SHERLOCK Workshop Recap: Driving Energy Renovation Across Europe

On October 8th, SHERLOCK project partners gathered in the beautiful city of Bratislava,Slovakia, hosted by the Slovak University of Technology, to discuss the progress and future roadmap of the project. Key discussions revolved around the production of micro-credentials, which are vital for SHERLOCK's success, as well as the next steps and priorities leading up to the upcoming General Assembly and the project's major event in Chania, Crete.

A day of insightful discussions

 Following a productive morning focused on internal project matters, the day transitioned into the first SHERLOCK stakeholder workshop, bringing together over 60 professionals from the energy, building, and financial sectors. The workshop provided an opportunity to delve into the challenges, opportunities, and practical experiences shaping the energy renovation sector across Europe, with a special focus on Slovakia.

We were honoured to have with us the Vice-rector for Informatics and Sport department, Prof. Ing. Stefan Stanko who opened up the workshop with his welcoming speech and five distinguished keynote speakers and panellists, each bringing valuable insights from their work on EU-funded projects and their deep knowledge of energy renovation policies and practices:

·      Prof. Carla Isabel Montagud Montalvá

·      Pablo Baigorria Kobylinski

·      Katarína Nikodemová

·      Prof. Carmelina Cosmi

·      Dr. Amy Fahy

Katarína Nikodemová representing Buildings for the Future kicked off the session by highlighting the key opportunities and challenges for building renovation in Slovakia under the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). She emphasised the importance of combining funding, technical support, and legislative stability to meet the EPBD’s ambitious renovation targets.

Prof. Carla Isabel Montagud Montalvá followed, presenting the ETSII Living Lab project at the Universitat Politècnica de València. This project integrates sustainability into education while offering practical solutions for reducing energy consumption through real-world data.

Pablo Baigorria Kobylinski from CREARA took the stage next, tackling the financial perspective of energy renovation. He explored the challenges of insufficient public funding for energy renovations in Europe and emphasised the need to unlock private investment to meet the ambitious climate targets set for 2050. His speech highlighted key financial barriers faced by residential consumers, such as high upfront costs, lack of trust in technical solutions, and long payback periods.

Prof. Carmelina Cosmi representing the CNR concluded the keynote session with a presentation on"Strategies for Reducing Energy Consumption and Emissions in PublicBuildings". She shared lessons from EU-funded projects like Local GoGREEN, PrioritEE PLUS, and IBIS ECO, which focus on improving energy efficiency in public buildings through smart technologies, energy data management, and stakeholder engagement.

Engaging panel discussion

After a short break, the event shifted to a lively panel discussion, featuring all the keynote speakers and Dr. Amy Fahy. The discussion covered crucial topics such as the role of local and national stakeholders in energy renovation, the importance of trust between residents and experts, and how education—especially engaging children and young people—plays a key role in fostering energy efficiency. The panel welcomed thought-provoking questions from the audience, leading to further discussions on building trust and the need for collaborative efforts in energy retrofitting.

What’s Next?

 We would like to extend our thanks to all the speakers and participants for their active contributions and the Slovak Technical University of Bratislava for their excellent organisation. All presentations will be made available on the SHERLOCK website under the resources section, and the full workshop video will be uploaded on our YouTube channel soon.

 Stay tuned for our next hybrid event in June in Chania, Crete! We look forward to seeing you there.

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