Having a clear understanding of energy efficiency practices in cities requires a comprehensive data set on how energy is used. That is why in May and June 2023, ICLEI Members Tartu (Estonia), Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spain) and Calvia (Spain) hosted workshops on energy efficiency measures together with ICLEI Europe as part of the MICAT project. The project targets the development of a comprehensive approach to estimate multiple impacts of energy efficiency through a free and easy-to-use online tool, MICATool.

The MICATool intends to support the climate strategy of the Energy Union and promotes an affordable and fair transition to sustainable energy. It was developed in such a way to meet the needs of policy makers, practitioners, and evaluators by providing simplified analyses for different data and policy scenarios. Moreover, it aims to enhance reporting and monitoring at the European, national, and local levels. The MICATool was presented to local stakeholders from research institutions as well as experts from private and public organisations, such as energy companies, consultancies and regional energy agencies and subsequently tested by the participants directly with a handful of prioritised measures from the cities' Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAPs).

In this sense, the cities of Tartu, Vitoria-Gasteiz and Calvia have supported this pioneering action. The topic, “is of great importance in light of the needed sustainability transitions we are facing and the lack of monitoring capabilities to actually assess whether we are moving into the right direction,” contributes Niklas Mischkowski, Officer for Governance and Social Innovation at ICLEI Europe.

All the workshops resulted in a rich collection of user feedback on the MICATool's strengths and weaknesses that developers will use to finalise its development until late autumn this year.

To learn more about the MICAT project and the MICATool, click here.