Checklist, tools, and insights on how to use City Labs to advance energy transition

Over the past several years, the cities of Antwerp (Belgium), Basel (Switzerland), Bristol (the United Kingdom), Grenoble (France), Mannheim (Germany), and Warsaw (Poland) have been working with local academic partners to use City Labs to push forward local energy transition. Their insights have been made into a practical guide to help any local leader to follow in their footsteps.

The “City Lab approach” can help test new and innovative solutions with a smaller, defined target group or area, to see whether it was effective, and if it can be scaled-up. It is a great way for local governments to be innovative and test out new solutions that may not yet be ready to roll-out city-wide.

Build on their experiences

Is your city well-suited to use a City Lab to advance energy transitions? What tools can make this process easier and more successful? What particularly successful or unsuccessful examples can you draw on?

The new SONNET City Lab guide features a checklist to judge readiness to roll-out a City Lab, links to specific, tried-and-tested tools, and a series of examples with concrete advice. In other words: the guide was created to be usable (and to be used!).

The SONNET City Labs tested a wide range of solutions, including: a programme of renting/lending energy efficient appliances to low income households (Antwerp); household meters that monitor energy use and are used to generate personalised and tailored energy efficiency suggestions (Warsaw); and a training programme for maintenance staff at schools to help them become “energy sufficiency” stewards (Grenoble).

Make use of the guide today! Download it at: bit.ly/CityLabGuide.