Introduction

CONCERTO is a European Union initiative within the European Research..

CONCERTO is a European Union initiative within the European Research Framework Programme (FP6 and FP7). Buildings account for 40 % of the total energy consumption in the Union, for 33 % of CO2 emissions and 70 % of the EU’s energy consumption. A similar share of greenhouse gas emission takes place in cities, with a huge untapped potential for costeffective energy savings.

Responding to these facts, CONCERTO aims to demonstrate that the energy optimisation of districts and communities as a whole is more cost-effective than optimising each building individually. This can be achieved if all relevant stakeholders work together and integrate different energy technologies in a smart way. The EU initiative under the European Commission’s Directorate General for Energy started in 2005 and has co-funded, with more than 175.5 €million, 58 cities and communities in 22 projects in 23 countries.

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CONCERTO is a milestone towards the EU targets for 2020:

  • 20 % improvement in energy efficiency
  • 20 % share of renewable energy
  • 20 % reduction of greenhouse gas emissions

 

The 58 cities and communities are role models and offer innovative approaches for:

  • energy efficiency measures
  • the use of renewable energy sources and innovative technologies (RES)
  • sustainable building and district development
  • refurbishment in buildings
  • energy transparency for citizens
  • an integrated approach of solutions