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.
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