eceee Summer Study proceedings Feed

Great Britain’s mixed progress in decarbonising neighbourhoods and the implications for net-zero

Thu, 22 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Normal 0 false false false false EN-GB X-NONE X-NONE /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Aptos; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Aptos; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-font-kerning:1.0pt; mso-ligatures:standardcontextual; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;} Peer-reviewed paper 2-039-26 The Carbon & Place project (www.carbon.place) has created annual consumption-based carbon footprints for each of the 43,064 Lower Super Output Areas (LSOA) in Great Britain from 2010 to 2020. LSOAs are statistical neighbourhoods with a population of around 1,500–3,000. Neighbourhood carbon footprints offer a detailed insight into the spatial and socio-economic distribution of energy consumption and carbon footprints that can shed light on where, by whom, and why consumption occurs and where it can be reduced. In this paper, we show updated data for 2021 and 2022, adding the post-COVID recovery and explore the differing rates of decarbonisation across Great Britain over the last thirteen years. While the consumption-based carbon footprint of the median neighbourhood has changed little over this period, rising by 1.7%. There is evidence of divergence, with some footprints falling by 22% while others have risen by 18%. This is in the context of UK territorial emissions having fallen by a third over the period, but a greater share of consumption-based emissions is embedded in imports from abroad and international travel. We examine the distinctive characteristics of areas with falling and rising carbon footprints and try to understand why decarbonisation is and is not occurring in various places and what this means for place-based decarbonisation policy in the UK. In particular, we discuss the trade-offs of how local policies such as poverty alleviation may result in locally rising carbon footprints, but from a low base, and how identifying the highest carbon neighbourhoods may allow for targeted policies that may be more effective at reducing overall carbon emissions, even if emissions in many local areas are rising slightly. Read the full paper in Energy Demand. Download presentation.

Data analytics to decarbonize computer life cycles beyond energy efficiency under EU product policies

Mon, 19 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Peer-reviewed paper 8-068-26 In June 2025, EU Commission Regulations (EU) 2023/1670 and 2023/1669 introduced comprehensive Ecodesign and Energy Labelling rules for smartphones and tablets, marking a milestone in sustainable product policy. For the first time, an EU-wide repairability score and reliability criteria accompany energy-related requirements, aiming to extend lifetimes through durability, reparability, and software support, while reducing life-cycle GHG emissions. This framework is seen as a blueprint for future requirements under the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) (Regulation (EU) 2024/1781). This paper examines the policy rationale and technical process for balancing circularity objectives from the EU Circular Economy Action Plan with the overarching goal of decarbonizing product life cycles. The paper also presents recent empirical data on defect rates, failure modes, and component-level reliability for computers to inform a lifetime model during the revision of the outdated computer Ecodesign Regulation (EU) No 617/2013. This revision, under the current Ecodesign framework but aligned with ESPR principles, is expected to introduce an Energy Label for computers, integrating durability and reparability alongside energy performance. The analysis shows how these measures translate into lifetime extension, with quantified effects on life-cycle GHG emissions and other environmental impacts. These findings will have an impact on future EU product policies far beyond IT equipment. Read the full paper in Energy Demand. Download presentation.

Techno-economic assessment of green primary and secondary plastics production pathways

Mon, 19 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Peer-reviewed paper 9-021-26 Polypropylene production relies predominantly on fossil resources for process energy and carbon feedstock. This study compares fossil primary production, renewable-carbon primary routes based on biomass, renewable hydrocarbons, or CO₂ and hydrogen, and recycling pathways under German industrial cost conditions within the European carbon-pricing framework. Literature-based process data are harmonised to a functional unit of 1 tonne of polypropylene pellets at the plant gate. A parametric model combines annualised capital and operating expenditure, energy and material requirements, and pathway-specific emissions. Electricity, natural-gas, hydrogen, and CO₂ prices vary over time, while material-feedstock prices remain constant in the baseline. Hypothetical costs for end-of-life emissions caused by the use of fossil feedstocks are reported separately. Mechanical recycling has the lowest levelised production costs and comparatively low direct process emissions. Chemical recycling routes are more expensive because of conversion losses, additional processing, and, where conventional steam cracking is used, high direct emissions. Hydrogen-intensive power-to-X routes remain the most expensive options. Biomethanol-to-propylene and the renewable-hydrocarbon routes offer economically promising alternatives to CO₂/H₂-based primary production, although their competitiveness remains sensitive to feedstock prices and process-energy requirements. Pathway competitiveness therefore depends on process structure, energy prices, feedstock assumptions, and the regulatory treatment of fossil carbon embedded in products. Electrification can reduce process emissions but does not eliminate end-of-life emissions from fossil feedstocks. The results underscore the distinction between energy decarbonisation and feedstock defossilisation and show that pathway rankings remain conditional on key feedstock and technology assumptions. Industrial planning should consider these options alongside feedstock availability and product-quality constraints. Read the full paper in Energy Demand. Download presentation.

The impact of low-carbon technology adoption on peak electricity demand

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Peer-reviewed paper 8-180-26 This study is relevant to UK distribution network operators, energy policymakers, and researchers working on residential electrification strategy. Using longitudinal smart meter data from over 1,800 UK households within the Smart Energy Research Lab (SERL) Observatory, we employ a normalised Energy Use Intensity (EUI) framework (W/m²) to observe the "as-operated" behaviour of multi-technology households, covering heat pumps (HP), electric vehicles (EV), photovoltaics (PV), and battery energy storage systems (Batt), compared to gas-heated controls across varied UK building fabrics. The UK is in mid-transition from a gas-dominated system, making the identification of peak demand signatures from real metered data particularly policy-critical. In gas-heated homes, the evening electrical load historically remains low; peak power density averaged 6.4 W/m² during the 17:00 to 21:00 winter peak. When heating is electrified via HPs, this peak density nearly triples to 18.5 W/m², shifting the primary thermal load onto the local grid during its most constrained hours. The data reveal a significant gap in standard thermal models: in gas-heated terraced houses, the least-insulated homes recorded a lower peak gas power density (17.4 W/m²) compared to partially-insulated homes (23.6 W/m²), suggesting that heat loss does not always translate to instantaneous peak loads in practice. The results suggest that while insulation reduces total annual energy intensity, it does not significantly mitigate high-amplitude evening power density. However, the integration of system stacking (HP combined with PV and Battery Storage) showed a 22% reduction in cumulative evening grid reliance during cold weather (<5.5 °C). Furthermore, in battery-equipped EV households, peak evening demand was maintained at just 4.2 W/m² , though these households still rely heavily on gas for heating, peaking at 25.8 W/m², this figure therefore reflects electrical decoupling of transport only, not whole-home decarbonisation. These findings have direct implications for UK distribution network planning: combining onsite generation and storage with electrified heating delivers more robust peak management than insulation-only interventions, and the persistence of gas use in HP combined with PV and Battery Storage households signals that the electrification transition is currently partial rather than complete. Read the full paper in Energy Demand. Download presentation.

Mapping methodologies for assessing impacts of sufficiency measures in the built environment

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Peer-reviewed paper 5-196-26 The built environment faces systemic challenges like high energy demand, dependency on CO2-intensive material and housing shortage. While efficiency measures have been widely targeted in the built environment, sufficiency measures remain underexplored despite their potential to be cost-effective and resource-efficient. Sufficiency prioritizes optimizing existing resources, minimizing structural demand and fostering shared spaces. The limited adoption of sufficiency is partly due to a lack of robust methodologies to measure their impacts and integrate social, economic and environmental factors in a variety of spatial areas. With existing methodologies failing to assess the underutilization of the built environment, spatial planners and policymakers are limited in leveraging these strategies for sustainable transformations. This study therefore maps methodologies capable of assessing the impacts of sufficiency measures in the built environment. Through a systematic literature review of 220 initial records, 21 studies were shortlisted and analysed, whereas six methodology clusters were identified and their coverage of spatial areas and impact domains such as resource, space and mobility were assessed. Findings indicate that most studies operationalized sufficiency through space optimization or densification. Computational system models, GIS and LCA were the most commonly applied methodologies, covering a variety of impact domains and spatial areas. By systematically mapping methodologies against impact domains and spatial contexts, this study moves beyond defining sufficiency or cataloguing measures but explores how sufficiency impacts in the built environment are currently assessed, laying a foundation for developing better decision-support in sufficiency-oriented spatial planning. Read the full paper in Energy Demand. Download presentation.

Rewarding the self-control of heat pumps – towards a fair comparison of heat pump efficiency

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Peer-reviewed paper 8-249-26 In the context of rising energy costs and energy security concerns, it is critical that new appliances and equipment placed on the market meet high efficiency standards. This is particularly important for heat pumps – a key technology in the European Union’s (EU) electrification and decarbonisation strategy. In the new EU space heating regulations, a requirement was made that the evaluation of efficiency should be closer to expected real-life behaviour, since the current methodology presents serious shortcomings, including its lack of representativeness. Conscious that this test method needed improvement, the European Commission (EC) decided to shift towards a more representative load-based test approach: the compensation method. This paper summarises the shortcomings of the current testing methodology and provides solutions based on years of development and laboratory verification of the load-based methodology, as well as technical background information, where appropriate. Differences between real-life operation and laboratory performance using different methodologies are assessed and implication on EU product policy discussed. The proposed solutions within the load-based methodology are discussed in the light of the latest draft Regulation available (March 2026). It shows a significant improvement compared to current status of standardised test procedures but also reveals some areas where improvements would be important to ensure a high level of representativeness.

Modelling the relaxation of EU CO2 emission standards for cars and vans in Germany with TEMPS

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Peer-reviewed paper 6-289-26 The EU CO2 emission standards for cars and vans under Regulation (EU) 2019/631 constitute a key European policy instrument for emission reduction in light-duty vehicle transport. Although emission reductions in domestic transport are likely to be insufficient to meet national targets the European Commission proposed a relaxation of the CO2 standards as part of its automotive package presented in December 2025. This paper analyses the interactions between weakened CO2 standards, CO2 pricing, and resulting greenhouse gas emissions in the German transport sector. The analysis is based on the TEMPS model, which projects vehicle fleet development, energy demand, and emissions by combining TCO-based vehicle choice with calibrated logit parameters, fleet turnover, transport-demand responses and an endogenous, revenue-neutral representation of manufacturer price adjustments for compliance with fleet standards. The weakened standards reduce the BEV share in new registrations by up to 13 percentage points and lead to additional cumulative tank-to-wheel emissions of 29.4 Mt CO2e through 2040. Offsetting this effect by a higher CO2 price trajectory requires €406 in 2040, compared with €191 in the reference scenario. Weaker standards, combined with higher CO2 prices, therefore shift mitigation from vehicle electrification towards behavioural responses such as modal shift and reduced transport demand. While this illustrates only one possible compensation scenario, it nevertheless shows that weakening fleet standards shifts a larger mitigation burden towards carbon pricing and demand-side responses. The higher fuel costs implied by the compensation scenario may raise distributional and political concerns, although household-level distributional effects are not quantified in this study. Read the full paper in Energy Demand. Download presentation.

High-performance glazing in addressing summer overheating risks

Mon, 12 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Extended abstract 8-202-26 This presentation examines the role of high-performance glazing in addressing summer overheating risks while improving occupants’ health and thermal comfort under rising cooling demand pressures. The recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) increasingly shifts the focus from energy efficiency alone toward buildings that deliver low-carbon, climate-resilient and healthy indoor environments. The presentation focuses on the implementation of EPBD guidance on the energy calculation of transparent building elements (Annex I), highlighting how harmonised and robust methodologies for assessing glazing performance can translate regulatory objectives into practical tools for design, compliance, and market uptake. Particular attention is given to the treatment of solar gains and summer comfort criteria within national calculation methodologies. Beyond EPBD implementation, the presentation demonstrates how high-performance and adaptive glazing solutions can enhance building resilience to heat stress without increasing reliance on mechanical cooling. In doing so, it highlights their contribution to broader EU policy initiatives, including the Heating and Cooling Strategy and emerging climate resilience and risk management frameworks. Overall, the presentation argues that policy approaches to transparent building elements constitute a key lever for aligning energy demand reduction with indoor environmental quality, climate adaptation, and occupant well-being, thereby supporting the transition toward buildings that are not only energy-efficient, but also healthy and resilient. Download presentation.

Pragmatic AI: building low-impact LLM tools for energy research impact

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Extended abstract 3-063-26 Large language models (LLMs) provide a powerful means to search for and summarise content. However, their training and use is a rapidly growing driver of energy and resource use. In this presentation we describe the development of an LLM-based search tool for the UKRI Energy Demand Research Centre (EDRC), with a view to demonstrating how the important benefits such tools enable (such as supporting impact activities) can be reasonably balanced with resource implications. The tool is based on retrieval augmented generation (RAG). All EDRC outputs, along with those of its predecessor the Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions, were broken into shorter sections (“chunks”), which in turn were encoded as vector embeddings. These capture the semantic meaning of each chunk in a quantitative fashion. When a user searches using the tool, the chunks most closely related to their query are first identified – and only then are they submitted to an LLM to check for relevance and to create a summary. This allows a large corpus of text to be processed with minimal energy use, cost, and less of the hallucinations which become more likely as larger quantities of text are processed. Smaller, low-energy-intensity LLMs are employed where possible, and users are provided with feedback on the estimated energy and resource impacts of their searches. Potential uses of the tool include internal and public search and information retrieval, as well as more advanced applications such as constructing preparatory briefings for consultation responses. We are expecting to introduce further features before the Summer Study. While the tools we used are widely adopted, we believe they are still under-employed in the energy demand community, in part due to concerns around their resource impacts. As such, as well as introducing the approach to those unfamiliar with it, we also hope to foster debate about when and how LLMs can be appropriately employed. Download presentation.

Evaluating homes in times of crisis: the value of pre- and post-retrofit monitoring for indoor environment, thermal performance and health

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Extended abstract 4-268-26 During a period marked by overlapping climate, energy, health, and cost‑of‑living crises, understanding the value of pre‑ and post‑retrofit monitoring has become increasingly important. This paper examines how residents and building performance evaluators interpret and use empirical data collected before and after energy retrofit activities. While some residents are primarily motivated by climate concerns, others face more immediate risks arising from high energy costs, inadequate heating systems, damp, mould, and poor indoor air quality. Retrofit has the potential to support climate mitigation and adaptation while improving indoor environmental conditions; however, these benefits are not guaranteed and may be undermined if interventions are poorly specified or executed. Drawing on two UK case studies, the paper evaluates the perceived usefulness of data on thermal performance, airtightness and indoor environment. The first case study explores a cohousing community undergoing thermal imaging and blower door testing to inform decisions on heating decarbonisation and fabric upgrades. The second focuses on low‑income owner‑occupied homes in ex‑coal mining areas receiving retrofit measures such as insulation, heat pumps, and solar panels, with some households continuing to rely on coal heating. Monitoring included particulate matter, thermal conditions, and air leakage, alongside qualitative interviews and observations. Findings indicate that indoor environment data can prompt changes to ventilation practices, while thermal imaging proves effective at revealing previously unknown fabric issues and guiding retrofit choices. Across both studies, residents expressed stronger engagement with visual and experiential forms of data collection than with numerical readings alone. The paper recommends embedding meaningful pre‑ and post‑evaluation processes within publicly funded retrofit schemes and allocating time and resources for resident engagement, including tailored communication of monitoring results and their implications for retrofit decisions. Download presentation.

Advancing operational characterisation of dwelling stock energy models: integrating climate, occupancy profiles and heating behaviour for Ireland

Fri, 09 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Extended abstract 7-265-26 Reference Dwellings (RDs) underpin Dwelling Stock Energy Models (DSEMs) used to inform national retrofit and decarbonisation strategies. In Ireland, recent work has produced statistically robust and geometrically validated RDs derived from large-scale Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) datasets. However, while these archetypes are physically representative in terms of form, envelope and systems, they remain operationally static. Deterministic climate assumptions, fixed occupancy schedules and uniform heating setpoints limit their ability to reflect real-world variation, reducing confidence in stock-level estimates of energy demand and retrofit performance. This study addresses that operational gap by enriching the 20 three-dimensional thermophysical Irish RDs developed by Li et al. (2026), which represent approximately 85% of the national dwelling stock. Climatic realism is introduced through assignment of regionally representative Test Reference Year (TRY) files from the TRANSLATE dataset, replacing the single-location assumptions embedded in conventional EPC methodologies. Occupancy presence and temporal variability are captured using a Bayesian Neural Network-based Probabilistic Occupancy Model (POM). To enable integration into dynamic simulation, POM outputs are pre-processed into structured behavioural profiles that preserve temporal dynamics while providing interpretable occupancy and activity patterns at dwelling level. These structured profiles are subsequently mapped to dwelling typologies to derive population-level operational representations suitable for stock-scale modelling. Heating preferences and behavioural practices are characterised using nationally representative data from SEAI’s Behavioural Energy and Travel Tracker (BETT), providing empirical thermostat setpoints and zone-specific heating patterns. To coherently integrate occupancy and heating behaviour, a Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) control framework is adopted. An adaptive deep-setback strategy links probabilistic vacancy and arrival patterns to heating control logic, enabling dynamic alignment between comfort provision and occupant presence. This results in a set of simulation-ready operational schedules suitable for Dynamic Simulation Modelling (DSM) at archetype and stock level. The framework advances Irish DSEM practice by completing the operational dimension of RD characterisation, enabling behaviourally realistic stock modelling. Beyond Ireland, the methodology provides a transferable pathway for jurisdictions with large-scale EPC and behavioural datasets to enhance modelling realism, narrow the performance gap, and strengthen evidence-based retrofit and demand-side management policy in low-carbon energy systems. Read the full abstract. Download presentation.

Why we need a bespoke approach to managing energy in short-term lettings: a relational case study of domestic decarbonisation in England

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Extended abstract 7-092-26 Short-term lettings (STLs) have grown rapidly in England, concentrated in cities, national parks, and coastal towns. While policy debates focus on housing affordability and social impacts, the link between STLs and building energy efficiency remains unexplored. Simultaneously, domestic decarbonisation is critical for meeting UK climate targets. This research uses Whitstable, Kent, a coastal town with high STL density, to examine whether bespoke, place-based strategies are needed to manage domestic energy demand. It explores how STLs influence local decarbonisation compared to other housing tenures, what social, spatial, and regulatory factors shape energy management in STL-dense areas, and whether tourism dynamics create hidden barriers to retrofit and how policy might address them. The design is qualitative, combining interviews, participant observation, online forum analysis, and QGIS-based spatial mapping. This mixed-method approach examines structural conditions and lived experiences, revealing how STLs are embedded in Whitstable’s social and regulatory environment. Fieldwork begins in April. This presentation will share initial findings from spatial mapping and forum analysis. Early patterns show STLs clustering in popular areas link to harder-to-decarbonise buildings. Forum data reveals strong social tensions, raising questions around retrofit decision making, and Intermediaries, management companies, and absentee owners may affect engagement with retrofit. These insights highlight relational barriers and opportunities for accelerating retrofit through targeted local interventions and policy innovation. Expected results will explore how STL concentration complicates decarbonisation, how owner retrofit attitudes vary, and how fragmented ownership and community tension shape decisions. By introducing STLs as a distinct tenure within energy debates, this research addresses an overlooked nexus in policy and practice, contributing to energy and tourism literature. Read the full abstract. Download presentation.

From crisis response to social infrastructure: warm spaces as foundations for sustainable communities

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Extended abstract 5-074-26 Warm community spaces emerged in the UK during a time of rising costs and uncertainty, offering warmth, shelter and energy advice. Yet for many people, especially those outside the workforce or experiencing loneliness, these place-based initiatives quickly became more than temporary support. They developed into vital community hubs, going beyond basic energy advice to provide social lifelines where people could meet, feel connected and participate in everyday community life. As they evolved, these spaces also began to shape how people think about the energy system, showing how social connection, trusted advice and accessible support can strengthen community resilience during the energy transition. Now often known as “welcome spaces”, many operate year-round, encourage peer-to-peer learning and create environments where people feel able to ask questions and share experiences. The relationships built within them often generate ideas for improving local places, including building renewal, energy retrofits and sustainable living practices. These spaces thus contribute to everyday practices, relationships and forms of mutual care that underpin sustainable communities. Despite their growing role, there is limited research on how they are designed, their impacts—especially on energy use—and the long-term support they require. Organisers also have few opportunities to share learning or coordinate best practice. This paper draws on in-depth research with four welcome spaces in England, including year-long visits and observation, 40 interviews and 30 surveys with attendees and organisers, plus a national UK-wide survey with organisers. We argue that while these spaces began as emergency responses, they have become key community infrastructure with particular relevance to energy issues. By building trust, supporting wellbeing, and embedding energy advice within everyday social life, welcome spaces help shape more inclusive, efficient and sustainable energy community futures. Read the full abstract. Download presentation.

Bridging the gap from municipal heat planning to implementation: community-led heat networks in an urban neighbourhood

Thu, 08 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Extended abstract 5-150-26 By summer 2026, all major German cities are expected to have adopted municipal heat plans outlining pathways towards climate-neutral and affordable heat supply. Two key trends are emerging. First, local and district heating solutions are attracting growing political attention as central delivery mechanisms. Second, existing district heating providers suggest they are neither able nor willing to develop the number of new networks needed for large-scale implementation. This shifts attention beyond technical questions towards issues of governance, financing, and social feasibility of implementation: who will take the lead in initiating, owning, and operating heat networks in designated areas? And how can affordability, social justice, and environmental sustainability be achieved at the same time? In this context, we are developing strategies for community-led heat networks as part of the ongoing research project SInBa (Social Innovations in Construction, Housing and Urban Development) in a real-world laboratory. The case study focuses on a listed multi-family housing neighbourhood, where fragmented ownership, dense urban development, and limited renovation scope pose particular challenges for heat network solutions. Methodologically, the real-world experiment follows a triangulated approach, combining interviews with experts (n=9), community heat initiatives in Germany, Austria and Denmark (n=7), and local stakeholders situated in the case study (n=16), alongside co-creative stakeholder workshops with three groups of property owners in the case study neighbourhood (n=6). We present findings from two analytical strands. First, we expound communication strategies to accelerate the engagement of property owners in urban neighbourhoods and facilitate the initiation and uptake of community-led heating initiatives. Second, we discuss key factors shaping local heating business models from the perspective of property owners. These factors strongly influence business model design and therefore require closer attention from decision-makers. Finally, based on these findings, we derive policy recommendations to support national frameworks that help translate municipal heat planning into socially just and practical implementation pathways. Read the full abstract. Download presentation.

Dynamics of community participation in the energy transition

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Extended abstract 5-189-26 Community organisations have the potential to accelerate the energy transition by developing grassroots support where a top-down approach might be met with opposition. In particular, they can build capacity within communities and foster peer-to-peer collaboration in a shared environment. The need for community-led climate action has become clear in recent years, with a growing focus on hearing from and working with local communities; honing in on local people and places; and encouraging and supporting climate actions that these communities design and develop themselves. Communities are an important source of passion, skills and knowledge, and volunteering is widely understood to have benefits to both the person volunteering and broader society. However, motivating and sustaining voluntary participation in these community-based organisations is a challenge. To investigate the barriers and enablers of participation, we conducted thematic analysis of 24 in-depth interviews with Sustainable Energy Community (SEC) volunteers. Our findings relate to processes of volunteer motivation, recruitment, and level of activity of individual members and the group. Themes included the motivations of volunteers, the internal organisational structure of groups, their strategic processes, and the external challenges to community activism posed by private industry and bureaucratic systems. This research details some of the dynamics of community volunteer groups and presents recommendations for programme design and delivery to improve volunteer experience, group organisational structure, strategic processes, and increase participation and retention of volunteers. While we focus on SECs to explore the dynamics of participation, the findings may be applicable more widely to community climate action in Ireland and elsewhere. Download presentation.

Research and innovation for energy efficient buildings: a synthesis of the Swedish E2B2 research programme

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Extended abstract 7-045-26 Between 2013 and 2024, E2B2 was Sweden’s main platform for research and innovation on energy efficiency in the built environment. Funded by the Swedish Energy Agency, the programme aimed to consolidate fragmented research and strengthen collaboration between academia, industry, and the public sector. This synthesis summarises key contributions and identifies future directions for research supporting a sustainable, resilient, and people-centred built environment. The E2B2 programme built on five main themes: the built environment in the energy system, technical systems, the building as a system, the building envelope, user perspective, including people's choices and habits. The project portfolio included 222 projects and nearly 500 stakeholders. Research spanned from technical solutions, system-level analyses, and behavioural studies. Some projects delivered verified methods for energy efficiency and renovation, prioritising system integration. Other projects adressed construction and renovation processes, developing digital tools and quality assurance methods to reduce the gap between designed and actual performance. At a system level, urban planning tools enabled analysis of energy and power demand, supporting strategic decision-making. Over the programme's 12 years, perspectives in the sector have shifted, influencing policy nationally and internationally. Energy efficiency evolved from technical optimisation to sociotechnical systems where behaviour and health matter. The focus expanded from operational energy to life‑cycle perspectives, integrating climate impact and resource efficiency, and positioning buildings as active, flexible nodes in future energy systems. E2B2 provided knowledge, methods, and tools that shaped this evolution and informed industry standards and policy. Overall, E2B2 demonstrated how a research programme can address real‑world challenges while adapting to a rapidly changing context. Despite significant successes, challenges remain. Scaling up solutions requires deeper understanding of interactions between technologies, users, organisational practices while climate change and geopolitical uncertainty require a renewed focus on resilience to secure a robust built environment. These challenges underscore the need for research that can navigate goal conflicts, strengthen interdisciplinary approaches, and support future‑proof solutions. The Swedish Energy Agency continues to coordinate research supporting the Swedish built environment to meet climate and efficiency targets while genuinely supporting societal needs for health, comfort, and resilience. Download presentation.

Enhancing energy resilience and efficiency in port energy systems: an integrated framework for resilience assessment

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Extended abstract 5-002-26 BackgroundThe economic and social roles of maritime ports have undergone significant evolution over the past century. Recent literature emphasizes the potential of converting maritime ports into energy hubs, a concept that reimagines ports as interfaces between various energy infrastructures and as units of energy production, conversion, storage, and consumption. However, transforming ports into energy hubs would imply merging two major critical infrastructures—maritime transportation systems and energy systems—which would increase exposure to system shocks, introducing disruptive risks from one system to the other and vice versa. This development will require greater emphasis on resilience approaches that strengthen port energy systems’ capacity to withstand shocks. ResultsThe main contribution of this research is to define and validate resilience indicators for assessing energy systems. It does so by conceptualizing an Energy Resilience Matrix detailing the indicators and by incorporating port authority perspectives to assess their practical relevance for maritime ports. The result is a set of 77 resilience indicators spanning all system layers (Infrastructure, Information, Governance, Community) and system resilience functions (Plan/prepare, Absorb, Recover, Adapt). The research also provides a critical reflection on the utility of indicators as an approach to measuring and monitoring energy resilience performance, assessing their potential and limitations. ConclusionEmpirical data from this research, as well as from previous research, support the relevance of the conceptualized resilience indicators and the Energy Resilience Matrix as strategic tools for building energy resilience capacity. Yet, as highlighted by the respondents, certain indicators may still prove difficult to operationalize due to financial and technological constraints of the organizations. Furthermore, as resilience capacity sometimes extends beyond the quantifiable, there is a risk that overreliance on quantitative indicators to measure resilience performance will result in a technocentric focus that overlooks the governance models and stakeholder communities that also support the system. These limitations warrant future research to investigate alternative frameworks and methodologies better suited to capturing the multidimensional nature of energy resilience, as well as to develop financial incentives and compelling business cases that ensure the economic viability and long-term sustainability of resilience interventions. Download presentation.

Balancing energy performance and cultural heritage: outcomes from the Swedish Spara och bevara (Save and preserve) research programme

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Extended abstract 7-028-26 Insights from the energy‑saving measures introduced after the 1973 oil crisis revealed tensions between improving energy performance in historic buildings and preserving cultural heritage. Rapid actions to reduce heating demands, such as façade insulation, window replacement, and new ventilation systems, were often carried out without understanding traditional construction, resulting in lost architectural features and structural damage. By the early 2000s, awareness of the challenges in balancing energy efficiency with heritage conservation had increased, but limited knowledge often resulted in either excessive caution or inappropriate interventions. To address this gap, the Swedish Energy Agency launched the Spara och bevara (Save and preserve) programme in 2007, establishing a new interdisciplinary field focused on energy efficiency in historic buildings and funding around 70 projects until its conclusion in 2024. The programme showed that energy efficiency and heritage conservation can coexist, and that careful approaches reduce energy use and costs while supporting long‑term preservation. It also identified a need for improved technical solutions and decision‑support tools to balance energy performance with cultural values and building‑physics risks. An interdisciplinary systems approach that integrates life‑cycle and risk analyses is crucial for achieving sustainable results. The Spara och bevara programme began with research on monumental heritage buildings but later expanded to post‑war and modern structures. Findings showed that apartment buildings and single-family houses built after the second World War accounted for a significant share of total energy use, while those built before 1900 contribute very little. Because effective energy efficiency requires not only building‑specific measures but also a broader stock‑level perspective, the research gradually shifted from individual buildings to local and regional building‑stock analyses. Overall, Spara och bevara demonstrates how a research programme can bridge goal conflicts and establish lasting structures for knowledge development in an area of significant societal importance. By drawing on lessons from the post‑1973 oil crisis and responding to today’s geopolitical pressures on the energy system, the topic of balancing energy performance in historic buildings remains relevant to the Swedish Energy Agency’s new research programme on resource‑efficient built environments. Read the full abstract. Download presentation.

From foresight to implementation: building collaborative ecosystems for distribution grid planning

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Extended abstract 5-210-26 The energy transition is increasingly shaped at the local and regional level, where electrification, DERs, and climate mitigation and adaptation intersect with territorial development. This work presents findings from a global co-creation project within ISGAN, an IEA Technology Collaboration Program, involving participants from 15 countries. The work forms part of the ISGAN Lighthouse Project and builds on a sense-making framework for long-term planning of smart distribution grids under uncertainty developed in an earlier project phase. The framework conceptualises grid planning as a multi-actor process spanning five phases, from foresight to implementation, underpinned by three essential framework conditions. One of these, effective actor collaboration and coordination, is the focus of this work. Taking a system innovation perspective, we explore the characteristics of a well-functioning actor ecosystem and how these can be developed and maintained to improve the quality and speed of distribution grid planning, drawing on complementary governance, relational, and operational perspectives, including multi-level coordination between top-down steering and bottom-up initiatives, and interfaces with spatial and cross-sector planning processes. Particular attention is given to the foresight phase, where actors need to develop a shared understanding of and agree on the long-term direction of the energy system and the role of the distribution grid within it. The analysis focuses on three actor groups influencing distribution-grid planning across governance levels: DSOs; local and regional government actors with territorial planning responsibilities; and energy policy makers and regulators, typically operating at the national level. We examine interdependencies across the planning process, including flows of data, information and decisions, and related coordination and sense-making challenges. Informed by insights from different national contexts, we show how inadequate collaboration can undermine effective grid planning and local energy transitions while also suggesting practical pathways towards more effective collaboration, strengthening multi-level governance. Read the full abstract. Download presentation.

How not to measure fuel poverty: England's flawed definition and how to fix it

Wed, 07 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Extended abstract 3-077-26 England’s Low Income Low Energy Efficiency (LILEE) fuel poverty definition is known to significantly underestimate the condition, which is, in part, due to a controversial energy efficiency-based criterion. According to this approach, homes exceeding a static energy efficiency threshold cannot be fuel poor, regardless of occupant characteristics (e.g., financial capacity) or macroeconomic shocks (e.g., energy price inflation). This results in the underestimation of fuel poverty in low-income homes with relatively low running costs when compared to traditional expenditure-based metrics (i.e., the 10% definition). LILEE’s preclusion of 'high efficiency' homes from fuel poverty statistics is increasingly counterproductive given modern levels of energy price volatility and risks giving the impression that household energy efficiency is the cardinal cause of and solution to fuel poverty. To substantiate this position, a sensitivity analysis of fuel poverty trajectories is conducted in two diverging scenarios (‘best’- and ‘worst-case’), using a synthetic sample of homes in Nottingham, UK (N=~105,000). The ‘best-case’ scenario assumes widespread energy efficiency upgrades to the housing stock, while the ‘worst-case’ scenario assumed rapid energy price inflation mirroring the 2020–2022 energy crisis. In each instance, the fuel poverty response is measured by a range of existing and novel metrics: 10%, Low Income High Costs (LIHC), LILEE and an amended version of the Scottish budget standards-based approach. Across tested definitions, LILEE was least responsive to energy price inflation, showing a relatively stable rate of fuel poverty in the worst-case scenario. Moreover, the LILEE definition produced implausibly low rates of fuel poverty in the best-case scenario, falsely suggesting that fuel poverty could be almost eradicated by modest energy efficiency upgrades. We suggest that the Scottish definition of fuel poverty, which explicitly captures changing economic circumstances (notably, the ratio of energy costs to income), responds more appropriately in each scenario. Further, we propose novel fuel poverty depth indicators to capture the changing proximity of homes to a given fuel poverty threshold over time. Read the full abstract. Download presentation.