Holistic portfolio planning tool and rapid zero-emission renovations to advance the energy transition of buildings and achieve urban climate goal targets

ZEROit aims to solve the City of Nuremberg’s energy transition challenges using holistic, highly replicable solutions. Meeting climate targets requires a rapid and substantial reduction in emissions from the building sector – but this involves overcoming significant economic and decision-making barriers. Traditional retrofitting strategies tend to focus on large-scale buildings, overlooking the fact that the majority of urban building stock consists of small to medium-sized structures with only moderate energy performance.

In Nuremberg, which manages a portfolio of about 1 900 buildings, the scale and complexity of planning individual renovations make the city’s 2035 climate goals seem increasingly unattainable.

This project proposes a smarter, more holistic approach to decarbonising municipal buildings. By developing tailored pathways for each building, cities can maximise the impact of every investment. Core strategies include transitioning to high-efficiency active systems, with actions such as using heat pumps, reducing energy demand, integrating renewable energy sources, and enhancing grid flexibility. Together, these measures can enable cities to accelerate renovation efforts, overcome systemic barriers, and reduce emissions substantially.