PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Energy efficiency (EE) is fundamental for the cost-effective transition towards a decarbonised and reliable energy system. The European Commission has adopted energy efficiency as a pillar of the Energy Union with the “Efficiency First” (E1st) as a guiding principle underlining it, in which E1st should play a central role in all national plans and reports to the Energy Union. Specific to EE in buildings this is reflected by the current insufficient trends observed in the renovation rates of buildings, which reveal the urgent need for action since this is the largest consumer of energy in Europe. To address this appropriate implementation of EE measures which are adopted by the majority of final energy users is a must. However, a combination of public and private funding through innovative financing instruments is required to overcome current barriers that prevent mobilization of necessary investments. Although the European Union is taking tangible steps to leverage private funding in EE investments as can be observed from recent initiatives for the standardization and benchmarking of sustainable EE investments and smart energy services. A definite lack of capital flowing to the renovation of the current building stock is still present and is supported by the total value brought by interventions that remain untapped due to lack of funding. For this reason, ENERGATE aims to facilitate the creation of an effective, ICT-enabled, energy efficiency marketplace bringing together energy services and sustainable finance to accelerate the renovation rate of buildings by increasing the chances for projects to be financed. ENERGATE envisions to transform the complex set of decision-making actions for targeted groups, even to non-experts, into a user-friendly and single-entry service.