Preparing and Validating the FORTESIE Pilots: From Baseline Analysis to Deployment
The FORTESIE project is at the forefront of Europe’s Renovation Wave, demonstrating how innovative renovation packages, digital technologies, and smart performance guarantees can work together to deliver efficient, sustainable, and inclusive energy use. Central to this vision are the nine pilot sites across six countries, each showcasing tailored solutions for diverse building types — from museums and public offices to residential buildings and schools.
Laying the Foundation: Baseline Analysis and Planning
The pilot preparation began with an intensive phase of data gathering and planning. Each pilot site underwent a detailed assessment of its existing building conditions, energy usage, comfort levels, and user needs. This phase also defined tailored Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and deployment plans to ensure meaningful monitoring of energy savings, comfort improvements, and CO₂ reductions.
Collaboration played a vital role here: pilot leaders, local stakeholders, and technical partners co-created solutions, integrating innovative technologies such as building-integrated photovoltaics, prefabricated facades, and advanced heat pumps. In parallel, the pilots mapped out the deployment of FORTESIE’s digital services, including the mobile app and the one-stop-shop marketplace, ensuring alignment with renovation works and user requirements.
Engaging Stakeholders: Social Acceptance and Engagement
With the technical groundwork in place, the next phase focused on bringing people on board. Recognising that technology alone does not drive change, the project designed pilot-specific engagement plans using social science methodologies. These plans outlined workshops, meetings, and digital onboarding activities to ensure users not only understand but actively participate in the energy transition of their buildings. Social acceptance KPIs were established to measure end-user satisfaction, engagement levels, and the perceived value of the renovations and digital tools.
From Planning to Action: Deployment and Early Validation
At this stage of the project, the FORTESIE pilots have moved decisively from planning to action. Renovation works have been largely completed or nearing completion across the sites, sensor installations and monitoring systems are operational, and baseline values for key performance indicators have been established based on historical and sensor data. Early lessons learned highlighted the importance of flexibility in timelines, the need for dynamic adjustment of KPIs, and the critical role of co-creation in overcoming site-specific challenges.
As the pilots now progress to full deployment of digital tools and intensive data collection, the FORTESIE team is gathering crucial insights to validate novel business models, improve performance-based guarantees, and inform future policy recommendations.
Looking Ahead
The journey from baseline analysis to deployment has showcased FORTESIE’s commitment to holistic, user-centered renovation solutions. The coming months will see further validation of the project’s impact, with detailed evaluation of technical performance, user satisfaction, and real-world energy savings.
Stay tuned as FORTESIE continues to demonstrate how smart renovation packages can power Europe’s green and digital transition!