Joint Digital Design

01 September 2020 - Published by Deirdre Buist

Stronghouse partners will jointly develop a digital self-assessment tool to engage and facilitate individual homeowners in their energy renovation journey. This will also provide an insight into their possibilities for energy renovation, eligibility for green finance and potential C02 reduction. During an online ‘show and tell’ the consortium pooled their knowledge and experience with digital support systems. Here is a short summary.

Blockchain

There is a huge network of organizations and many different actors involved in the reduction of CO2 emissions in the building environment. While trust and widespread cooperation are essential, central coordinating authorities may (unwillingly) undermine these aspects. In Stronghouse, the University of Gothenburg is sharing its expertise on Blockchain and related technology. Blockchain can provide digital solutions for organizing trustworthy and secure co-operations. It enables peer to peer transactions through a distributed network, provides an immutable shared ledger and develops consensus.

Danish partners from ProjectZero are developing the City Information Open Platform to raise awareness, inspire and provide tailored advice for the citizens of Sonderborg, while the Robert Gordon University is co-developing a tool to aid the decision-making process. RGU also brings extensive knowledge on retrofitting buildings to the Stronghouse table.

Broadband quality

The standard of the digital infrastructure is also a factor to be reckoned with and atene KOM shares their good practice with the Broadband Quality Label. This label confirms high quality and future-oriented in-house broadband, which could be the starting point for many homeowners on their journey towards digitally-assisted energy efficiency, the use of smart devices and IoT.

Visualization

The co-creation of a digital self-assessment tool needs a broader framework. According to Spring, this tool should also provide homeowners with technical insight whereby transparency and visualization, benchmarking and positioning results are key to realizing the desired impact. In terms of visualization, Belgian partners IGEMO have positive experience with ‘Warm House’. This interactive tool is a real eye-opener for many homeowners regarding their current energy consumption, losses and possible savings. For an optimal functionality, essential data must be updated regularly.

Joint digital design

Other Stronghouse partners have agreed that the ‘Warm House’ tool could be adapted to their local circumstances and may form a good basis for further joint design. The consortium has also been working on Personas and has, therefore, acquired useful insights into the needs and wishes of homeowners. This can all feed into the further improvement and impact of the Stronghouse self-assessment tool.