How to support vulnerable households through passive solutions
The energy transition is progressing rapidly, but not always in an equitable manner. In Europe, millions of households still struggle to access basic energy services.
In this context, several key questions arise:
· How can we design energy-efficiency renovation strategies that effectively help to reduce vulnerability, bearing in mind that many households cannot afford conventional heating and cooling systems?
· How can we ensure that energy-efficiency renovation projects reach the most vulnerable groups?
To address these challenges, CARTIF took part as a speaker at the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub (EPAH) Annual Conference 2026, during the session entitled ‘How Integrated Energy Renovations Can Reach Vulnerable Households: Practical Approaches to Financing, Engagement, and Demand Reduction’, presenting some of the work carried out as part of the SUPERSHINEproject.
Beyond technology: the role of social innovation in energy retrofitting
Energy-efficient refurbishment now benefits from well-established technical solutions. However, its implementation in disadvantaged neighbourhoods does not depend solely on its technical effectiveness. Factors such as households’ financial capacity, social acceptance of the works, political pressure or the complexity of administrative procedures can become significant barriers to the viability of any intervention.
EPAH 2026 Workshop: Simulating real-world decisions in vulnerable contexts
During the conference, CARTIF led an interactive workshop based on role-play, designed to replicate the real-world complexity involved in decision-making for energy-efficiency renovation projects targeting vulnerable households.
The exercise was based on a typical urban setting, in which participants were tasked with implementing measures in a district characterised by high levels of energy poverty and low energy efficiency in the building stock.
Passive measures: much more than just energy savings
During the project, the focus was on implementing as many passive solutions as possible, with the aim of reducing the district’s energy demand and improving the indoor comfort of the homes.
This approach served to convey a key idea: in vulnerable contexts, improving living conditions cannot depend on the use of active systems, but rather on the quality of the building itself.
People: When technology meets reality
To introduce the social dimension, each participant was assigned a role representing a person with specific characteristics, needs and limitations. This enabled the various profiles involved in the process to face real-life situations. As a result, decisions were no longer purely technical but came to be influenced by social, economic and political factors.
Making decisions under real-world constraints
In addition to the participants, the group was given a set of constraints that introduced real-world limitations into the process. These constraints forced them to continually rethink their decisions, shifting from a focus on technical optimisation to one centred on practical feasibility.
Key takeaways: how to tackle energy poverty
The exercise revealed that, in situations of energy poverty, the priority is not to optimise energy consumption, but to reduce the need for energy.
This approach led to a number of key lessons:
Energy poverty is a multifaceted problem. It cannot be solved by technical solutions alone.
Decisions are influenced by context: what is optimal from an energy perspective may not be so within the social and economic context.
Coordination between stakeholders is essential, particularly when integrating solutions at building and district level
There is no one-size-fits-all solution: each situation requires a balance between efficiency, cost and social acceptance.
Materiales sobre el workshop desarrollado en la conferencia
The energy transition is rapidly transforming the power system. The increasing integration of renewable energy sources, the growing deployment of rooftop photovoltaic systems, and the electrification of new uses such as electric mobility and heating are changing the way electricity is generated and consumed. These changes are introducing new challenges for distribution grids, which must now manage increasingly variable and decentralized energy flows.
In this context, grids may experience situations such as congestion an voltage issues, especially in networks with a high share of renewable energy sources.
As a result, new challenges have emerged in the management of the energy system. ranging from maintaining the balance between supply and demand to dealing with grid congestion and voltage issues. These situations can affect the quality of the electricity supply and limit the grid´s ability to integrate new consumers or generators.
Main problems in the electricity distribution network
Distribution network congestion
A high share of renewable generation, data centres and other large loads can saturate the existing infrastructure, limiting the possibility of establishing new connections and even causing operational restrictions or the disconecction of previously connected elements.
Undervoltage
System overloads, equipment demanding large amounts of electricity and/or networks with long supply distances can cause the voltage to fall below acceptable levels.
Overvoltages and voltage spikes
Increases in voltage, even when they occur over very short periods of time, can damage electrical components and electronic equipment connected to the grid.
Distorsions and harmonics
The presence of non-linear loads can distort the electrical waveform, compromising the quality of the power supply.
One of the most effective ways to mitigate these issues is to incorporate flexibility or demand response mechanisms into grid operation. In this context, enabling the system to shift or adjust certain loads can help prevent many of the events that may compromise grid operation.
Regardless of the solution adopted to mitigate these issues, the first step is to detect or anticipate them. For this reason, prediction tools play a key role in this context.
Advanced algorithms for predicting network issues
Within the european project PISTIS, CARTIF has developed a prediction algorithm capable of forecasting grid events such as congestion, undervoltage and overvoltage. The algorithm has been designed as a non-linear optimization problem that answer two key questions: whether an event will occur and whta demand adjustments, and at which nodes, would be required to avoid it.
Among all the solutions that satisfy the constraints of the optimization problem, the algorithm selects the one that implies the smallest possible deviation from the forecasted demand. If, at any node in the network, the required adjustment exceeds a predefined threshold, an event is considered to occur, since the forecasted demand would not be compatible with operating within the established limits.
CARTIF’s solutions for energy flexibility
Apart from the activities carried out within the PISTIS project, CARTIF has also been involved in several initiatives related to energy flexibility and demand response. For example, in theCERFlexproject, CARTIF (together with CUERVA) developed algorithms for the prediction and control of flexible electrical loads in rural energy communities and tools to support peer-to-peer energy exchange. In GeMICE (in collaboration with Ignis), CARTIF contributed to the development of a digital platform for the management of energy communities and the creation of internal energy markets for renewable energy sharing. In the GEDERA project, coordinated by CEMOSA, CARTIF worked together with other entities on a multi-agent architecture for smart grids aimed at the prediction, planning and management of flexible loads in buildings, with a particular focus on the smart charging of electric vehicles. Finally, CARTIF is also involved in the ongoing European projectENFLATE(GA 101075783), which focuses on enabling flexibility provision across different sectors through data-driven services and digital solutions.
The aforementioned solutions are key to improving grid management and adapting electricity networks to the new challenges they face, while facilitating the integration of renewable energy into the energy system. In this context, CARTIF will continue working to support the transition towards more sustainable and efficient energy systems.
Discover CARTIF’s capabilities in optimising electricity grid management and integrating flexibility solutions
Through scalable, inclusive and efficient energy communities
Local Energy Communities has been consolidated as a key tool to boost a fairer and more participatory energy transition. Beyond producing renewable energy, they enable citizens, SMEs, and administrations to collaborate in generating and managing energy, prioritizing social and environmental benefits over economic ones.
The advantages are clear:
They promote shared investments from a bottom-up approach.
They drive a just transition, addressing energy poverty and social inclusion.
They increase renewable penetration and the reliability of the multi-energy system.
They open the door to innovative models such as flexibility or P2P exchange.
In Spain, the ecosystem is showing significant growth: in 2024, 200 new CELs were established, reaching a total of 659. However, most continue to focus on photovoltaic self-consumption, while areas such as mobility, rehabilitation, storage, and thermal technologies remain in the minority. In addition, many have fewer than 50 members, which limits their scale.
“A total of 659 CELs have been established in Spain, the last 200 of which were established in 2024, but many have fewer than 50 members, which limits their scale.”
This context shows remarkable progress, but also a decisive challenge: citizen participation.
In this context, the Urban-MOME Network poses a key question: how can digital tools improve the scalability, participation, and efficiency of energy communities? Answering this question involves going beyond technology and understanding people’s needs, barriers, and motivations.
Creating a CEL is not just a technical challenge. There are barriers in terms of knowledge, governance, financing, and stakeholder involvement. As has been rightly pointed out: “A CEL without members is not a community.” Generating interest, consolidating a driving force, and maintaining collective motivation are essential. Without active participation, the energy community loses its transformative capacity.
Digital tools for understanding, participating and deciding
In this context, digitization becomes a strategic element. Digital tools can facilitate understanding of the various solutions available, visualize economic and environmental impacts, and support transparent participatory processes.
Among the most relevant are:
energy analysis, prediction, and management tools
savings measurement and verification systems
environmental footprint visualization and emissions reduction
gamification strategies to encourage proactivity
platforms to support collective decision-making
These tools translate technical complexity into understandable information, helping citizens understand not only how much they can save, but also the social and environmental impact of their participation.
LocalRES: flexible tools for everyone
The LocalRES project positions Renewable Energy Communities as key players in leading decarbonization through citizen participation and awareness.
As part of the project, an energy planning tool has been developed that allows communities to catalog assets, design future scenarios, and assess impacts on costs, emissions, sustainability, and energy security.
Its main innovation is its dual approach: supporting experts and decision-makers with a global vision, while enabling citizens to visualize individual decisions (such as installing heat pumps or solar panels) and understand their impacts.
Thus, digitization becomes a bridge between technical complexity and citizen action.
The real challenge is to design digital solutions tailored to people’s real needs, capable of transforming information into understanding, understanding into participation, and participation into collective impact.
Energy efficiency has established itself as one of the key pillars for business competitiveness, sustainability and the transition to a low-carbon economic model. However, in many cases, the true potential for improvement remains unused. The reason is not usually a lack of technology, but rather the difficulty of transforming large volumes of heterogeneous data into useful knowledge for decision-making.
Today´s challenge: many energy data, little actionable knowledge
Terciary buildings, industrial installations, thermal grids, urban infrastructures or productive processes has today multiple sensors, control systems, monitoring platforms and digital tools. Sectors such as:
Manufacturing industry
Agrifood sector
Buildings and heritage management
Nergy and thermal infrastructures
Municipal and urban services
already generate a huge amount of information related to energy consumption, asset status and operating conditions.
The problem is that this data is often fragmented, stored in silos, with different data models, and without a common layer that allows it to be exploited jointly. As a result, many companies remain stuck in mere monitoring, without making the leap to advanced evaluation, prediction or optimization.
A platform to habilitate smart energy services
Our tool, INTER-SEI, was created with a clear purpose: not to be just another energy management platform, but rather an interpoerable and replicable environment that relies on standards tobuild a unique and reliable model for accessing energy information. In this way, the platform explicitly avoids dependence on imposed building management systems (BMS) or fixed supplier ecosystems, ensuring its applicability in various types of buildings and ownership models.
Its main objective is to act as a enabling platform, capable of:
Collect data on energy assets and systems in buildings, factories or networks.
Integrate information from external sources, both static and dynamic (weather, energy prices, network signals, etc.).
Process and refine information to generate high-quality “unique data.”
Store data in a contextualized and semantically enriched manner.
Make this information universally and securely available to different services and applications.
On this common basis, advanced energy services can be deployed, supported by both traditional artificial intelligence algorithms and more recent approaches, aimed at covering the entire M.E.P.O. cycle:
Monitoring
Evaluation
Prediction
Optimization
Innovation in energy efficiency: a driver of business competitiveness
Beyond specific technological solutions, innovation in energy efficiency has become a strategic factor for companies that want to be more competitive in increasingly demanding markets. In a world where energy represents a significant proportion of operating costs and where sustainability is part of the expectations of customers, investors, and regulators, adopting innovative approaches can make the difference between leading or falling behind.
A recent example of how innovation in energy efficiency can have a real impact on buildings can be found in the projects we are developing together withVEOLIA Servicios LECAM, aimed at improving energy performance through digitization and the deployment of smart services based on the SRI (Smart Readiness Indicator).
¿? Did you know….
SRI (Smart Readiness Indicator): is a European measurement system that assesses the capacity of a building or its technical systems to optimize energy efficiency, adapt to user needs, and adjust to the characteristics of the electrical grid.
These projects focus on addressing one of the major challenges facing the building sector: how to improve the energy efficiency and decarbonization of existing buildings without necessarily resorting to large investments in equipment renovation, relying instead on the advanced use of data, smart control, and digital models. These actions are fully aligned with the objectives of the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), which promotes increasingly smart, connected, and adaptive buildings.
The solution implemented is based on the development and validation of a repository of smart energy services that are highly replicable and supported by cyber-physical systems (IoT), digital twins, and artificial intelligence. These services optimize the operation of the building’s energy systems, such as air conditioning, renewable generation, storage, and demand management, anticipating the real needs of users and the behavior of the building itself.
By integrating data from existing systems, IoT platforms, and digital building models, it is possible to deploy advanced energy control and management strategies without altering the physical infrastructure, acting primarily on the building’s digital layer. The use of digital twins also makes it possible to simulate scenarios, validate decisions, and adjust algorithms before applying them in the real environment, reducing risks and improving the effectiveness of actions.
The expected results confirm the potential of this approach. In residential buildings, an average improvement in the SRI of more than 35% is expected, reflecting a significant increase in the building’s intelligence level. In terms of energy, primary energy savings of 140.4 MWh per year are estimated, along with a 13% increase in the use of renewable energies. These improvements will translate into a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of around 25.8 tons of CO₂ equivalent per year and an average annual saving of €14,000 on energy bills.
140.4MWh savings per year
+13% use of renewable energies
-25.8 tons of CO2
Saving 14,000€/year
This success story aims to demonstrate that the combination of digitization, artificial intelligence, and data-driven energy services can transform building energy management, turning technological innovation into measurable results. Experiences such as the one being developed with VEOLIA Servicios LECAM show that energy efficiency, when supported by interoperable platforms and smart approaches, becomes a real lever for competitiveness, sustainability, and resilience in the building sector.
Borja Fernández and Susana Martín
Borja Fernández, Director of Business Development for Energy and Susana Martín, head of Energy Efficiency area.
Today, cities face the challenge of transforming themselves to become more sustainable, livable, and carbon neutral. To meet this challenge, tools that help visualize and understand change are essential. At CARTIF, we have developed the Solution Bundles tool as a digital solution that invites users to explore how different solutions (energy, urban, or natural) can be combined to design better urban environments.
Its development has been part of CARTIF’s work on theNetZeroCities project, one of the flagship projects of the European Cities Mission, which is promoting the transition to climate neutrality in more than 100 European cities. Integrated as a tool within the Mission Platform, the Solution Bundles reflect CARTIF’s commitment to applied innovation, bringing science and technology closer to urban planning to accelerate local climate action.
Using this tool turns urban planning into a visual and interactive experience, where citizens, politicians, urban planners, or anyone with a relevant role in city-level decision-making can explore how different solutions (related to energy, mobility, nature, or the circular economy) combine to shape a more sustainable urban model.
One of the biggest challenges in developing the concept for this tool was addressing the inherent complexity of urban planning, a process that involves multiple scales, actors, and objectives. The Solution Bundles tool takes a step forward and focuses on the synergies that can be found within a broad catalog of technological solutions, associating them with strategic urban areas to facilitate an integrated vision of change.
Because planning a city is not just about deciding where to build or implement technology, but about choosing how we want to live: what kind of energy we consume, how we move around, what green spaces we enjoy, and how we make the local a global force.
What does this tool offer?
Solution Bundles, as an interactive tool, encourages cities to think systemically. Through a 3D visual environment, it allows users to explore and combine technological solutions that, when applied together, generate a greater impact on urban climate transition.
The tool brings together four major “bundles” or sets of solutions that reflect the main areas of action in a city:
Low-emission energy and interconnection between sectors, to integrate renewable sources, buildings, and industry into a more efficient energy system.
Electric mobility and electrification, aimed at transforming urban transport towards clean and shared models.
Reduction of energy and resource needs, promoting efficiency and the circular economy.
Carbon capture, storage, and removal, with solutions that strengthen environmental resilience.
Each set of solutions is linked to technical data sheets and real-life examples available in the Mission Platform’s online repository, making it easier for cities to move from idea to action by connecting the strategic vision with practical cases and implementation resources. In addition, its cross-cutting approach and visual power allow users to work collaboratively, visualize synergies with other users, and discuss issues based on a common knowledge base.
In short, Solution Bundles transform urban planning into a clearer, more attractive, interactive, and connected process, helping to design integrated urban strategies focused on citizen well-being.
Let’s not lose sight of the goal: more humane and climate-neutral cities
The transformations that take place in a city cannot be understood solely from a technical or planning perspective, but also from a sensitivity to the identity and daily lives of those who inhabit it. Strategies that generate coherent urban regeneration start precisely from there: from adaptation to the context, from studying what is happening, and from respect for the cultural significance of the place.
In this sense, we must not forget that digital urbanism, understood as a new way of thinking about and designing the city through data, simulations, and technological intelligence, is not the goal, but the means. A means that allows us to connect information, space, and people, facilitating more conscious decisions and planning that is more in tune with urban reality.
Technological innovation only makes sense when it translates into more livable, inclusive, and sustainable environments, where science and technology work to serve people and not the other way around.
CARTIF supporting urban and technological change
At CARTIF’s City, Territory, and Climate department, we work on projects such as NEUTRALPATH, aligned with European cities’ commitment to climate neutrality by 2030, as promoted by NetZeroCities, and focused on exploring new approaches to urban development at the district level.
These types of projects reinforce our goal of supporting cities in their planning, decarbonization, and adaptation processes, contributing knowledge, methodologies, and innovative solutions that connect the technical with the human.
Have you ever wondered what a world where renewable energy storage is efficient and affordable would look like?
One of the challenges society must address to achieve effective decarbonization is increasing the generation and penetration of renewable energy. Despite the progress made, the intermittency of sources such as solar and wind, jalong with the need to optimize complex systems, limits the potential of these energies. Furthermore, energy storage technology developers face high risks when testing new devices in changing environments which can limit the insights gained.
At CARTIF, we have a multi-system test bench that allows us to store these surplus potentials in different formats: batteries, hydrogen and heat. In addition to evaluating the transformation chain in each case, we can characterize its behaviour in response to variations in demand, assessing its dynamic behaviour.
It is designed to replicate real-life energy scenarios, offering a unique environment where companies can confidently validate strategies and devices. We highlight some of its features:
Advanced technology: Includes PEM fuel cell, AEM electrolyzer, electric batteries, and hydrogen storage in metal hydrides.
Realistic simulation: Ability to emulate energy generation and demand profiles when interconnected with a data acquisition system.
Intelligent control: Incorporates a multi-level control system that optimizes operations in real time and allows for long-term analysis.
How can energy companies maximize the efficiency of its systems?
Here is where our test bench enters in game. These are some of the key advantages:
Accelerated innovation: Mathematical models have been developed to scale and visualize the performance that would be achieved with larger installations.
Risks mitigation: It allows for a reduction in the risk of technological scaling, as new technologies can be validated and development costs can be reduced by anticipating potential errors.
Superior energy efficiency: Through tests simulating its operation in the residential sector, up to 90% of the generated energy surpluses have been utilized, reducing peak demand, installed base power, and dependence on the electrical grid by up to 50%.
Regulatory compliance: The information extracted can also be used to ensure compliance with environmental and safety legislation.
CARTIF Multi-system Test Bench
Why you should be interested on this solution?
The energy sector is immersed in a critical transition to clean energy sources. The decisions you make now could determine the success of your projects in the coming years. Our test bench offers you the security and flexibility you need to lead this revolution.
Join the transformation! If you are an energy company looking to optimize resources or a developer needing to validate your products, this test bench is for you.
Discover the power of controlled innovation. Maximize your systems, reduce risks, and lead the way toward a sustainable energy future.
Contact us and take the next step toward technological excellence!
Luis Ángel Bujedo.Industrial Engineer. He works on energy efficiency and integration of renewable energy in buildings and industrial processes, especially on photovoltaic applications, monitoring and control of solar facilities and identification of cold facilities.
