobility in cities.

Explains integrated land-use and mobility planning to reduce car dependency, support modal shift, and enable 15-minute city concepts through multimodal, people-centered urban design. Useful for planners aligning transport, accessibility, and spatial development strategies.

Explains Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMPs) as strategic tools for integrated, participatory, and long-term mobility planning aligned with EU climate and policy frameworks.

This publication presents a practical guide on improving energy efficiency in European historic urban districts, developed through the EFFESUS project, which combines technical innovations, decision-support tools, and case studies to balance heritage preservation with sustainable retrofitting.

This presentation highlights the challenges and opportunities of integrating renewable energy and energy efficiency measures into historic cities, emphasizing the need for heritage-sensitive solutions in culturally significant urban areas.

A concise, reader-friendly guide translating the full Integrated Renovation Methodology into an accessible, step-by-step roadmap.

The renovation supporting solutions can potentially support users (Facility managers, Building owners, ESCOs) in the design and selection of most appropriate building renovation actions. In modern data-driven developments, this is achieved by leveraging the real-time data coming from the actual operation of the building combined with occupants’ behaviuor- and comfort profiles. With the support of data science (i.e. AI algorithms) an alternative renovation scenarios for the selected buildings in the city can be studied. The alternative scenarios may include various use cases and examples of potential renovation actions and their comparison & ranking based on target emission measures, energy savings, costs and other parameters. There the commercial products exist in the market such as e.g. IDA-ICE. From European research side, there are projects running that aim at developing AI/Data driven applications and tools to support renovation tasks, such as, for example BEYOND, SYNERGY or MATRYCS.

Smart grid is the concept that describes the evolution of power systems to integrate and utilise techniques to adjust the flow of power to optimise the match between electricity supply and demand. The term 'smart grids' is used to define the integration of new technologies and methods, often data-driven, in existing power system infrastructure.

As it happens with some other subsets of sustainability term or its application (i.e.: climate-neutral city, smart-sustainable city), there is not unique and clear definition for the eco-district term. Generalist definitions describe an eco-district as an urban development aiming to deploy the objectives of sustainable development, focusing on integrating environmental, social and economic goals.

Joinery is the component used to dress the openings (openings intended to let light and people circulate), i.e. doors and windows.

Green infrastructure integrates vegetation into buildings and urban structures to deliver environmental, economic and social benefits. Green roofs, for example, can reduce surface runoff and urban heat island effects, support biodiversity, improve building energy performance, protect waterproofing layers and increase carbon capture.

PV panels convert solar radiation into electricity through semiconductor cells that generate direct current, which is then converted into alternating current by an inverter. Most PV modules use crystalline silicon, which offers a good balance of efficiency and cost, while other options such as thin-film technologies provide lighter and more flexible alternatives. Individual modules can be connected together to form larger PV arrays.

Heat Pumps (HP) are conversion devices able to transfer heat from a lower temperature heat source into a higher temperature heat sink. There are several types of HP (electricity compression heat pumps, gas driven HP, heat driven HP, etc.), the most common and efficient the electrical ones. When electricity comes from renewables, it can be considered green. Due to its versatility and high energy efficiency, the development of HP technology will be crucial in this transition toward electrification and decarbonisation of cities. Heat pumps have traditionally used refrigerants with high global warming potential (GWP), being potentially releasers of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere (through leakages). The use of low-impact refrigerants is a need already covered by regulations, and expected to increase in the future. In fact, F-Gas regulation [2] imposes a series of restrictions on the use of refrigerants until 2030, phasing out some higher GWP refrigerants soon, which paves the way for the use of natural refrigerants (e.g. CO2, propane, and ammonia). Heat pumps have characteristics that make them very interesting for using it in many applications, such as near-zero energy buildings (NEZB), district heating and cooling networks (distributed in every building or central heat pumps), positive energy districts, energy communities, and by combination with other sources (geothermal, solar, etc). NZEB is designed to have a very low energy demand, which is largely covered by energy from renewable sources, including the self-production of renewable energy. In this context and considering residential energy consumption, the HP is imposed as a technology for the future. New developments of HPs are being raised for decarbonisation of industries, electrification of district heating and cooling networks, utilization of waste heat (to upgrade it and inject it in networks) and for utilizing both sinks (condenser and evaporator) at the same time (using dual source heat exchanger, see example below).

Concrete is the most-used manufactured substance on the planet in terms of volume. It is used to build homes, schools, hospitals, workplaces, roads, railways and ports, and to create infrastructure to provide clean water, sanitation and energy [1]. Concrete is manufactured by mixing cement, water, aggregates and small quantities of chemical admixtures to improve its properties and meet specific product requirements. The direct CO2 emissions related to concrete largely come from cement production. The cement used today, called Ordinary Portland cement (OPC), is made from finely ground Portland clinker and gypsum. Clinker is produced by heating crushed limestone, clay and sand to 1450 °C [2]. Within the clinker production, there are two main sources of CO2: direct emissions (60%) stemming from the decarbonation of limestone and indirect emissions (40%) from burning fuel [3]. The European cement industry has actively worked on reducing emissions for a long time. In 2013, CEMBUREAU elaborated a Roadmap, which was revised in 2018 to ensure the objective of carbon neutrality down the cement and concrete value chain set for 2050 are met. A schematic illustration of 2050 road map is shown in Figure 1 [2]. SUSTAINABILITY OPC typically contains 95% clinker and 5% gypsum. A very effective strategy of reducing cement footprint is to substitute part of the Portland clinker with other materials for which the footprint is low or even zero. Such substitutes are called supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) and include: granulated blast furnace slag (GBFS), a by-product of pig-iron production in blast furnaces, fly ash (FA), a by-product from coal-fired power plants, natural pozzolanic materials obtained from volcanic compounds, sedimentary rocks (limestone), clays, agricultural residues (rice husk ash), silica fume (a by-product of silica and ferro-silica alloy production processes) and mixes thereof [3,4,5]. OPC clinkers partially substituted with one or more SCMs are referred to as blended cements. Reducing the clinker content in cement saves both energy-related and embodied CO2 [3]. Examples of projects applying this concept are LC3 and EnDurCrete. INNOVATION/NEW MATERIALS Alternatives to Portland cement can achieve significant emission savings as they rely on different raw material mixes and require lower firing temperatures. Belite-rich Portland clinkers are produced with the same process as OPC clinkers, but with less limestone in the clinker raw material mix, thus the CO2 generation is reduced. However, this emission reduction of around 10% is rather modest relative to OPC [3]. A promising lower-carbon alternative is calcium sulphoaluminate (CSA) clinker. It contains ye’elimite as the main constituent, which reduces direct CO2 emissions by 44% [1]. Unfortunately, their cost also increases significantly at the same time, because higher ye’elimite content requires more expensive aluminium-rich raw materials [3]. Belite calcium sulphoaluminate (BCSA) clinker is able to circumvent the high raw material costs of CSA clinkers. They are preferably referred to as “belite–ye'elimite–ferrite” (BYF) cements. Such clinkers have CO2 savings of 20% or greater per unit of clinker in the cement due to the lower limestone content with additional savings coming from the lower firing temperatures and 30-50% lower electricity demand for grinding as they are more friable [1]. Projects applying and developing these new types of materials include Ecobinder for BYF cements. Commercially available BYF clinkers Aether and Ternocem have the potential to replace OPC clinker in many major applications [3]. The carbonated calcium silicates (CACS) clinkers, primarily consist of wollastonite cured with CO2. Process CO2 emissions generated in CACS clinker making are, in principle, re-absorbed during the CO2 curing process [1]. Solidia cements (Solid life) have recently been commercialised for fabricating certain cement-based products, but the CO2 gas for curing currently comes from industrial gas suppliers. The long-term goal is to use recycled industrial CO2 from industrial flue gases, promoting emission reductions and circularity [3]. Cements based on magnesium oxides derived from magnesium silicates (MOMSs) are able to counterbalance and absorb the CO2 released in the manufacturing process while curing. If the magnesium oxides are coming from natural magnesium sources free of carbon, such as magnesium silicate rocks, they would yield net negative CO2 emissions, having a true environmental advantage [1]. CO2MIN is a good example, focusing on identifying such rocks. RECYCLING and RE-CARBONATION Concrete reabsorbs a significant amount of CO2 over its normal service lifetime and also after demolition. The recarbonation of recycled cement paste is a rapid process at normal pressure and temperature, showing a substantial CO2 sequestration potential. This concept reduces the CO2 footprint of cement, promotes recycling of end-of-life concrete and circularity as the carbonated material can be used as SCM for the production of new blended cements [2]. Examples of projects applying and developing recycling technologies are C2CA, TRACK4REUSE and RE4. Users of such solutions can be: -Industries, universities and research institutions investigating durability, sustainability, alternative cement materials, recycling and re-carbonation along concrete value chain -Potential customers in the target sectors: concrete markets and manufacturers of new concrete technologies -Recommendations and standardisation experts MATURITY: Several solutions for low carbon concrete are already ready for commercial deployment or available on the market, for example: LC3 is a technology that is market-ready and it is already produced in several plants in the world [11] Aether has been demonstrated in two industrial trials completed in 2012 with 10,000t of Aether clinker produced [12]. Since 2014 customer testing is ongoing [13]. It is not commercially produced yet because specific norms for this type of clinkers do not exist, with the exception of China that has normalised their use in construction for more than 30 years [1]. Solidia cement has been successfully produced in two continents and Solidia concrete has been successfully demonstrated in 10 countries worldwide [14]. Solutions are in demonstration include: Carbon8 has been demonstrated at scale [15] FastCarb produced two demonstrators for concrete walls formulated using recarbonated recycled aggregates [16]. EnDurCrete tested full-scale demonstrator in four different locations in Europe, in working sites of tunnels and ports (Spain), bridges (Croatia) and offshore structures (Norway). After project completion, a time-to-market of 3-4 years is expected [17].

RenoBooster is an EU Horizon 2020 funded project developed in Vienna that aims to increase the number of green renovations of private housing, thereby contributing to decarbonisation in the city. Vienna supports citizens and private companies through the creation of a renovation hub that provides guidance throughout the refurbishment process and creates links between supply and demand.

Enhancing the thermal performance of building envelopes by improving the thermal properties of construction systems is possible by acting upon not just the insulation level, but also the thermal inertia through proper selection of the construction materials [1–3]. The building structure itself constitutes a source of thermal energy storage and plays a key role in buffering heat and in reducing indoor temperature swings [4]. Literature claims that it is impossible to design energy-efficient buildings using only a U-value-based approach (that is, only with insulation) and that the role of thermal inertia, i.e., the positive effect of thermal capacity, appears to be relevant in particular for moderate climates [5,6]. Historical buildings using stone masonry or rammed earth are characterized by high thermal inertia [7–10]. Studies based on dynamic simulations and on-site monitoring proved that massive envelopes are able to ensure a considerable reduction of indoor thermal discomfort, especially during summer in cooling dominated climates [7]. The use of alveolar bricks or hollow bricks also increases the thermal inertia of buildings compared to tradition brick construction [11,12]. Effect of the addition of thermal inertia (i.e., addition of PCM) in the building envelope [4] Modern architecture has moved to more innovative constructions systems using stone masonry or rammed earth. Today, stone is used by many designers to build single layer, multiple layers, composite load-bearing masonry walls, and self-supporting masonry envelopes [7]. Rammed earth construction is also moving towards multi-layers walls (i.e., including insulation) [13] and considers embodied energy and the use of sustainable materials (i.e., by-products) [14]. Another addition to modern architectural practices sensitive to the role of thermal inertia is the incorporation of phase change materials (PCM) in walls [4]. When PCM is added to the building envelope, the envelope itself becomes a source of thermal energy storage (TES) and it plays a key role in buffering heat and in mitigating the dynamicity of outdoor thermal oscillations, while displacing the heat penetration in time so that the heat reaches the indoors when it is most needed (peak load reduction and offset). Therefore, the building wall/structure acts as a heat sink during warm/hot periods (and a heat source during cool/cold periods). Finally, another material largely studied for its thermal capacity in building envelopes is concrete. Today, studies involve increasing the circularity of concrete by developing new formulations (i.e., geopolymers) [15,16] or adding by-products (i.e., fly ash, steel slag) [17,18] or involve increasing its thermal capacity/inertia by adding PCMs in the concrete formulation [19,20]. MATURITY: This technology is mostly very mature. As seen in the description, stone masonry and rammed earth are construction technologies available in traditional vernacular architecture. In developed countries, this construction materials/systems were substituted by other technologies (i.e., bricks, concrete), but today they are becoming interesting again due to their advantages in terms of climate change mitigation and due to the need of refurbishing the building stock. On the other hand, the technology using PCM is not as mature, although these materials can be commercially found. Finally, geopolymers are still in the development stage.

To decrease the heat gains of buildings, reflective or cool materials can be applied on the roof or the facades of buildings (1-3). Reflective materials are characterized by high solar reflectance (SR) combined with a high thermal emittance value (4). Reflective coatings can contribute to reducing the surface temperature of a concrete tile by 7.5 °C, and it can be 15 °C cooler than a silver-grey coating [6,7]. Parallel to the development of white reflective materials, a new technology of colored infrared reflective materials has been developed and is commercially available, (8,9). Use of infrared reflective materials increases the solar reflectance of the commercially available dark products from 0.05–0.25 to 0.30–0.45, (9). Recently, the development of daytime radiative photonic cooling technologies has permitted to decrease the surface temperature of the building materials at sub ambient levels, (10). Photonic materials coolers exhibiting an extraordinary solar reflectance combined with a high value of emissivity in the atmospheric window, can operate at sub ambient surface temperatures, (11). Sub-ambient photonic materials are already available for building applications. A review of the developments and recent achievements in the field of daytime radiative cooling technologies is given in Ref. [12]. Use of reflecting materials contributes to lowering the surface temperature of the building materials since solar radiation is reflected rather than absorbed. As a result, the heat penetrating into the building is considerably decreasing, indoor temperatures are lower and the need for air conditioning is significantly reduced. The use of reflective materials in vertical facades may create a visual discomfort and an energy surplus to the neighboring buildings as lighting and solar radiation is reflected to them. To overcome this problem, retroreflective (RR) materials have been recently developed as an effective solution for vertical facades, (13). Retroreflectivity refers to the ability of a specially engineered surface to preferentially reflect incident radiation back towards its source regardless of the direction of incidence, (14). Numerous retroreflective products are commercially available and can be implemented on vertical facades to increase the reflectance of the surfaces without creating any optical and energy burden to the surrounding buildings. Reflective materials suffer from ageing problems and their optical characteristics worsen as a function of time. Regular cleaning of the roofs is necessary. The present document aims to provide knowledge, information, and recommendations on the use reflective materials on roofs and facades of buildings. MATURITY: The technology of cool roofs and cool facades is very mature, almost all products are rated and certified by the European Cool Roof Council, (21), and can be used to provide indoor comfort and decrease the cooling needs in buildings. The use of retroreflective materials is not so common in buildings, however, the existing commercial products are of very high quality. Numerous reflective white or light-colored materials are currently commercially available for buildings presenting solar reflectance values ranging from 0.4 to 0.9, and emissivity values close to 0.9. Reflective materials present a much lower surface temperature than conventional materials of dark color. For example, under solar conditions of about 1000 W/m2, an insulated black surface with solar reflectance of 0.05 and under low wind speed conditions, presents a surface temperature up to 50 °C higher than ambient air temperature, while for a white surface with solar reflectance of 0.8, the temperature rise is about 10 °C (5).

There is a noticeable potential to process Energy Performance Certificate (EPCs) to evaluate the environmental performance of the building sector at the city scale. Such assessment requires an open-access database and a standard level of EPC information reported by cities. Although a review on the availability of EPC databases revealed that several European cities currently report EPC databases, only a few have already provided a public open-access database (see external links section for further information). Given the possibility of providing open access EPC databases as a tangible solution, the use of open data from the EPCs can lead to develop an Environmental Decision Support System (EDSS) tool, which helps in the measurement of potential environmental impacts of the buildings during different phases (e.g. operational phase), or the assessment of several environmental impact categories in compliance with the Life Cycle Assessment standards.

Buildings represent the largest energy consumer in Europe. Deep energy renovation of the existing stock to reduce its energy consumption seems to be the most appropriate measure and a key policy to achieve emissions reduction targets. The largest part of the European building stock was built way before strict energy requirements were set and, given the long life span of buildings, it is expected that between 85 -95 % of the existing stock will be still under use by 2050 [1]. Given the importance of the global climate change and the commitments under the Paris agreement, the European Union, (EU), has proposed in the Climate Target Plan 2030 to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 (2). However, according to a recent study performed on behalf of the European Commission (3), ‘the average total annual energy renovation rate of residential buildings, namely the sum of all different levels of energy renovation depths from “below threshold” to “deep renovations”, for the period 2012-2016 based on floor area is estimated to be at around 12% for EU28 as a whole. For residential buildings, the annual weighted energy renovation rate was estimated close to 1% within the European Union. This is in line with other estimations of the European Commission (0.4-1.2% depending on the Member State) and highlights the insufficient progress in the building sector in terms of moving towards decarbonisation of the building stock’. Therefore, the weighted annual energy renovation rate in the EU is as low as 1% while the annual rate of deep renovation is only 0.2% and 0.3% in residential and non-residential buildings, respectively (3). To break down the energy renovation barriers, the Commission introduced the Renovation Wave strategy (2), which aims to at least double the annual energy renovation rate by 2030 and to foster deep renovation. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD, 2010/31/EU) is the main legal tool to enhance the energy efficiency in buildings across the EU (4). To support the implementation of the Renovation Wave strategy, the Directive was revised in 2021. The proposal defines deep renovation as a renovation that transforms buildings into Nearly-Zero Energy Buildings (NZEBs) in a first step. As of 2030, deep renovation will transform existing buildings into Zero-Emission Buildings (ZEBs) (5). The building comprises a single volume with four rectangular courtyards and a publicly accessible ground floor that provides a new pedestrian connection between downtown Munich and the museum district. Floor-to-ceiling windows and a smart spatial organization allow employees to have visual connection to their colleagues throughout the building, while various open areas act as meeting spaces where people can collaborate across departments. Thanks to a holistic approach to sustainable design, the new building consumes 90% less electricity and uses 75% less water than its predecessor. Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems can be adjusted by employees, and thanks to the company’s smart building technology, data from 30,000 points allow for a comprehensive insight into the daily energy performance of the building. The deep or NZEB renovation level vary across the Member States. Common measures identified in deep renovation include thermal insulation to achieve U-values of 0.10 – 0.20 W/(m²K) for walls and 0.10 – 0.20 W/(m²K) for roofs, passive technologies (shading devices, natural ventilation, night cooling, thermal mass), active technologies (mechanical ventilation with heat recovery, condensing boilers, district heating) and renewable energy from photovoltaics (PVs) and solar thermal (6). The main purpose of this document is to provide knowledge, information and a reference for the city decision makers, building professionals and building stakeholders to implement appropriate energy renovation measures across the EU Member Countries.

This policy brief presents recommendations for EU decision-makers and European national authorities on built environment formulated by cities participating in the EU Cities Mission (Mission Cities). NetZeroCities held its 5th thematic Policy Lab at the EU level on Built Environment, in person and in the context of the Cities Mission Conference in Valencia on 25 June 2024.

Sustainable biomass and biogas technologies use renewable organic matter and waste streams to produce heat, electricity or fuel. In cities, they are best suited to efficient applications such as combined heat and power, district heating and biogas production, rather than small domestic systems that can worsen air pollution. Biogas can also be upgraded for use in gas grids or transport, while improved combustion and fuel-processing technologies can increase efficiency and make biomass use more practical.

Geothermal energy provides renewable heating and cooling by using heat from the ground, either directly or with heat pumps depending on temperature and local conditions. It can serve individual buildings or district systems, offering strong potential for low-carbon heat supply, cooling and cascading uses such as greenhouses or pools. Its viability depends largely on drilling costs and the depth of the available resource.

PVT hybrid systems generate both electricity and heat, allowing one technology to support power supply, domestic hot water and space heating while reducing fossil fuel use and emissions. They are best suited to low-temperature applications or combined with heat pumps to raise supply temperatures. By using roof space more efficiently and improving panel performance, PVT systems can also increase electricity output and overall energy efficiency.

Evacuated tube collectors are a type of stationary solar thermal technology designed to capture solar heat for low-temperature applications, typically below 100°C. Like other solar thermal systems, they transfer heat to a fluid for storage or use, often alongside a water tank to improve performance and balance supply and demand. They are well suited to applications such as domestic hot water and space heating.

Solar thermal panels convert solar radiation into heat, which is transferred to a fluid for storage or direct use. They are most commonly used for domestic hot water and space heating, often alongside a storage tank to improve performance and manage supply and demand. Solar thermal systems can also support district heating and include both tracking collectors for higher-temperature applications and stationary collectors such as flat-plate and evacuated tube systems for lower-temperature use.

Reducing embedded emissions in buildings focuses on cutting the carbon impact of construction materials through circularity, material reuse and bio-based alternatives such as timber, hemp, straw and compressed earth. The page highlights that concrete alone accounts for 4–8% of global CO2, while urban mining can supply only around 30% of future material needs, so wider shifts in design, procurement and material choice are needed. It also notes key co-benefits such as lower emissions and energy use, alongside barriers including high costs, certification challenges and supply constraints for bio-based materials.

Climate-smart urban agriculture uses technologies such as rooftop farms, hydroponics, aeroponics, vertical planting and aquaponics to produce food in dense urban areas while using less land, water and energy than conventional systems. The page highlights strong co-benefits for local food resilience, community participation and resource efficiency, including water savings of up to 90% and food production with just 10% of the land and 5% of the water used by conventional agriculture. It also notes important constraints, including high equipment and energy costs, space limitations, and the need for technical expertise.

Natural ventilation (or passive ventilation) makes use of natural forces, such as wind and thermal buoyancy, to circulate air to and from an indoor space in order to maintain good air quality. These ventilation systems work to regulate the internal air temperature as well as bring fresh air in and send state air out.

Passive building design uses climate-responsive strategies such as orientation, massing, shading, material selection, thermal mass, insulation, layout and opening placement to maintain indoor comfort through passive heating, passive cooling and natural ventilation.

Green façades and green walls are vertical greening systems that introduce vegetation onto building surfaces. Green façades use climbing plants that either grow directly on the façade or along a support structure such as cables or bars fixed to the wall.

Building envelope consists of all components that separate the interior from the exterior in a building, it includes the roof, walls and floor. The most important principle for energy efficient construction is a continuous insulating envelope all around the building, which is also key to maintain comfortable indoor conditions.

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Shows co-creation of climate-neutral zones in Ioannina integrating mobility, buildings, and nature-based solutions.

Demonstrates car-pooling pilot in Vitoria-Gasteiz reducing commuter emissions through incentives and shared mobility.

Shows development of cycling superhighways in Oulu to enable year-round active mobility and modal shift.

Shows Lahti’s employer-based commuting interventions to reduce emissions through behavioural change and incentives.

Describes Bordeaux’s cycling network expansion to reduce congestion and promote active mobility through large-scale infrastructure investment.

Shows implementation of superblocks in Vitoria-Gasteiz to reduce traffic, improve public space, and promote active mobility.

Describes Lisbon’s Green Participatory Budget enabling citizen-driven funding of climate and mobility projects such as green corridors and cycling infrastructure.

Presents Graz’s investment strategy combining public transport electrification, cycling infrastructure, and financing mechanisms for decarbonisation.

This method analyses the drivers and barriers residents face in moving toward natural gas-free homes, using a customer journey approach and qualitative research. It helps cities and stakeholders better understand resident motivations, resistance, and support needs when planning inclusive home energy transition and retrofit strategies.

This case study describes the Järva Dialog in Stockholm, a large-scale participatory process involving residents in energy-efficient housing renovations through open meetings, education, and community engagement. It shows how cities can use inclusive dialogue and capacity-building to improve retrofit projects, increase acceptance, and deliver both energy efficiency and social co-benefits.

Improving the energy efficiency of buildings is one of Galway’s top priorities on the road to net zero. While the local authority has made significant progress in retrofitting public buildings and social housing, decarbonising the private housing stock remains a major challenge. Therefore, the pilot aims to address the main obstacles homeowners face when thinking about retrofitting.

Wheatley Group, Scotland’s largest social housing provider, developed the Connected Response initiative to improve heating efficiency in its homes. This initiative aligns with Glasgow’s climate neutrality ambitions by introducing demand-side management technology to optimise energy use and reduce costs for tenants. Traditionally, retrofitting efforts in social housing have focused on insulation and full-heating system replacements, but Connected Response demonstrates that intelligent energy management can be just as impactful. Instead of expensive, impractical heating system overhauls, this initiative retrofits existing electric storage heaters with advanced smart controls, allowing them to function in a more efficient, flexible, and cost-effective manner. The main objectives of the Connected Response project include: reducing energy demand in social housing through smart control solutions; enhancing heating efficiency while improving affordability for tenants; providing better temperature control and stability in homes; and improved customer satisfaction.

A core priority for the Greener Greater Manchester initiative is decarbonising the built environment. The PSDS, a government-funded programme, supports public institutions in transitioning from fossil fuelled to low-carbon heating systems, with £2.5 billion allocated for this purpose. Working closely with local authorities, the GMCA has implemented 807 measures across 217 sites, including air source heat pumps, solar panels, energy management systems, and insulation, in collaboration with 29 partners.