BIGG · Project

Smart Platform That Collects and Analyzes Building Energy Data at Scale

energyPilotedTRL 7

Imagine every building speaks a different language when it comes to energy data — meters, sensors, and management systems all use different formats. BIGG built a platform that translates all of that into one common language, then uses AI to spot where energy is wasted. They tested it on over 4000 buildings across 6 pilot sites in Spain and Greece. Think of it as a universal translator plus energy detective for buildings.

By the numbers

4000+

buildings tested in pilot deployments

large-scale pilot test-beds

consortium partners across 5 countries

67%

industry partners in the consortium

The business problem

What needed solving

Building owners and facility managers sit on mountains of energy data from smart meters, sensors, and management systems — but it is all in different formats, making it nearly impossible to get a unified picture. Without that picture, they cannot identify where energy is wasted, which renovations will pay off, or how to comply with tightening EU energy efficiency regulations.

The solution

What was built

An open-source cloud platform with three core components: a data architecture for collecting building data from multiple sources, a standard data model for making that data interoperable, and an AI analytics toolbox for batch and real-time energy analysis. All three components went through preliminary and final development iterations and were tested in 6 pilot sites across more than 4000 buildings.

Audience

Who needs this

Property management firms with large building portfolios needing unified energy dashboardsEnergy service companies (ESCOs) preparing renovation proposals across diverse building stocksMunicipal governments tracking energy performance across public building portfoliosSmart building IoT platform vendors looking for data harmonization standardsUtilities offering demand-side management programs to commercial building customers

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Commercial Real Estate

enterprise

Target: Property management firms with large building portfolios

If you are a property management company dealing with rising energy costs across dozens of buildings but no unified view of consumption — this project developed an open-source data platform and AI analytics toolbox that harmonizes data from smart meters, sensors, and building management systems. It was tested across 4000 buildings in 6 pilot sites, giving portfolio-wide energy insights from one dashboard.

Energy Services (ESCOs)

mid-size

Target: Energy service companies offering efficiency retrofits

If you are an energy service company struggling to collect and compare building data before recommending renovations — this project built a standard data model that combines information from energy performance certificates, BIM, sensors, and smart meters into one interoperable format. The AI toolbox then identifies the best efficiency measures, tested across 6 large-scale pilots.

Smart Building Technology

any

Target: Building automation and IoT platform providers

If you are a smart building technology provider frustrated by incompatible data formats from different sensor vendors and building management systems — this project created an open, cloud-based analytics toolbox with batch and real-time processing modules. The platform is open source and was validated across 5 countries with 15 partners.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement this platform in our buildings?

The BIGG platform is built on open-source architecture, which eliminates licensing fees for the core system. Implementation costs would depend on integration with your existing building management systems, sensors, and smart meters. Based on available project data, no specific per-building pricing model has been published.

Can this handle a portfolio of hundreds or thousands of buildings?

Yes. The platform was specifically designed and tested for large-scale deployment, validated across more than 4000 buildings in 6 pilot test-beds. The cloud-based architecture supports both batch and real-time analytics, making it suitable for enterprise-scale portfolios.

Is this technology proprietary or can we license it?

The BIGG Data Reference Architecture is described as open source. The standard data model builds on existing public standards like SAREF, INSPIRE, and BIM. Specific licensing terms for the AI toolbox and service modules should be confirmed with the consortium coordinator.

Does this comply with EU energy reporting regulations?

The platform was designed to align with EU directives and national energy efficiency action plans. The data model incorporates elements from SAREF, INSPIRE, BIM, and EPCHub — all tied to EU regulatory requirements for building energy performance reporting.

How long does it take to deploy and see results?

The project ran pilots over a 3-year period from 2020 to 2023, but operational deployment timelines would be shorter since the platform is already developed and tested. Based on available project data, specific deployment timelines per building were not published.

Can it integrate with our existing building management systems?

Integration is a core design goal. The platform collects data from smart meters, sensors, BMS, and existing datasets through its harmonization layer. Both preliminary and final versions of the harmonization and communication layers were delivered and tested.

Consortium

Who built it

The BIGG consortium is strongly industry-oriented with 10 out of 15 partners (67%) from the private sector, complemented by 3 research organizations and 2 other entities across 5 countries (Belgium, Greece, Spain, France, Italy). The coordinator is Inetum Realdolmen, a major Belgian IT services company — not an SME — which signals enterprise-grade delivery capability. With only 2 SMEs in the consortium, this is a big-company-driven project built for large-scale deployment. The spread across Southern and Western European markets suggests the platform was designed to handle diverse building stocks and regulatory environments.

INETUM REALDOLMEN BELGIUMCoordinator · BE
INETUMthirdparty · FR
IRON ANONYMI ETAIREIA ENERGEIAKON YPIRESION - HERON SOCIETE ANONYME ENERGY SERVICESparticipant · EL
INTUICY SRLparticipant · IT
INSTITUT CATALA D'ENERGIAparticipant · ES
INTERUNIVERSITAIR MICRO-ELECTRONICA CENTRUMparticipant · BE
DOMX IDIOTIKI KEFALAIOUCHIKI ETAIREIAparticipant · EL
EUROPEAN CONSTRUCTION AND SUSTAINABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENT TECHNOLOGY PLATFORMparticipant · BE
CENTRE SCIENTIFIQUE ET TECHNIQUE DU BATIMENTparticipant · FR
CENTRE INTERNACIONAL DE METODES NUMERICS EN ENGINYERIAparticipant · ES
INETUM ESPAÑA S.A.thirdparty · ES

How to reach the team

Inetum Realdolmen Belgium — contact via SciTransfer for a warm introduction to the project team

Order a report on this consortium See INETUM REALDOLMEN BELGIUM profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to explore how BIGG's building data platform could work for your portfolio? SciTransfer can arrange an introduction to the project team and help assess fit for your specific use case.

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