In recent months, members of the Participatory Planning and Design team of CTU UCEEB together with partners from the Polish Institute of Structural Research (IBS) presented the outputs of the ENBLOC - Enabling energy transition in postsocialist housing cooperatives research project at several prestigious international forums. Its results contribute to a better understanding of the conditions of energy transformation in housing cooperatives, the role of institutions, as well as residents' attitudes towards energy innovation. This can serve as a starting point for designing appropriate strategies and support for energy transformation in the Czech Republic and other countries in the region.
At the ESA RN12 "Environment and Society" and Energy and Society Network conference in Kaunas, researchers Aleksandra Prusak (IBS) and Soňa Stará (CTU UCEEB) presented results aimed at identifying barriers and supporting factors for energy transformation of residential buildings.
At the IASNR European Hub conference in Krakow, members of the Polish part of the consortium, Jan Frankowski and Aleksandra Prusak, presented support or opposition to more sustainable solutions for energy production and consumption directly in residential buildings. Wojciech Belch, the leader of the Czech team from UCEEB, presented the results of an analysis of the behaviour and attitudes of residents on energy issues and the level of participation in the running and decision-making in cooperatives.
From the ENBLOC project outputs it seems that the key to the success of the transformation is mainly the active involvement of local communities, green energy enthusiasts and reliable professional partners who can offer tailor-made solutions and maintain their long-term functionality. In a panel discussion at SECW - Sarajevo Energy and Climate Week, Wojciech Belch emphasized the importance of linking technical know-how, finance and building management in this area.
The ENBLOC project is supported by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic (GF23-04341L) and the Polish National Science Centre (OPUS/WEAVE: 2021/43/I/HS4/03185).