Dasher

DASHER is a research and development project aimed at enabling reduced energy use in historically valuable buildings – without damaging their unique cultural heritage values or compromising the indoor environment.

Historic buildings face increasing energy-efficiency requirements under the EU’s new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, while at the same time being subject to strict preservation regulations. DASHER addresses this challenge by using data, digital tools, and simulations to identify smart, sensitive, and cost-effective measures tailored to each building’s specific conditions.

The project builds on established tools from KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Uppsala University and combines energy data, best-practice examples from heritage renovations, and local knowledge. In collaboration with property owners, the municipality, and other stakeholders, the entire district is analyzed to identify which measures provide the greatest benefits – for the climate, for residents, and for cultural heritage.

A central objective is to develop a scalable methodology and clear guidance for authorities, enabling energy-efficiency requirements to be applied in a realistic and sustainable way, even in protected environments.

Project Components
• Comprehensive analysis of Gamla stan: Mapping energy use, heritage values, and indoor comfort at district level.
• Data-driven analyses and simulations: Digital models testing different energy-efficiency measures and assessing their impacts.
• Balancing three goals through the “Optimization Triangle”: Energy efficiency, preservation of cultural values, and healthy indoor environments.
• Support for property owners and housing cooperatives: Concrete decision-support materials, checklists, and examples of measures that work in historic buildings.
• Policy and regulatory support: Guidance for the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning and the Swedish National Heritage Board on how EU energy requirements can be applied in heritage contexts.
• Scaling and knowledge dissemination: The methodology is developed to be applicable in other Swedish cities and historic urban environments.

Objectives
• Reduce energy use in historic buildings in a sensitive and responsible way
• Demonstrate how climate goals and cultural heritage can be aligned
• Make complex energy issues more accessible to property owners and housing associations
• Develop a nationally applicable methodology for energy retrofitting in historic urban areas
• Support authorities in implementing the EU’s new energy performance directive