MODERATE: Turning Building Energy Data into Actionable Insights

The MODERATE project creates an open marketplace for building data, helping stakeholders turn information into sustainable decisions.

Buildings play a critical role in Europe’s path to climate neutrality. They account for about 40% of energy use and 36% of greenhouse gas emissions in the EU. Yet despite widespread monitoring systems, data often remain siloed. This lack of interoperability prevents stakeholders from accessing the insights they need.

Addressing Data Silos

MODERATE – Marketable Open Data Solutions for Optimised Building-Related Energy Services – tackles this challenge. Funded by the EU Horizon Europe programme, the four-year €5 million project unites 20 partners across Europe. Coordinated by Eurac Research’s Institute for Renewable Energy in Italy, MODERATE creates a platform where building owners, facility managers, policymakers, utilities, and developers can openly share data, gain insights, and make informed decisions.

Current building data management faces several limitations. There is no standard protocol for secure data sharing that complies with GDPR while keeping analytical value intact. Data owners often lack tools to maintain control while sharing datasets openly. Most platforms use proprietary code, making it hard to use research results beyond the project consortium. These barriers hinder performance monitoring, renovation planning, energy sharing, and carbon reduction strategies.

The MODERATE Solution

MODERATE introduces a fully open platform leveraging AI, machine learning, blockchain, and IoT. The platform allows users to analyse real-time data from multiple building systems and gain insights across energy performance, indoor environmental quality, and lifecycle impacts.

The architecture consists of three components:

1. Data Nodes – Flexible, open-standard nodes let data owners retain control while sharing data. Each node can be hosted independently, creating a distributed, collaborative ecosystem.
2. Data Synthetisation and Augmentation – Advanced machine learning generates synthetic datasets that preserve analytical value while ensuring anonymisation. This enables secure data sharing without compromising privacy or commercial interests.
3. Analytics and Services Layer – A suite of open-source tools converts raw data into actionable knowledge across the building lifecycle.

Practical Tools for Building Professionals

MODERATE currently offers 11+ tools:

• Building Benchmarking – Compares building performance with KPIs, helping facility managers spot optimisation opportunities.
• BrickLLM & Brick Assistant – Use AI and Large Language Models to create standardised building data models and enable natural-language queries of building systems.
• Contextual Anomaly Detector – Detects unusual energy patterns, helping managers reduce waste and optimise performance.
• Geoclustering Tool – Groups buildings by location and features to support planning and energy efficiency strategies.
• Local Energy Community Assessment Tool – Identifies optimal locations for Local Energy Communities to boost decarbonisation and renewable integration.
• Solar Cadastre – Assesses solar potential and panel efficiency through an interactive map.
• Measurement and Verification Tool – Implements standardised methods to quantify energy savings for ESCOs.
• SYNAVISION Integration – Offers fault detection and predictive maintenance for building systems.
• Energy System Optimisation – Automates smart control of heating systems based on weather forecasts.
• Time series-based Energy Benchmarking – Performs hourly electricity benchmarking against reference peer groups.
• Quality Check Reporting Tool – Validates Energy Performance Certificates and highlights inconsistencies.

Real-World Impact

MODERATE collaborates with stakeholders across Europe to validate tools using real building datasets, including electricity consumption, PV production, cadastral data, and operational patterns. This extensive portfolio allows robust testing and ensures scalability across different building types and geographies.

MODERATE also addresses regulatory, economic, social, and technological barriers. Its transparent and secure architecture builds trust, protects privacy, and supports open research. Its approach aligns with EU directives on energy efficiency, renewable energy, and building performance.

Looking Ahead

As MODERATE nears the end of its 48-month programme, it continues refining tools while engaging stakeholders. The open-source Python library pyBuildingEnergy allows anyone to assess building energy performance and comfort conditions using EU standards.

MODERATE represents a major step in making building data accessible, interoperable, and actionable. It empowers architects, engineers, facility managers, utilities, and policymakers to make informed decisions, drive energy efficiency, and advance climate goals.

With an open-source, commercial-friendly model, MODERATE ensures long-term sustainability. Its platform supports continued innovation, allowing SMEs and researchers to leverage building data for a greener, smarter built environment.