Towards an integrated energy ecosystem: results, visions and perspectives for smart and flexible buildings from the DEDALUS and FORTESIE projects on 25 March.

The DEDALUS and FORTESIE projects are coming to an end.

To mark this milestone, the two projects will host a hybrid final event on 25 March, titled ” “Synergy for Efficiency – Towards Smarter and More Flexible Energy Use in Buildings” in Brussels and online, bringing together project partners, stakeholders, and policy experts to reflect on the future of smart energy and smart buildings in Europe.

After several years of research, experimentation, and collaboration, the event will celebrate key achievements and lessons learned, highlighting how digital platforms, energy renovation, and demand response solutions can enable buildings to become active participants in the future energy system.

It will also offer an opportunity to share knowledge and practical insights generated during the projects, while opening a broader discussion on the role that smart and flexible buildings can play in supporting Europe’s energy transition.

The programme will combine project results and strategic reflections, creating a space for dialogue between researchers, industry representatives, housing organisations and policymakers at European and national levels.

The Agenda (in progress) – All times are in CET

9:15 – 9:30
Welcome and Introduction (10’)

9:30 – 9:45
Keynote speech by a representative of the European Commission (15′)

9:45 – 11:00
DEDALUS Project Session (75’)

11:00 – 11:15
Coffee Break (15’)

11:15 – 12:30
FORTESIE Project Session (75’)

12:30 – 12:55
Roundtable discussion
Smart and energy-efficient buildings: integrating renovation, digitalisation and demand response (20’)

12:55 – 13:00
Closing Remarks (5’)

13:00 – 14:00 
Light networking lunch (60′)

To register, please complete this form.

(Credit: DKosig -iStock)

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The Educational Kit offers a clear introduction to the concepts, technologies, and real-world practices that enable smart and flexible energy management.

DEDALUS has released its new Educational Kit, a concise yet comprehensive resource designed for students, researchers, and professionals working on residential energy flexibility and user-centred demand response. The kit is available for download on the DEDALUS website.

Developed by Università Politecnica delle Marche, NTUA, CARTIF, and ICONS, the Kit introduces the fundamentals of residential demand response and explains why buildings—responsible for around 40% of Europe’s total energy consumption—play a pivotal role in the

The resource presents the project’s three core services:

• Energy Flexibility Tool (FLEXiT), which forecasts consumption, disaggregates loads, and quantifies flexibility potential

• Comfort Flexibility Service, enabling personalised comfort management during DR events through environmental sensing and machine-learning models

• District-Level Energy Management System, coordinating shared photovoltaics, batteries, and electric vehicle charging to optimise community-level self-consumption

To ground these concepts in real contexts, the Kit includes examples from three DEDALUS pilot sites (Austria, Italy, Greece), illustrating how technical, behavioural, and community-oriented approaches converge in practice. An annex provides an overview of previous EU projects that established the foundations for DEDALUS’ work.

Designed as both an introductory guide and a practical learning tool, the educational kit equips readers to understand—and contribute to—the future of smart, flexible, and inclusive energy systems.

“Educating students on demand response and energy saving is not only about technology—it’s about people, said Gian Marco Revel and Sara Casaccia, who coordinated the academic contribution to the Kit at Università Politecnica delle Marche. “With this kit, we hope to inspire future engineers, researchers, developers, and designers to create digital and innovative solutions that respect both human comfort and our planet’s resources”.

(Photo Credits: UnSplash)

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DigiBUILD’s final event celebrates three years of innovation in the digitalisation of the building sector and pass the torch to DEDALUS, which will build on its legacy to advance smarter, greener, and more connected infrastructures across Europe.

The final event of the Horizon Europe project DigiBUILD, one of the DEDALUS sister projects, is approaching and will take place on Tuesday, 20 May 2025 in London and online. This full-day hybrid event will mark the culmination of three years of research and innovation aimed at accelerating the digital transformation of the building sector.

From AI-based tools to data-driven services and digital twin solutions, DigiBUILD has developed a comprehensive suite of technologies to improve building performance, enable evidence-based policymaking, and support end-users in managing infrastructures more efficiently.

Highlights of the event include:

• A presentation of DigiBUILD’s core results and technological breakthroughs
• Live demonstrations and insights from real-world pilot sites across Europe
• A discussion on policy and market uptake
• A guided tour of the UCL demonstration site

“DigiBUILD has demonstrated the power of data collection, data pre-processing and data-driven services, including the adoption of digital twins, as well as the importance of co-creation and co-design in the process of boosting energy efficiency in buildings.
Its innovative tools and open standards now serve as a foundation for the ongoing DEDALUS project that continues the mission of smarter, greener construction, better integrated with the energy grids through the Demand Response mechanism. This marks a key step forward in the EU’s digital and sustainable transformation of the built environment”, stated Diego Arnone – coordinator of DigiBUILD and DEDALUS.

The event will bring together researchers, industry stakeholders, public authorities, and policymakers to reflect on the project’s outcomes and discuss the road ahead for smart, sustainable, and inclusive buildings.

For more information and find out the agenda, click here.

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This study, released by the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, explores blockchain token valuation, identifying key market factors and applications to enhance DEDALUS demand-response strategies through innovative tokenomics.

The Technical Department of Science of the Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, as a partner of the DEDALUS project, has released the paper “ Review of Blockchain Tokens Creation and Valuation” in the field of the project.

This study addresses the challenges in the valuation and application of blockchain tokens by reviewing existing literature to identify the main factors influencing their value, investment potential, and use. While blockchain tokens offer benefits like easier market access, increased liquidity, and automated processes, their valuation remains difficult due to a lack of intrinsic value, high volatility, and regulatory uncertainty. Using the PRISMA methodology and the Web of Science database, the study explores the technical aspects of token development, including their creation, issuance and management on the Ethereum blockchain using smart contracts. It identifies key factors impacting tokenomics, such as demand and supply, market conditions, macroeconomic trends, and social incentives, and it highlights promising use cases in areas like asset digitisation, supply chain management, and governance.

Aligned with these insights, the DEDALUS project aims to create an innovative platform powered by blockchain and AI technologies, potentially transforming how buildings participate in demand-response programmes. By utilizing blockchain tokens, new strategies for citizen engagement and flexible compensation can be developed, going beyond traditional financial incentives to include values like sustainability and local economic support. This approach could redefine the value proposition of demand response, aligning it with broader societal and environmental goals.

The full paper is available at this link on the Resources section of the project website.

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