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MESTRI-CE

Project overview

Smart Management and Green Financing for Sustainable and Climate Neutral Buildings in Central Europe

A climate-neutral central Europe requires a drastically reduced energy consumption of buildings. However, renovation is often costly and complex. The MESTRI-CE project introduces a new investment model to finance more climate-friendly buildings that guarantee sustainability. The model covers both the supply and demand side of the renovation market and builds on data collected and tools and green standards developed by the project.

2,49m €

Project Budget

80%

of the Budget is funded by ERDF

Layer 1

6

Countries

7

Regions

10

Partners

4

Pilots

Duration

Start date

End date

Project progress

56%

Project partnership

Project partners

Hrvatska (HR)

Lead partner

North-West Croatia Regional Energy and Climate Agency

Address
Andrije Žaje 10
10000 Zagreb
Country
Croatia (HR)
Web
regea.org

Project partner

Address
Walcherstrasse 11/43
1020 Vienna
Country
Austria (AT)
Web
http://www.e-sieben.at
Total partner budget
392,000 €
Research&Development
Address
VIA VOLTA 13/A
39100 BOLZANO
Country
Italy (IT)
Web
www.agenziacasaclima.it
Total partner budget
270,200 €
Address
Fuerther Str. 244a
90429 Nürnberg
Country
Germany (DE)
Web
www.energieagentur-nordbayern.de
Total partner budget
238,000 €
Address
Nowogrodzka 31/330
00-511 Warsaw
Country
Poland (PL)
Web
https://www.mae.com.pl/
Total partner budget
238,000 €
Energy Efficiency Centre
Address
Brinje 40
1262 Ljubljana
Country
Slovenia (SI)
Web
www.ijs.si
Total partner budget
214,200 €
Address
Próżna 9
00-107 Warsaw
Country
Poland (PL)
Web
https://www.ipopemasecurities.pl/financial-advisory
Total partner budget
193,200 €
Address
Bukovačka 110
10000 Zagreb
Country
Croatia (HR)
Web
https://www.zez.coop
Total partner budget
161,000 €
Address
Ivana Lučića 2a
10000 Zagreb
Country
Croatia (HR)
Web
https://www.zse.hr
Total partner budget
143,500 €
Address
Nikolaiplatz 4a
8054 Graz
Country
Austria (AT)
Web
https://www.ea-stmk.at/
Total partner budget
275,100 €

Roadmap

1

Challenge

The central Europe region faces several key challenges in its energy tranistion: - Economic and technological disparities: uneven economic development and distribution of technology and financial resources. - High energy consumption: Average energy consumption remains higher than the EU average. - Investment needs: Energy efficiency investments need to more than double to meet EU climate and energy targets. - Low awareness levels: particularly at local and regional levels in less developed central european countries. - Technical barriers: Poor building stock management due to insufficient capacities of stock managers, lack of quality baseline data and comprehensive data management tools. - Data managment: Need for integrated data collection on energy management, interoperability through digital tools and coordinated methodologies and regulatory aspects. - Common methodologies: Lack of common methodology for assessing and reporting the sustainability performance of buildings.

2

Starting idea

To meet new climate and energy targets, energy efficiency investments must more than double, a task complicated by low awareness levels, especially in less developed areas. The project aims to address these issues, focusing on improving energy efficiency in the worst-performing buildings, public buildings, social infrastructure and decarbonizing heating and cooling systems. The project will tackle technical, policy and financing barriers, emphasizing better building stock management, integrated data collection, and the creation of a common methodology for assessing building sustainability.

3

Main goal

The project aims to achieve standardization in the technical and financial transformation of markets for retrofitting public and private buildings, aiming for climate neutrality. This will be accomplished through intensive transnational cooperation, leveraging the expertise and best practices of partners across pilot regions. The project focuses on combining strengths, enhancing research capacity and engaging key stakeholders to become leaders in sustainable building practices. Additionally, it aims to widely disseminate project results to ensure broader adoption across Central Europe.

4

Proposed solutions

The MESTRI Smart Management and Green Financing for Sustainable and Climate Neutral Buildings project introduces several innovative solutions: - MESTRI-CE Smart Data Hub: Aggregates all relevant building data, including energy and water consumption, project documentation and key documents like a Vision and Action Plan for long-term building utilization, addressing the lack of management tools for building owners. - Sustainable Building Methodology: Guides the design and renovation of buildings based on sustainability and climate-neutrality criteria, including a Life Cycle Assessment to project environmental impacts. Integrates existing standards with Level(s), the new European framework for sustainable buildings. - MESTRI-CE Evaluation Toolbox: Offers tools for technical, financial, and economic analysis to estimate renovation costs and benefits. Helps public authorities prioritize societally optimal energy efficiency investments by highlighting both energy and non-energy benefits. - Green Financing Methodology: Aligns with EU taxonomy and green standards, providing transparent documentation for investors. Developed with financial institutions and crowdinvesting platforms to ensure wide market acceptance. Includes a project pipeline in pilot countries and activities to raise capacity and awareness among citizens and investors, reinforcing the role of market aggregators.

5

Transnational cooperation

The collaboration will enable project partners to combine complementary strengths, get the necessary research capacity and reach the wider public through high-visibility events. Associated partners who present key stakeholders will benefit from the project by learning from top experts in the sustainability of buildings. The project leverages the expertise of ten institutions from six different countries to drive positive changes in pilot regions across Central Europe. Despite their diverse backgrounds and legal forms, all partners are united by the vision of achieving long-term climate neutrality in the buildings sector and economies. The consortium includes energy agencies. These agencies are deeply embedded in their regional communities, maintaining strong relationships with policy and decision-makers. They will implement major activities and pilot actions, collaborating closely with key stakeholders from both private and public sectors. As experts in the building sector, these agencies develop local and regional policies, execute energy renovation programs and facilitate market interactions between public authorities, investors, and financial institutions.

News

Events

Pilot actions

Outputs

Jointly developed strategy for transition towards climate neutral buildings

Joint strategy for transition towards climate-neutral buildings will be made for five partner countries (Croatia, Italy, Austria, Germany and Poland) aiming at public authorities who will commit to use the Smart Data Hub for management of their building stocks and development of shorter term, action plans until 2030. This ong-term document (until 2050) will use methodological approach regarding building standards from WP2 and will be jointly developed by all project partners.
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
In development

MESTRI-CE Sustainable Building Methodology for (re)construction of buildings

The piloting action will result with Sustainable Building Methodology with an Evaluation toolbox for performing technical assessments and simulations as solution for (re)construction of public and private buildings in line with EU sustainable buildings framework - Level(s), related EU directives, standards, guidelines and tools regarding building EE and sustainability. Market actors will need to adopt it as requirements in their projects as a solution for (re)constructions of their buildings.
Type of output: Solutions
In development

Jointly developed strategy for enhancement of regional building standards in Central Europe countries

A strategy will create a vision for a unified sustainable building methodology for (re)construction of buildings in CE with a dedicated set of recommendations for enhancement of existing building standards on national/regional levels in five pilot countries. This output will come as a result of close cooperation with building specialists and policy makers and its implementation will come in form of adoptions of new methodology within national/regional building renovation strategies.
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
In development

Testing of Advisory Hubs for project and policy developers in pilot regions

The piloting process forsees joint development and implementation of Advisory Hubs for project and policy developers in all five pilot countries (Croatia, Italy, Austria, Poland, Germany). Project partners will jointly design the general concept of the hub while each implementing partner (REGEA, MAE, CasaClima, EASt, EAN) will be in charge of setting up of the permanent one stop shop and engagement of key stakeholders.
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
In development

Advisory Hubs for project and policy developers

The piloting action will result in an the final version of the Advisory Hub - one stop shop solution for project and policy developers (public authorities, SMEs, enterprises and sectoral agencies) but also financial institutions willing to adopt the methodologies developed in WP1, 2 and 3. The hub will assist developers willing or planning to use the Smart Data Hub, Sustainable Building Methodology, Evaluation toolbox or Financial advisory services.
Type of output: Solutions
In development

Piloting and promotion of MESTRI-CE Green Financing Methodology, Tools and Financing models

Piloting action in five CE regions in Croatia, Italy, Austria, Germany and Poland will foresee joint development, testing and implementation of MESTRI-CE methodology consisting of: - Financial and economic evaluation toolbox for projects - Supporting documentation/prospectus with environmental impact, performance, and proceeds tracking methodology in line with EU and other voluntary standards (e.g. GBS, GBP) - Financial models and schemes which involve citizens as investors/active participants
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
In development

Jointly developed strategy for enhancement of innovative green standards, financing models and schemes

Strategy for reaching climate neutrality of building stock with innovative and citizen involved financing models will be jointly developed for regional public authorities in five CE countries. The strategies will cover long-term vision (until 2050) with action plans deriving from the strategy will provide more concrete steps and solutions coming from the piloting phase. The strategy will be peer-reviewed by MESTRI-CE project partners.
Type of output: Strategies and action plans
In development

MESTRI-CE Green Financing Methodology, Tools and Financing models

The piloting actions will result in one holistic financing methodological solution with several components made for project developers, financial institutions, crowdinvesting platforms, public/private entities and citizens: - Financial and economic evaluation toolbox - Documentation/prospectus with environmental impact, performance and proceeds tracking methodology in line with EU and other voluntary standards (eg GBS) - Feasible financial models and schemes which involve citizens as investors
Type of output: Solutions
In development

MESTRI-CE

The project lead partner is responsible for the content of this project website.

Project on social media

Project Contacts

Project Manager

Tijana Šimek
Phone: +385913885308

Finance Manager

Mihaela Babić
Phone: +385913885331

Communication Manager

David Frick
Phone: +4331626970016