The European Union has proposed several targets for the decarbonization of households, such as improving the energy efficiency of buildings and electrifying heating systems. However, citizens do not know what actions they need to take to achieve these targets due to lack of knowledge.
The DECODIT project seeks to digitally empower citizens to achieve the double energy transition, digital and green. In Voltiva Energy we contribute to this purpose by leading the Spanish use case, which will involve 50 homes in the Region of Murcia.
The solution tested on four pilots
Funded by the Horizon Europe program with a budget of four million euros, DECODIT involves 18 European partners and will be implemented in four countries: Latvia, Greece, Switzerland and Spain, with Voltiva Energy participating in the latter together with La Solar.
The variety of zones will make it possible to demonstrate the effectiveness of the solution, regardless of the type of housing construction or the climatic conditions of the site.
The Empowered Citizen App will be based on the ACCEPT 2020 project platform. It will enable users to better understand the energy sector, assess individual energy performance and behavior, and explore options for improvement in their home.
In addition, devices will be installed in the participating homes with the aim of developing a tool that stores all the information collected in the pilots and defines the needs of the other applications.
On the other hand, an attempt will be made to eliminate the barriers that make it difficult for citizens to contact financial entities and apply for loans through a tool that will facilitate the financing of energy efficiency reforms in housing.
Current phase of DECODIT
In June 2024, the project kicked off with a meeting attended by all European partners, including the European Dynamics coordinator. During the event, the objectives, the key performance indicators, the technologies to be developed and the various European pilots to be carried out during the three and a half years of the project were presented.
Organizational meetings have recently been held for two work packages, one related to quality assurance and project management, and the other to participatory design and co-creation activities.
The impact of the DECODIT project on society
The main objective of the DECODIT project is to encourage the participation of citizens in the shift towards sustainable energies. Through co-creation activities, the users' opinion will be taken into account for the improvement of the project, especially the Empowered Citizen App that they will use in depth.
Thanks to the development of digital services, users will be able to make informed decisions driving the energy transition, allowing them to compare and select the best options according to their needs.
The results of the project will be reflected in the improvement of the energy efficiency of the homes by 30%, the reduction of the carbon footprint by 30% and the reduction of the electricity bill by 20%.
The Spanish rider led by Voltiva Energy
Together with La Solar, we implemented the Spanish pilot in 50 homes in the Region of Murcia, both multi-family buildings and single-family houses, whose average residential consumption is 3,000 kWh per year. Most of these homes have a PV installation of between 3-6 kW.
Through the Spanish pilot, the potential of residential flexibility and possible ways to revalue housing, such as self-consumption and cost savings, will be explored, in addition to proving home renovation services.
The European H2020 ACCEPT and HORIZON FlexCHESS projects will support the development of DECODIT, from driving the development of the Empowered Citizen App to monitoring housing and providing expertise on digital twins.
In addition to leading the Spanish pilot, at Voltiva Energy we are responsible for one of the work packages of the project and we are in charge of defining the key performance indicators and evaluating the results achieved by the DECODIT project.
