Although investment in energy efficiency has grown, the renovation of the building stock in the European Union is progressing slowly. Currently, buildings are responsible for 40 % of energy consumption and 36 % of CO₂ emissions.
To meet this challenge, the European project INBLANC project proposes to take advantage of the data generated during the entire life cycle of the building to improve its sustainability, efficiency and habitability.
INBLANC for building renovation
The project, funded by the European Union to the tune of almost five million euros, brings together 22 partners from ten European countries with a common goal: to transform industrial, public and residential buildings in six countries in Spain, the Netherlands, Cyprus, Greece, Switzerland and Denmark.
During 3.5 years, a comprehensive solution will be developed and implemented to improve the energy efficiency, comfort and habitability of the buildings. Among the actions to be carried out will be the thermal insulation study, which will propose actions to revalue the property and reduce the environmental impact of the building.
The European project process
The Dutch company DEMO will be in charge of coordinating the INBLANC project, which will consist of 4 phases.
- Deployment of devices: by installing sensors and IoT technologies in the pilot buildings, real-time data on energy consumption, temperature, humidity, air quality, etc. will be collected.
- Data collection: the performance of the properties will be continuously monitored.
- Data analysis: artificial intelligence will be used to examine the information collected. This analysis will make it possible to detect patterns, identify inefficiencies and predict future maintenance, renovation or improvement needs.
- Implementation of improvements: The recommendations generated will be applied in the 6 demonstrators, improving the quality and comfort of the houses.
What is the status of INBLANC?
In February 2025, we kicked off the project with a kick-off meeting in Delft (The Netherlands).
From Voltiva Energywe are in charge of the task related to energy indicators, which we are currently developing. Our task is to collect all the indicators proposed by the different partners related to the energy sector, organize them in a structured way and prepare the reference document that will be integrated into the general catalog of indicators of the project and will serve as a common basis for the joint work of the entire consortium.
The technology that will transform the real estate sector
INBLANC will integrate numerous technologies such as BIM, for building design and analysis, and IoT sensors, which will record various parameters of energy consumption and home comfort. All the technologies and platforms developed in this project will be used to comprehensively manage the life cycle of the buildings.
The data will be used to generate personalized recommendations to improve energy efficiency, plan renovations, optimize virtual facility management and promote the well-being of users. Aspects that have so far received little consideration, such as indoor air quality, will play a central role, given their direct impact on residents' health.
We lead the Spanish pilot
One of the six demonstrators will be executed in Murcia, in homes in the Joven Futura neighborhood, which we lead from Voltiva Energy. The devices installed in these buildings will measure air quality, the operation of energy assets and energy consumption of housing. In addition, demand flexibility actions will be carried out, shifting the energy consumption of users to the cheapest hours.
The INBLANC project will facilitate smarter decision making in building retrofit processes, maximizing energy efficiency while increasing the value of homes.
