Project OPEN LabTransition to positive energy neighbourhoods - Toolbox bundles good practices

Buildings account for 34% of global energy consumption and 37% of energy and process-related CO₂ emissions, highlighting the pressing need to accelerate renovation efforts. Renovations play a key role in enhancing resource efficiency and reducing reliance on gas and coal.

The European Commission's Renovation Wave aims to renovate 35 million buildings by 2030. However, it faces significant challenges, including high material costs, limited funding, regulatory challenges, skilled labour shortages, low public awareness, and the complexities of retrofitting older buildings, compounded by energy poverty. Addressing these issues requires coordinated action to streamline processes, secure additional funding, and foster stakeholder engagement.

Steinbeis Europa Zentrum is involved in various EU projects as a partner, for example in the oPEN Lab project, which pursues a neighbourhood-oriented approach. The participatory concept allows participants from industry, authorities, universities and residents to work together. The application of innovative refurbishment technologies is made possible in the form of LivingLabs at demonstration sites in Genk (Belgium), Pamplona (Spain) and Tartu (Estonia)

oPEN Lab Toolbox bundles good practices

Insights from these renovations are actively shared with construction professionals, policymakers, and anyone interested in undertaking renovation projects through the oPEN Lab Toolbox.

The toolbox consolidates best practices from the project on renovations and positive energy neighborhoods (PENs). It offers transformative opportunities, such as achieving a more climate-neutral building stock, enhancing citizen comfort and public health, improving building resilience to climate impacts, alleviating energy poverty, and bolstering energy security. Users can filter solutions by implementation phase and relevant topics, selecting multiple filters to identify the most pertinent tools for their needs.

Explore the toolbox: https://openlab-project.eu/toolbox/

Steinbeis Europa Zentrum is partner for communication

Steinbeis Europa Zentrum supports as a project partner the dissemination and communication of the project activities and results, for example through a project website, social media activities, promotional materials, press work, video production, and conferences.

oPEN lab project partners

oPEN Lab is funded under the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme. Coordinated by VITO, 32 partners from 7 countries are working together to revitalise urban areas across Europe and lead the transition to Positive Energy Neighbourhoods.

Follow oPEN LAB

• Website: oPEN Lab | Leading the transition to positive energy neighbourhoods
• Social media
  • https://www.linkedin.com/company/openlab-project/
  • https://www.youtube.com/@oPENLab_project