Specific Challenge:

Energy Efficiency services (e.g. Energy Performance Contracting (EPC)) are available on the market already for quite some time. However, there is a big untapped potential in sectors and with actors not yet engaged in services triggering energy, CO2 and cost savings. At the same time, new technologies have emerged opening the door for new types of services which use ICT to better control and steer energy consumption according to market and system needs and to the availability of renewable energy; others are able to integrate energy services with non-energy benefits such as comfort. By bundling various services and benefits, additional target groups, sectors and financial resources can be accessed. Actions are also needed to structure and label the quality of demand side service providers (like ESCOs aggregators and energy cooperatives) and improve their accessibility for end energy users.

Finally, ICT-tools and big data generated by smart meters, smart devices and sensors will help monitor and verify energy savings and flexibility and thus provide for appropriate remuneration of optimised consumption. A particular challenge for energy services of this kind is that while they aim to involve different services (e.g. system services) and benefits (e.g. comfort) towards increasing their viability, they should nevertheless result in real, measurable energy savings and performance improvements of the overall energy system.

Scope:

2019 (Innovation action):

Projects should focus on demonstrating and testing innovative energy services in a real environment, across several market segments and across different actors in the value chain. To be economically viable, these services need to be able to rely on sound measurement and verification methodologies. They should cover several but not necessarily all of the relevant areas and aspects identified above, blending in innovative manner different revenue streams coming from different market segments and they should in all cases include innovative verification and monitoring measures. Moreover, they should demonstrate how potential legal and contractual aspects (e.g. in relation to existing contracts or linked to the use of equipment) have been accounted for.

Proposals should demonstrate that the tested business models and services are self-sustainable after the end of the project. The upfront investments in energy efficiency measures (e.g. upgrading of building energy performance) and in smart building systems should be paid back at least in part by revenues coming from energy savings and remunerated flexibility.

Where available and appropriate, the actions should build on the results of the DT-ICT-10-2018: Interoperable and smart homes and grids, DT-ICT-11-2019: Big data solutions for energy and LC-SC3-ES-6-2018-2020: TSO-DSO-consumers: Large-scale demonstrations of cross-border markets for innovative grid services. All innovative energy service concepts and in particular IoT based energy service concepts developed in the frame of the pilot DT-10-2018 should be tested under real market conditions, gathering relevant market actors and exploring user acceptance.

Expected Impact:

Proposals are expected to demonstrate the impacts listed below, using quantified indicators and targets wherever possible:

• Primary Energy savings triggered by the project (in GWh/year);
• Investments in sustainable energy triggered by the project (in million Euro);
• Improved viability of innovative energy services.

In addition, proposals are expected to demonstrate, the impacts listed below, using quantified indicators and targets wherever possible:

• A growing offer and up-take of services that combine energy efficiency with other energy services, technologies and non-energy benefits;
• A growing up-take of innovative data gathering and processing methods in the monitoring and verification of energy savings and flexibility;
• The application of methods and concepts to ensure that: (i) innovative energy services are reliable and verifiable, (ii) service providers are trustworthy and accessible.

Additional positive effects can be quantified and reported when relevant and wherever possible:

• Reduction of the greenhouse gases emissions (in tCO₂-eq/year) and/or air pollutants (in kg/year) triggered by the project.