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

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.

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