Imagine you're a bank deciding whether to fund a building retrofit that promises 40% energy savings. How do you know the savings will actually happen? QUEST built a scoring system — like a credit score, but for energy projects — that grades the risk factors between what's promised and what's delivered. They tested it on 12 real projects across Europe and packaged it into an online tool any lender can use to separate solid investments from risky bets.
Banks and insurers pricing energy efficiency investments face a persistent gap between predicted and actual building performance — projects promise big energy savings but often underdeliver, making lenders cautious and driving up financing costs. There is no standardized, data-driven way to assess which energy efficiency projects will actually perform as promised and which carry hidden risks in design, construction, or operation.
QUEST delivered a functional online tool that risk-grades energy efficiency investments using statistical classification of project risk factors. The toolkit evaluates quality management practices across design, construction, and operation phases, and produces a certifiable "Quality Management Impact" score aligned with ISO EN 17065 standards. It was validated through 12 pilot projects across Europe.
If you are a bank offering green loans and struggling to price risk on energy efficiency projects — QUEST developed a data-driven toolkit that grades project risk factors and quantifies the impact of quality management on actual performance. Tested on 12 pilot projects, it aims to reduce loan costs by improving risk identification. The project targeted 880 financial institutions across Europe.
If you are an insurer underwriting energy performance contracts and losing money when buildings underperform — QUEST created a risk classification system certifiable to ISO EN 17065 that statistically grades factors like energy measurement quality and project design. This helps you price premiums more accurately by reducing the gap between predicted and real energy performance.
If you are an ESCO that struggles to secure financing because lenders see your projects as too risky — QUEST built a quality management scoring tool that proves the value of your project controls. By demonstrating a quantified 'Quality Management Impact' factor, you can show lenders your projects carry lower risk, unlocking better financing terms for your pipeline.
The QUEST Online Tool was developed as a publicly accessible demonstrator. Based on available project data, no commercial pricing model is described — the project was a Coordination and Support Action focused on market adoption rather than commercial product sales. Contact the coordinator for current access terms.
The toolkit was designed for broad adoption, with the project explicitly targeting 880 financial institutions. It covers all types of energy efficiency investments across project design, construction, and operation phases. The methodology is certifiable to ISO EN 17065 standards, which supports institutional-scale deployment.
QUEST was funded as a Coordination and Support Action (CSA), and the online tool was built as a public demonstrator. Based on available project data, the IP likely sits with the consortium led by Synavision GmbH. Specific licensing terms should be discussed directly with the coordinator.
The project targeted triggering 1.5 GWh per year in primary energy savings through better investment decisions, scaling to 4,000 GWh of primary energy per year five years after the project ends. These are portfolio-level numbers across the financial institutions adopting the toolkit, not per-project figures.
The QUEST methodology is designed to be certifiable to ISO EN 17065 standards, which is a product certification standard. This positions it well for compliance with EU taxonomy requirements and green bond frameworks that demand verified energy performance data.
QUEST worked on 12 pilot projects across Europe to validate the risk grading methodology. The consortium included 8 partners from 6 countries (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden), with a mix of industry, university, and research organizations providing both technical rigor and market relevance.
The project aimed to generate €1 million in additional finance for energy efficiency investments during the project period, scaling to €80 million per year five years after the project ends. These figures depend on adoption rates across the targeted 880 financial institutions.
The QUEST consortium brings together 8 partners from 6 European countries (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Sweden), led by Synavision GmbH, a German SME. With 3 industry partners (38% industry ratio) including 2 SMEs, plus 2 universities and 1 research organization, the consortium balances practical market knowledge with academic rigor. The coordinator being an SME suggests the results are oriented toward practical tools rather than academic papers. The 2 additional organizations likely include financial sector or standards bodies, which would be critical for a project targeting 880 financial institutions. This mix is well-suited for creating a tool that banks and insurers would actually trust and adopt.
Synavision GmbH (Germany) — use SciTransfer's coordinator lookup service to get the right contact
Want to connect with the QUEST team about using their risk-grading toolkit for your green finance portfolio? SciTransfer can arrange a direct introduction to the right person at Synavision GmbH.
