A transfer of data between the webtool and the SE(C)AP template will help cities to update their action plans

The European City Calculator is a webtool designed to support cities in planning their transition towards carbon neutrality. This prospective modelling tool, based on the European Calculator, was developed within the EUCityCalc project funded by the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 programme.

One of its key objectives is for cities to use the tool’s emissions calculation processes in the framework of the Covenant of Mayors to fulfil the Sustainable Energy Action Plan (SEAP) and Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAPs) criteria, in particular for the baseline emission inventory. On this specific topic, a handbook on the webtool’s emission calculation methodology will be published in 2024: indeed, the team behind the Calculator works on facilitating the transfer of data between the tool and the SE(C)AP template.

The European City Calculator: supporting cities in achieving their SE(C)AP objectives

With the European City Calculator, cities can compare the impact of different measures on emissions. Local authorities and relevant stakeholders can make a selection through a set of 24 measures, each of them separated into several levels of implementation, leading to a total of 70 possible combinations as of April 2023 (the EUCityCalc is an evolving tool).

The web tool allows cities to build and compare several scenarios, in addition to their impacts on emissions and costs.

10 pilot cities involved in the project – all signatories of the Covenant of Mayors and located in 6 different member states – are now using the EUCityCalc:  Riga, Dijon Métropole, Mantova, Zdar, Palmela, Sesimbra, Setubal, Koprivnica, Varazdin and Virovitica.

Each pilot city has set up working groups composed of local experts that use the webtool to create pathways towards climate neutrality by the end of 2023. These pathways will help update their respective SE(C)APs. Guidelines to leverage the pathways and scenarios developed with the tool into SEAPs/SECAPs will be available, compliant with the Covenant of Mayors SEAP/SECAP guidebooks.

From late 2023, more cities will be able to use the webtool through a dedicated training programme.

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