Porto Energy Hub boosts energy efficiency and renewable energy in the North Region

The Porto Energy Hub (PEH) project, launched in June 2021 under the European Commission's Horizon 2020 program and coordinated by the Porto Energy Agency (AdEPorto), had a direct impact on more than 24 thousand homes in the North Region of Portugal.

The project supported a total of 240 initiatives, 75 of which are already at an advanced stage, with works completed, contracts signed or tenders launched. These projects resulted in annual energy savings of 22,270 MWh and the production of 830 MWh per year from renewable sources, directly benefiting around 2,400 housing units.

In total, more than 24,000 homes benefited from PEH actions, which included the installation of heating systems and energy efficiency improvements, such as thermal insulation, window improvements and replacement of lighting with LEDs. These interventions had a positive impact on thermal comfort and the quality of life of local communities.

In addition to the technical improvements, the PEH functioned as an integration model, providing a one-stop shop for integrated services in the areas of Energy Efficiency in Buildings, Renewable Energy and Self-consumption. To ensure the effectiveness of the interventions, a monitoring system was implemented for representative homes, assessing energy consumption, temperature, humidity and air quality.

Filipe Araújo, Chairman of the Board of Directors of AdEPorto, highlighted that “Porto Energy Hub has demonstrated that it is possible to transform the ambition of the energy transition into concrete results, improving energy efficiency and the quality of life of thousands of families in the North Region”.

With the completion of the PEH, the Powering Energy Hub, a new European project financed under the LIFE programme and led by AdEPorto, has emerged. This project aims to replicate the integrated model (technical, legal and financial) at a national level, covering territories across the continent.

The Powering Energy Hub goes beyond residential interventions to include retail, services, public buildings and infrastructure. With the goal of leveraging €26.3 million in investments, resulting in savings of 58.5 GWh/year of primary energy, the project also aims to increase energy literacy and contribute to a fair and democratic transition, promoting the decarbonization of human activities.