Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SmartLivingEPC (Advanced Energy Performance Assessment towards Smart Living in Building and District Level)
Reporting period: 2024-01-01 to 2025-06-30
The challenges and opportunities in advancing energy efficiency in buildings involve addressing technological innovations and sustainable living demands. This requires a shift in current energy performance certificates (EPCs) to consider not only energy efficiency but also aspects like well-being and non-energy resource consumption. The evolution of EPCs in the era of digitized design and Industry 4.0 tools includes practices such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), digital twins, smart meters, and digital logbooks. Harmonizing emerging practices with existing technical standards and complying with revised EPBD provisions is a non-negotiable principle for EU Member States.
In this framework, the SmartLivingEPC project seamlessly integrated Industry 4.0 parameters into a Smart Energy Performance Certificate. Utilizing digitized tools, the project is able to issue certificates by extracting assessment information from BIM literacy, providing enriched data on energy and sustainability for both the as-designed and actual performance of the building and building complexes. A novel rating scale, derived from a weighted approach to life cycle performance and building smartness assessment offers insights into the operational behavior of the building and neighbourhoods. The methodologies developed adhere to existing European standards and contribute to the formulation of new technical standards for smart energy performance certificates.
In this framework, the SmartLivingEPC project seamlessly integrated Industry 4.0 parameters into a Smart Energy Performance Certificate. Utilizing digitized tools, the project is able to issue certificates by extracting assessment information from BIM literacy, providing enriched data on energy and sustainability for both the as-designed and actual performance of the building and building complexes. A novel rating scale, derived from a weighted approach to life cycle performance and building smartness assessment offers insights into the operational behavior of the building and neighbourhoods. The methodologies developed adhere to existing European standards and contribute to the formulation of new technical standards for smart energy performance certificates.
SmartLivingEPC thoroughly assessed the strengths and weaknesses of current EPC rating schemes, identifying challenges, opportunities, gaps, and end-users’ requirements. Based on this analysis, the project developed a holistic framework architecture integrating all aspects of building performance assessment.
The project created a comprehensive asset rating system to evaluate building performance, incorporating energy efficiency, smart readiness, life cycle assessment (LCA), non-energy aspects, and results from technical audits. In parallel, a framework for operational building performance certificates was established, covering energy and Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) aspects and including Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis. Key performance indicators (KPIs) for both asset and operational assessments were defined and consolidated into cohesive methodologies.
SmartLivingEPC extended energy certification beyond individual buildings to building complexes and neighborhoods, developing methodologies for performance and sustainability assessment at the district level. All indicators were integrated and correlated through the EPC calculation module, supported by robust APIs, ensuring consistent and comprehensive evaluation. The results were made fully accessible and visualized through the Web Platform, enabling end-users to perform all actions related to building performance assessment.
The system was validated and demonstrated under real-life conditions in nine case study buildings across Greece, Cyprus, Estonia, and Spain. The project also identified its main technical exploitable results (10 ERs), reflecting the innovative methodologies, tools, and integrated assessment framework developed throughout the project.
The project created a comprehensive asset rating system to evaluate building performance, incorporating energy efficiency, smart readiness, life cycle assessment (LCA), non-energy aspects, and results from technical audits. In parallel, a framework for operational building performance certificates was established, covering energy and Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) aspects and including Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis. Key performance indicators (KPIs) for both asset and operational assessments were defined and consolidated into cohesive methodologies.
SmartLivingEPC extended energy certification beyond individual buildings to building complexes and neighborhoods, developing methodologies for performance and sustainability assessment at the district level. All indicators were integrated and correlated through the EPC calculation module, supported by robust APIs, ensuring consistent and comprehensive evaluation. The results were made fully accessible and visualized through the Web Platform, enabling end-users to perform all actions related to building performance assessment.
The system was validated and demonstrated under real-life conditions in nine case study buildings across Greece, Cyprus, Estonia, and Spain. The project also identified its main technical exploitable results (10 ERs), reflecting the innovative methodologies, tools, and integrated assessment framework developed throughout the project.
The SmartLivingEPC project delivered a next-generation EPC rating framework that extended beyond existing standards by integrating asset and operational performance at both building and complex levels. The asset performance evaluation combined energy efficiency, sustainability, life cycle, non-energy aspects and technical inspections, incorporating indicators such as the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI), Level(s), and technical inspection outcomes into a single, unified building classification. The operational performance evaluation incorporated Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), energy efficiency, and Life Cycle Cost (LCC) indicators, providing a comprehensive assessment of occupant health, comfort, productivity, and financial performance. The framework offers a more holistic and actionable perspective than traditional EPCs.
SmartLivingEPC was fully BIM and Digital Twin-compatible, enabling near real-time integration of building data with physics-based models. The Smart Living Building Digital Twin provided continuous, real-time monitoring at both individual building and complex levels, supporting predictive insights and scenario simulations. The project introduced advanced tools that went beyond standard EPC functionalities, including the Digital Building Logbook, Nudge-ready Performance Benchmarking & Evaluation, and Dynamic Behaviour Monitoring System, enriched with AI capabilities for anomaly detection and performance optimization. All results were visualized through a unified Web and IoT platform, providing actionable insights to stakeholders, supporting decision-making, and enabling proactive building management. SmartLivingEPC thus represented a holistic, intelligent, and future-ready EPC system, surpassing the state-of-the-art in energy performance, sustainability, smart readiness, and operational intelligence.
To ensure further uptake and maximize impact, additional demonstration and validation in diverse building types and climates are recommended. Support for commercialization and market deployment of the digital platforms and tools, together with protection and management of intellectual property, will facilitate adoption. Efforts to extend the methodology internationally, as well as continued alignment with regulatory frameworks and standardization initiatives, are essential to ensure interoperability and broad recognition. Access to financing and incentive schemes will further support uptake by building owners, policymakers, and other stakeholders, consolidating SmartLivingEPC as a reference framework for future EU energy and building policies.
SmartLivingEPC was fully BIM and Digital Twin-compatible, enabling near real-time integration of building data with physics-based models. The Smart Living Building Digital Twin provided continuous, real-time monitoring at both individual building and complex levels, supporting predictive insights and scenario simulations. The project introduced advanced tools that went beyond standard EPC functionalities, including the Digital Building Logbook, Nudge-ready Performance Benchmarking & Evaluation, and Dynamic Behaviour Monitoring System, enriched with AI capabilities for anomaly detection and performance optimization. All results were visualized through a unified Web and IoT platform, providing actionable insights to stakeholders, supporting decision-making, and enabling proactive building management. SmartLivingEPC thus represented a holistic, intelligent, and future-ready EPC system, surpassing the state-of-the-art in energy performance, sustainability, smart readiness, and operational intelligence.
To ensure further uptake and maximize impact, additional demonstration and validation in diverse building types and climates are recommended. Support for commercialization and market deployment of the digital platforms and tools, together with protection and management of intellectual property, will facilitate adoption. Efforts to extend the methodology internationally, as well as continued alignment with regulatory frameworks and standardization initiatives, are essential to ensure interoperability and broad recognition. Access to financing and incentive schemes will further support uptake by building owners, policymakers, and other stakeholders, consolidating SmartLivingEPC as a reference framework for future EU energy and building policies.