Urbio has set its sights on accelerating the transition of our towns and cities to a sustainable model, particularly in the building sector. And when it comes to reducing the carbon footprint of buildings, there is much to be done: buildings are responsible for nearly 40% of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions. But how do we tell which energy solution will have the greatest impact? And how do we prioritise projects? “The current approach is a bit of a free-for-all, with a number of associated risks,” says Sébastien Cajot, Urbio’s co-founder and CEO. “But we have a solution: by automatically combining dozens of databases, we can direct energy-transition stakeholders towards the projects with the highest added value, both financially and in combatting climate change.” The solution developed by Urbio incorporates AI. Sébastien Cajot likes to call it “the energy sector’s equivalent of Google Maps.” The company has come up with a digital platform that uses interactive maps to provide user-friendly access to all of the energy data relating to individual buildings and by extension to a whole municipality.
This decision-making tool not only speeds up and helps prioritise projects, it also aids in securing investment by simulating the costs, benefits and carbon impact of the measures under consideration. Urbio’s tool boasts various functionalities, including “generative design”, which uses algorithms to generate several energy scenarios. The company also recently registered a patent to protect the mode of interaction between users and their AI. “Our solution can come up with scenarios with up to 15% more impact on carbon emission reductions, and it enables our customers to spend a tenth of the time it usually takes them to draw up their preliminary project,” says Sébastien Cajot. Urbio estimates that its service will help cut several gigatonnes of cumulative carbon emissions by 2050.
The company is targeting energy suppliers, engineering consultants and stakeholders in the real estate market. In Switzerland, Urbio is working with big names in the energy sector, including Romande Energie, OIKEN and Groupe E. It also has an international presence, mainly in Germany and Belgium, where its solution was adopted for Brussels City Council’s net zero plan. Proof that this technology is capable of simulating the impact of measures introduced in climate plans on the scale of an entire city or region. Urbio has already raised CHF 4.5 million from investors, nearly half of which has been put up by venture capitalists. It is now set to raise more capital to enable the company to grow internationally. “We want to have as much impact as possible on reducing the carbon footprint of the building sector,” concludes Sébastien Cajot.
Urbio SA
