Demir Enerji, the story behind LEGOFIT’s coordinator

Demir Enerji, active in sustainability consultancy since 2011, coordinates the LEGOFIT project. The company excels in climate change strategies, renewable energy, and sustainable building design. Known for pioneering urban sustainability in Turkey, Demir Enerji has contributed to numerous EU projects, focusing on urban decarbonization and sustainable energy transitions. In LEGOFIT, they ensure task distribution and partner communication, aiming to optimize energy performance in residential buildings and achieve net zero-carbon targets by 2050. This project aligns with their mission to integrate innovative energy strategies and minimize environmental impact.

Demir Enerji has been active in the Sustainability Consultancy sector in Turkey and Europe since 2011. The company helps clients meet sustainability goals by providing solutions on climate change strategies, decarbonisation, effective use of renewable energy, sustainable building design and certification and energy efficiency. Pioneering urban, corporate, sectoral and local government sustainability studies in Turkey, they have achieved “firsts” in urban sustainable energy transition and climate adaptation strategies. Demir Enerji has track records in the field of sustainable energy, energy policy, carbon management and urban sustainability as well.

Numerous projects in the development of Sustainable Energy Action Plan for Municipalities have counted with the company’s participation. The projects entailed in-depth analysis of urban development dynamics and prospects, taking account of urban migration, demographic and economic developments as well as changes in administrative responsibilities. Development of action plans in EE in the built environment, low carbon urban transport, local generation and supply of RE resources, waste and water management.

Demir Enerji is also one of the most active entities in Turkey regarding EU financed project participation with its collaboration in 19 projects mainly in smart cities and communities, but also in cultural heritage, nature-based solutions, food system, PED and urban sustainability headings. The firm has gathered considerable experience in Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe bringing local governments into projects pertaining to the sustainable energy transition, urban decarbonization, climate change and disaster resilience as well as rural development based on cultural heritage. One of the strong points of the Demir approach is its close collaboration with local stakeholders and especially academic expertise when undertaking projects.

To know more about Demir Enerji’s role and activities within LEGOFIT we have interviewed Beril Alpagut. Being the project manager at the company, she has the position of project coordinator of the LEGOFIT project.

Q1: Which is the role of Demir Enerji in LEGOFIT?

Demir Enerji is the project coordinator. They distribute tasks and conduct the communication between the project partners and the demo sites. This management ensures that work packages and tasks are completed on time for the WPs/Tasks leaders.

Q2:Why is LEGOFIT important to your organisation?

The LEGOFIT project is the first energy positive homes project where Demir Enerji has been coordinating, although Demir has previously joined some EU projects as coordinators. Some examples are smart city and energy EU projects. The project aims to optimise energy performance improvement activities throughout a residential building’s lifecycle. This approach involves digitising building-related data, centralising them in a BIM-based repository, and ensuring interoperability with various horizontal services. The goal of achieving energy-positive performance, sustainability, and enhanced well-being directly aligns with the values of Demir Enerji.

Q3: What are the expectations from LEGOFIT?

The rapid decrease of natural resources and the impacts of climate change have created a need for new technologies to meet energy demands, setting targets for net zero-carbon buildings by 2050. In this context, the LEGOFIT project aims to design, implement, and validate an adaptive and dynamic integrative approach to achieve energy positivity in multi-family residential buildings. This approach is specifically designed for renovations and will be customised for new constructions during the project.

The project emphasises:

A multicriteria decision-making algorithm to identify the best package of interventions for achieving energy-positive houses.
Integration of active and passive energy strategies with smart management technologies using a BIM environment for controlled design and operation.
Promoting minimal environmental impacts through smart reuse/recycling of solid and liquid residues generated during the building’s lifecycle.
A communication campaign and interactive tools to increase occupants’ and building owners’ interest and acceptance.
Financial feasibility through a co-financing strategy, such as performance-based crowdfunding.

Q4: How does LEGOFIT aim to revolutionize sustainable renovation and ensure its solutions are widely adopted and commercially ready?

LEGOFIT aims to become a game-changer in sustainable renovation by focusing not only on technical and energy performance but also on broader sustainable criteria (economic, social, environmental) to facilitate widespread adoption and replication. The project is demonstrated in five locations, spanning various geographical and cultural contexts, construction stages, and technological maturity. The goal is commercial readiness by the end of the project to accelerate the transition to energy-positive houses in the EU. A multidisciplinary training module and a stakeholder community support the project’s continuous improvement and dissemination at local and national levels.

Visit Demir Enerj’s Website: www.demirenerji.com