HERON: A Research and Innovation Project for Energy Efficiency

HERON, the acronym of the Forward-looking socio-economic research on energy efficiency in EU countries, is a 26-months Research and Innovation project, financed with one million Euros in the context of the Horizon 2020 programme. Bocconi's Iefe (Centre for Research on Energy and Environmental Economics and Policy) participates in HERON, which started functioning on 1 May 2015, in the framework of a consortium formed with seven other academic and research institutions from several countries: Greece (Ethniko kai Kapoditriako Panepistimio Athinion), the project coordinator; Bulgaria, United Kingdom, Belgium, Germany, Serbia and Estonia. HERON's aim is to facilitate policy makers of multi-level governance and market stakeholders in EU in the development and implementation of effective energy efficiency policies in the sectors of building and transport, for the benefit of all EU countries. The innovative element of the project is represented by the incorporation of non-economic and non-market elements with economic and technological elements into the modeling and development of energy scenarios.

HERON's objectives are the following: assessing the impact of socio-economic and institutional factors on implementing energy efficiency policies and measures; developing energy-efficient pathways to the horizon 2030 and beyond, taking into account the socio-economic drivers and the updated energy efficiency measures; improving energy modeling by incorporating social, educational and cultural factors so as to reflect the end-user behaviour; establishing communication channels between researchers, decision makers of different governance levels, market stakeholders and society. The outcomes of the project will empower policy makers and market players by providing them with an innovative policy tool allowing them to select and implement the most effective policy instruments for energy efficiency in building and transport sectors.