Lively city of Lappeenranta hosted 5th Interregional Event
The Lappeenranta Municipality successfully hosted the fifth Interregional Event of the MonitorEE project on May 13–14, 2025. Set in the vibrant spring atmosphere of southern Finland, the event welcomed partners and stakeholders from Croatia, Finland, France, Poland, Romania, and Spain to exchange innovative solutions and best practices.
The first day took place at Osuuspankki’s Pahloinen meeting room, offering scenic views of Lake Saimaa. Ilkka Räsänen, Director of Environment at the City of Lappeenranta, opened the session by presenting the city's ambitious climate actions. Attendees were also introduced to a local pilot on demand response in district heating, developed within the BeyondEE project. The morning session welcomed 24 project partners and 10 local stakeholders, fostering a dynamic exchange of ideas.
Inspiring good practices
Partners then shared good practices, including smart data management tools, readiness assessments for smart technologies, energy efficiency one-stop-shops, consumption tracking systems and biomass heating solutions. These examples showcased scalable, innovative approaches to improving energy strategies across Europe.
In the afternoon, a Master Class explored pathways for policy improvement and action plan, followed by Romanian partners’ presentation of the joint energy analysis. The day concluded with the Steering Committee meeting to review project progress and plan the next steps.
Study visits to local initiatives
The second day began at Lappeenranta City Hall with an introduction to the collaboration forum for multifamily apartment buildings, which supports decision-making for energy renovations in privately-owned apartment buildings. Participants then visited two buildings involved in the forum, gaining first-hand insights into renovation strategies.
The event concluded with a visit to the LAB University of Applied Sciences' data laboratory, where participants explored the use of building information models in real-world applications.