Smart Buildings & Retrofitting

Buildings consume around 40% of EU energy and emit a third of greenhouse gases; the Renovation Wave aims to double annual renovation rates by 2030. The Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD, recast 2024) introduces minimum energy-performance standards and a zero-emission buildings trajectory; cities own delivery on social housing, schools, hospitals and municipal stock.

Deep retrofit combines fabric improvements (insulation, glazing, airtightness) with electrification (heat pumps, ventilation with heat recovery), digital controls (BMS, smart meters) and increasingly embodied-carbon accounting. Programmes like Horizon's Built4People, the Build Up portal, the Renovate Europe campaign and BPIE evidence work coordinate delivery; cities like Vienna, Copenhagen and Brussels run mature retrofit programmes at scale.

This leaf collects resources on building retrofit and renovation, heat pumps and electrification, smart-building tech and proptech, EPCs and energy performance, and embodied carbon — for energy planners, building managers, retrofit programmes and proptech operators.