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TwinERGY · Project

Digital Twins That Optimize Building Energy Use Without Sacrificing Occupant Comfort

energyPilotedTRL 7
twinergy.eu

Imagine every home and building had a virtual copy of itself — a "digital twin" — that learns your habits, knows when you use the most electricity, and automatically shifts energy use to cheaper, greener times without you noticing any difference in comfort. TwinERGY built exactly that: a smart platform that connects homes, solar panels, batteries, and electric cars into a local energy marketplace where neighbors can trade surplus energy. It even includes a wearable device that monitors whether people actually stay comfortable when the system adjusts heating or cooling. The whole thing was tested in 4 real communities across Europe to prove it works outside the lab.

By the numbers
4
pilot regions where the system was tested in real-life conditions
20
consortium partners across Europe
12
countries represented in the consortium
62
total deliverables produced by the project
9
SMEs involved in development and testing
The business problem

What needed solving

Energy utilities and building managers waste money during peak demand because they cannot shift electricity consumption without making occupants uncomfortable. Current demand response tools treat buildings as simple on/off switches rather than understanding individual habits and comfort needs, leading to low consumer participation and missed savings.

The solution

What was built

The project delivered a complete digital twin platform for local energy communities, including: smart grid connectors and APIs for integrating solar inverters, batteries, and EV chargers; a consumer well-being monitoring module with wearable devices tracking comfort indicators; an integrated data management platform with open APIs; and a transactive energy marketplace — all tested and refined across 4 pilot sites.

Audience

Who needs this

Energy utilities running demand response programsProperty management companies with large building portfoliosVirtual power plant operators and flexibility aggregatorsEnergy community developers and cooperativesSmart city solution providers
Business applications

Who can put this to work

Energy Utilities
enterprise
Target: Distribution system operators and energy retailers managing grid flexibility

If you are an energy utility struggling to balance grid load during peak hours — this project developed a demand response optimization platform with digital twin technology that was tested across 4 pilot regions. It gives you consumer-level flexibility management without causing complaints, because the system monitors occupant well-being in real time. The integrated connectors work with existing smart grid assets including RES inverters, battery inverters, and EV chargers.

Property & Facility Management
mid-size
Target: Companies managing large residential or mixed-use building portfolios

If you are a property manager dealing with rising energy costs across your building portfolio — this project built a consumer-centric energy management and control decision support system that optimizes demand response at the building level. It forecasts generation and demand, identifies consumption patterns, and shifts loads automatically. The comfort monitoring module ensures tenants stay satisfied while energy bills drop.

Energy Technology / Aggregators
any
Target: Virtual power plant operators and flexibility aggregators

If you are a flexibility aggregator looking for better tools to manage distributed energy resources — this project created a transactive energy marketplace platform with VPP and DER-flexibility management capabilities. It includes open APIs and connectors for distributed smart grid assets, making integration with your existing infrastructure straightforward. The platform was refined through real-life pilot testing and delivered as a complete integrated solution.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement this system?

Based on available project data, specific licensing or implementation costs are not published. The system includes low-cost wearable devices for comfort monitoring and open APIs for integration. Contact the consortium for commercial pricing — as an Innovation Action with 11 industry partners, commercialization terms are likely defined.

Can this work at the scale of a full city district or utility territory?

The platform was designed for local energy communities and tested across 4 pilot regions in different European countries. The architecture uses connectors and APIs that interface with distributed smart grid assets (RES inverters, battery inverters, EV chargers, building systems), suggesting it scales by connecting multiple local deployments rather than requiring one monolithic system.

Who owns the intellectual property and how can I license it?

IP is shared among the 20-partner consortium coordinated by the University of Patras (Greece). With 11 industry partners and 9 SMEs in the consortium, commercial exploitation plans are built into the project. The objective explicitly mentions commercialization of results as a focus area.

Does this comply with EU energy market regulations?

The project gave special focus to standardization and policy and market reform as key enablers for commercialization. It collaborated with projects under the EU BRIDGE Initiative on regulatory and market issues around demand response, RES integration, and consumer engagement. This suggests strong alignment with EU Clean Energy Package requirements.

How long does it take to deploy in a real building or community?

Based on available project data, exact deployment timelines are not specified. However, the project ran from November 2020 to April 2024, with pilot testing producing a 'complete and mature solution' after iterative refinement. The availability of ready-made connectors for standard smart grid assets should speed up integration.

How does this integrate with existing building management or grid systems?

The project specifically built connectors and wrappers for distributed assets including RES inverters, battery inverters, EV chargers, and building systems via gateways. It delivered an integrated data management platform with open APIs, plus data collection, security, storage, and management service bundles — all designed for interoperability with existing infrastructure.

Is there ongoing technical support or a community around this?

The project is closed as of April 2024. The consortium established knowledge transfer through the EU BRIDGE Initiative and collaborated with related EU-funded projects. The project website (twinergy.eu) and the 20-partner consortium across 12 countries provide potential support channels.

Consortium

Who built it

This is a strong, industry-heavy consortium with 20 partners spanning 12 countries. With 11 industry partners (55% of the consortium) and 9 SMEs, the project was clearly built for commercialization, not just academic research. The coordinator is the University of Patras in Greece, providing the research backbone, while the majority of partners bring market access and implementation experience. The geographic spread across Belgium, Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Spain, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Portugal, and the UK gives the solution exposure to diverse European energy markets and regulatory environments — a major advantage for any company looking to deploy across multiple countries.

How to reach the team

Coordinated by University of Patras (Greece). Use Google AI Search to find the project coordinator's contact details.

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Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

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