Ljubljana on the path to a “healthy comfort” in public buildings
On Friday, 21 November 2025, partners of EffiComfort project gathered at the kick-off meeting in Ljubljana’s City Hall to align their perspectives on the development of a new, innovative service designed to improve comfort in public buildings. The service brings together energy efficiency, smart technologies and care for users’ health, promising significantly better indoor living conditions at home, in schools and in workplaces — all with minimal changes to everyday habits. The Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region is also participating in the project, ensuring its visibility and the communication of its results.
A service for “healthy comfort”
People spend on average 90% of their day indoors, yet the quality of these environments is usually inadequate. Indoor air quality, temperature and overall environmental conditions have a direct impact on our wellbeing, health and concentration. Through the EffiComfort project, the City of Ljubljana — in cooperation with six Slovenian partner organizations — is developing a new, innovative model for improving energy efficiency in public and residential buildings that goes beyond the limitations of traditional approaches. In its centre is the user — the individual living, learning or working in an environment that supports their comfort, wellbeing and focus.
The goal of EffiComfort is to make a significant contribution to improving energy efficiency in public and residential buildings in Ljubljana, thereby supporting the city’s target to reduce energy use in buildings by 25% by 2030, while also improving indoor environmental quality. Special emphasis will be placed on actively involving users of pilot buildings and establishing close cooperation with experts, energy service providers, building managers and other stakeholders.
By creating direct experiences, the project aims to encourage a new understanding of comfort — one in which slightly higher summer temperatures and slightly lower winter temperatures are recognized as a natural and healthy indoor state. It is a thoughtful balance between comfort and responsible energy use, ensuring wellbeing, health and concentration while reducing overall energy consumption. The service will be designed to be attractive for both providers and users, and through the training of energy professionals, the project will ensure that the model remains viable even after its completion.
A partnership that goes beyond the technical scope
EffiComfort brings together experts from diverse fields — from energy efficiency and public health to communication, participatory solution design and the management of public buildings. Alongside the City of Ljubljana, the partners include the Institute for Spatial Policies (IPoP), the Innovation and Development Institute of the University of Ljubljana, the Public Housing Fund of the City of Ljubljana, the National Institute of Public Health, the Regional Development Agency of the Ljubljana Urban Region and the energy service company Resalta.
The kick-off meeting clearly showed that the project goes far beyond technical solutions, opening the door to a holistic approach to indoor environments in public buildings — where technology, health and everyday habits intersect. This places EffiComfort among initiatives that can significantly shape the future of living in Ljubljana.
EffiComfort is conducted in the scope of the European Urban Initiative (EUI) as one of the most innovative urban projects in the field of energy transition and technology in cities. The project has been awarded EUR 4.7 million in grant funding for its implementation. The concept is set to become a model of good practice for other European cities and represents an important step towards a healthier, more resilient and more user-friendly urban environment.
The EffiComfort project is supported by the European Urban Initiative (EUI) and co-funded by the European Union.
