As in previous years, the IDiAL Research Institute once again participated in Dortmund Digital Week in 2026. This time, the institute opened its doors on September 21, 2026, for a workshop on the topic of “Improving the Energy Efficiency of Buildings Through the Digitalization of the Heating Chain.” Participants responded to the invitation, listened to reports on current research at the institute, and shared their own experiences. This marked the first steps toward establishing a network focused on energy efficiency.
Background to the topic
Climate protection is a stated goal of the European Union. The building sector plays a significant role in this effort: it accounts for 40% of total energy consumption and about 36% of all CO2 emissions. The potential for energy savings in building heating is particularly high.
By digitizing the thermal energy flows in buildings—from the generator in the boiler room all the way to the consumers in the rooms—the efficiency of building heating can be significantly increased. Using smart IoT devices, the individual rooms of a building can be heated independently and according to demand, and heat generation can be optimized.
Workshop Content
The workshop presented technologies for digitizing the heat chain, discussed opportunities and potential, and collaboratively identified requirements and framework conditions.
The concepts developed, among other places, in the mohESa research project served as examples and were presented to the participants in detail.
