Engineering, CARTIF, and Università Politecnica delle Marche, as scientific partners in the Dedalus project, have published a new paper titled “Methodological approach for optimizing demand response in building energy management through AI-enhanced comfort-based flexibility models.”
The paper introduces a novel methodology that leverages artificial intelligence to optimize demand response  in building energy management systems, aligning energy consumption dynamically with efficiency objectives.

By analyzing historical data and real-time inputs, AI algorithms forecast energy needs and optimize the performance of critical building systems such as heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and lighting, striking a balance between energy efficiency and operational demands. This methodology is being tested across several pilot projects under the DEDALUS initiative, demonstrating its adaptability to various environments and its capacity to enhance DR strategies.

The AI-driven approach provides significant demand-side flexibility for energy markets, promoting a more sustainable built environment by reducing carbon footprints and optimizing resource use in line with market requirements. The findings underscore AI’s transformative potential in building energy management, contributing to a more sustainable and resilient future in energy use.

The paper is available at this link for download.

(Photo Credits: iStock)

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The National Technical University of Athens (NTUA), one of the DEDALUS scientific partners, has completed a study on grouping residential electricity consumers, based on their historical electricity consumption, to create more targeted demand-response programmes.

This grouping will be used in almost every DEDALUS service at the end of the day, making the services more targeted per group.

Specifically, this paper introduces a machine learning-based framework to optimize demand response programmes. Using data from nearly 5,000 households in London, four clustering algorithms—K-means, K-medoids, Hierarchical Agglomerative Clustering, and DBSCAN—were evaluated to identify groups with similar consumption patterns.
The problem was reframed as a probabilistic classification task, leveraging Explainable AI to improve model interpretability. The optimal number of clusters was found to be seven, although two clusters, comprising around 10% of the data, exhibited high internal dissimilarity and were excluded from further consideration. This framework offers a scalable solution for utility companies to enhance the targeting and effectiveness of demand response initiatives.

The paper, in Open Access, is available for download in the Resources section of the DEDALUS project’s website.

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“Unity creates strength”.

This principle, applicable to every area of our life, is well understood by the Dedalus, BuildOn, DigiBUILD, and TwinEU projects, which have joined forces to promote an energy-efficient and sustainable building sector in Europe.

These four projects will organize joint events and communication campaigns, and mutually promote each other’s results and achievements. The aim is to create a stronger impact on society and facilitate the uptake of the project findings and innovations.

Dedalus, BuildOn, DigiBUILD, and TwinEU are funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under these number of grant agreements, respectively: 101103998, 101069658, 101069658, and 101007319.

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Last April, Dedalus participated in the BRIDGE General Assembly 2024, which is an initiative of the European Commission and CINEA, aimed at fostering collaboration among projects funded under Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe in the areas of Smart Grids, Energy Storage, Islands, and Digitalisation.

The General Assembly is a key annual event that gathers participants to share project outcomes, discuss challenges, and set future directions for collaboration. The 2024 meeting, held in Brussels, involved over 220 representatives from 92 different projects and featured both in-person and online participation.

Key highlights from the assembly included presentations on major regulatory updates and policy developments, such as the EU Grid Action Plan, regulatory frameworks for demand response, and the Net-Zero Industry Act. Several completed projects presented their key outcomes and lessons learned, while new projects showcased their work and expected results. A significant focus was placed on consumer and citizen engagement, with discussions about smart tools, engagement strategies and indicators for measuring citizen involvement in energy projects.

The Regulation Working Group emphasised regulatory challenges in energy markets, such as market access, peer-to-peer energy sharing, and coordination of energy and flexibility markets. Discussions also addressed the integration of new topics, including e-mobility, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.

The Business Models Working Group explored tools for building business models, methods for quantifying benefits, and the use of data value chains. Meanwhile, the Data Management Working Group focused on secure data exchange, interoperability, and the development of a use-case repository.

Overall, the assembly identified several areas for improvement, including enhanced communication among working groups, more regular meetings and greater engagement with external initiatives. Future steps include increased support for policy development, the introduction of new topics, and further exploration of synergies between projects to strengthen collaboration across Europe.

Dedalus will participate in the BRIDGE initiative activities for the next two years, collaborating through its network of Consortium partners in the four working groups mentioned above

Diego Arnone, as Dedalus coordinator, said:” In my role as a coordinator of the DEDALUS project and on behalf of the entire Dedalus  consortium, I’m proud to bring our research activities to the BRIDGE Initiative. The osmotic relationship between the different projects within BRIDGE is greatly beneficial, as it facilitates result sharing, discussions on open issues, and finding solutions for topics that are common to most of the participating projects. It is a collaborative and stimulating environment where, through synergies among the various EU-funded projects involved in the initiative, it will be possible to make a tangible contribution to achieving the decarbonization and energy efficiency goals set by Europe for 2030″.

At this link are available the main highlights of the last General Assembly.

(Photo Credits: European Commission, BRIDGE Initiative)

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Dedalus is now part of the Smart Energy Cluster, a collaborative initiative dedicated to integrating different energy services while incorporating non-energy benefits.
The mission of this initiative is to overcome market fragmentation and foster cooperation across different sectors. By bridging gaps and creating common ground for business development, the cluster promotes a unified approach to advancing energy solutions across various segments.

The Smart Energy Cluster brings together 26 pioneering projects, all committed to supporting each other in the development, conceptualization, and deployment of new business models and concepts. These efforts are designed to fully unlock the economic potential and broader benefits of integrated energy services.

The cluster is devoted to the dissemination, communication, and exploitation of project activities and results, aiming to amplify the impact of each project. This includes integrating innovative and smart service offerings, reducing energy costs for end users, and making investments in sustainable energy more accessible.

The foundations of the Smart Energy Cluster are:

• Collaborative Synergies
• Exchange & Engagement
• Combined Expertise
• Unified Action
• Strategic Development

For further insights into the #SmartEnergyCluster and to stay updated on our progress, visit the website.

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