New toolbox unlocks the power of big data for building energy management & policy making
Date
25 Sep 2023
Sections
Development Policy
A toolbox of data-driven applications designed to unlock the power of big data for building energy management and policy making was launched today in Brussels. The newly released MATRYCS toolbox - which was assessed by policymakers, IT developers, research centres and seven municipalities - offers stakeholders from the building sector, including estate managers, building owners, and local and European policy makers, the opportunity to monitor and improve the energy performance of buildings; design facilitation and development of building infrastructure; receive policy impact assessments; and de-risk energy efficiency investments.
“Harnessing the power of big data with tools like MATRYCS empowers local authorities, and other stakeholders in the building sector, to make informed decisions, foster energy efficiency, have greener buildings and ultimately pave the way for more climate neutral and resilient cities," shares Alis-Daniela Torres, Head of Green and Digital Transformation at ICLEI Europe.
The toolbox provides essential input to fulfil local authorities’ climate strategies and assess the impact of individual public measures and investments based on real building-related data. Access to aggregated information from across Europe can support, and legitimise, policymakers’ planning and work.
"The tool demonstrates a transformative approach to climate reporting and impact assessment for more effective urban sustainability. With further refinement, this tool has remarkable potential as a key asset to improve cities' decision-making in relation to their Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans (SECAPs)," affirms Dr Çağlar Tükel, Directorate of Climate Change and Clean Energy, Izmir Metropolitan Municipality (Turkey), one of the seven municipalities that helped test the MATRYCS tool.
"As a proactive municipality, we have undertaken significant strides towards the development of Gdynia's SECAP, reaffirming our commitment to a sustainable and resilient future. The tool's benchmarking capabilities and pragmatic policy insights could certainly support our SECAP development journey,” says Alicja Szczepańska, Energy Department, City of Gdynia (Poland).
Led by ICLEI Europe, the latest MATRYCS' pilot titled "SECAPs Decision-Making Support" seeks to convert data provided in annual municipal climate action reports, which are submitted through platforms like the CDP-ICLEI Track or MyCovenant, into a foundation for developing, monitoring, and overseeing the progress of Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans.
The MATRYCS services are applicable across different building scales, from buildings as individual entities (building scale), to groups of buildings (district scale), groups of districts (city scale), groups of cities (regional scale), and national and European levels.
"I believe these services hold long-term value. They allow municipalities to track their progress and achievements, fostering corporate memory. Furthermore, seeing the success of other cities serves as an encouraging factor for continuous improvement," states Samet Keskin, Senior Urban Policy Expert, Marmara Municipalities Union (Turkey).
Find more information about the MATRYCS Toolbox here.
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About MATRYCS: The Horizon 2020 project MATRYCS addresses emerging challenges in Big Data management for buildings via an open, holistic solution for Business to Business platforms. Through this solution, building sector stakeholders are presented with a toolbox that aids in revolutionising building energy efficiency and management. Applying the MATRYCS toolbox will allow users to access and run data analytics services, focusing on different building lifecycle opportunities and stakeholder perspectives, including digital building twins, improved building operations, building infrastructure design, and EU/national policy assessment for energy efficiency investments.
About ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability: ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability is a global network of more than 2,500 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development. Active in 125 countries, we influence sustainability policy and drive local action for low emission, nature-based, equitable, resilient and circular development. ICLEI Europe provides Members in Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and West Asia with a voice on European and international stages, a platform to connect with peers and tools to drive positive environmental, economic and social change. ICLEI Europe works closely with an extended network of local and regional governments and partners on a broad range of topics.
Press contact:
Valeria Eirin
Senior Officer, Media & Outreach
ICLEI Europe
Email: valeria.eirin@iclei.org
Tel: +49 761 368920