The EU BSO Newsletter

Since 2016, the EU Building Stock Observatory (BSO) has provided detailed, transparent, and up-to-date data on EU buildings.

As we upgrade the BSO, we asked researchers and policymakers how the tool impacts European citizens. Their insights will help ensure it meets the needs of EU, national, and local policymakers—as well as industry experts and investors.

Explore testimonials from three of these users and learn how we’re enhancing the BSO to provide a comprehensive picture of the EU’s building stock.

The OBSERVE project (EU-funded by LIFE) has officially begun, aiming to assist EU Member States in establishing national building stock observatories in compliance with the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).

The availability of reliable building data is essential for tracking the energy performance of the building sector and assessing policy effectiveness. Recognizing this need, the revised EPBD, adopted in May 2024, mandates the creation of national databases for the energy performance of buildings in all EU Member States.

By fostering collaboration among Member States and aligning national databases with the EU Building Stock Observatory, OBSERVE aims to create a cohesive framework for tracking and improving the energy efficiency of Europe’s building stock. This supports the EU's broader climate and energy goals, contributing to a systematic approach to achieving a sustainable built environment.

OBSERVE does not develop the databases directly, but provides tools, methodologies, and strategic recommendations to enable Member States to create robust systems for managing building energy performance data.

The OBSERVE project will be part of the EU Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) 2025, in a policy session jointly hosted by eu.bac and EPB Center.

Sophie Dourlens-Quaranta (R2M Solution France) will present how the project supports the development of interoperable national building stock databases, ensuring Member States can efficiently align with the EU Building Stock Observatory and broader EPBD goals.

Expect expert insights, open dialogue, and interactive elements such as live polls and a campfire-style discussion.

The path from raw building data to actionable intelligence presents both significant opportunities and complex challenges for researchers and policymakers. While the EU Building Stock Observatory provides valuable static datasets, the MODERATE project is working to bridge critical gaps between disparate data sources and unlock deeper insights through innovative data processing methods.

Buildings generate vast quantities of data across their lifecycle, yet most available building data remains underutilised. This untapped potential stems from several interconnected challenges: data silos within organizations, interoperability issues between platforms, privacy concerns, and the technical complexity of processing heterogeneous datasets.

A promising approach involves combining static data (such as Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs), cadastral records, and building typologies) with dynamic sources (including sensor readings, energy consumption data, and building management systems) to get enriched datasets. To this end, MODERATE demonstrates how machine learning techniques can transform real-world building performance data into synthetic datasets that maintain statistical properties while contributing to privacy preservation and business confidentiality.

MODERATE enables more efficient data flows between member states' EPC repositories and the centralized EU BSO platform. This integration is crucial for the comprehensive monitoring capabilities required under the revised EPBD, particularly for tracking renovation progress and compliance with minimum energy performance standards.

MODERATE's work on semantic data models also addresses key technical barriers in harmonising diverse national databases, helping member states align existing datasets with EU BSO reporting requirements while maintaining national specificities where needed. This balance between standardisation and flexibility ensures that the enhanced EU BSO can effectively serve as both a monitoring tool for policymakers and an information resource for building stakeholders.

Building on the success of previous clustering initiatives such as the Next Gen EPC cluster (H2020, HE, LIFE CET) and the SRI cluster (LIFE CET), a meeting took place on 14 March 2025 with representatives from DG ENERGY, CINEA, the EU Building Stock Observatory (EU BSO), and several projects including OBSERVE, ReLIFE, BuiltHub, MODERATE, and DigiBUILD. The purpose of this meeting was to explore the creation of a collaborative cluster that unites all EU projects involved in the data collection process for the building sector.

The goal of this cluster is to establish a cooperative framework that harnesses the strengths of ongoing initiatives, promoting regular collaboration among all relevant projects and stakeholders. This will facilitate the development of innovative data collection methodologies, support the EU BSO, and align with the priorities set by DG ENERGY.

Key topics discussed included the scope, structure, and governance of the cluster, as well as the specific needs surrounding data collection and management. The meeting also addressed the roles and contributions of the various projects and organisations involved.

In the coming months, additional projects will be invited to join the cluster. A detailed action plan will be proposed to address the current needs for standardised data collection and management practices, facilitate common communication and dissemination activities, promote the development of shared tools, and enhance collaboration with national authorities.

Stay tuned for more news!