Frequently Asked Questions

Urbio is an all in one platform which simplifies the planning, conception and simulation of heating networks. It centralises plug and play data, an intuitive digital twin, and an AI optimized scenario generator, allowing teams to save time and money.

Urbio is intended for energy suppliers, utilities, engineering firms, developers, and municipalities involved in thermal energy network planning. No coding or GIS skills are required, but familiarity with energy concepts is recommended.

Urbio's clients use the platform for a wide range of use cases related to heat network planning:

• Locate New Heating Network Sites: Identify the most profitable locations through a national analysis of heat demand and energy sources, with building-level accuracy.

• Densify and Expand Existing Networks: Optimize Return on Investment (ROI) by identifying opportunities for connecting additional buildings and increasing efficiency.

• Utilize Industrial and Data Center Waste Heat: Recover and redistribute surplus heat from industrial sites or data centers to neighboring buildings and districts.

• Develop Municipal Heating Plans: Create comprehensive, compliant heating strategies for cities that promote decarbonization.

• Conduct Techno-Economic Feasibility Studies: Evaluate the financial viability of heat network projects using detailed cost/benefit calculations.

• Coordinate Multi-Stakeholder Projects: Facilitate collaboration among public utilities, local authorities/municipalities, developers, and investors on complex projects.

• Acquire New Clients: Simplify client interaction and acquisition using a spatial Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool integrated within Urbio.

• Utilize a Dynamic Online Geospatial Portal: Securely store your spatial energy data and benefit from intuitive GIS (Geographic Information System) functionalities for visualization and monitoring.

Urbio replaces fragmented processes (Excel, GIS, CRM, etc.) with a single integrated environment. No more need to export, juggle between applications, or manually merge files.

The following features make Urbio a benchmark tool for district heating network planning:

• Intuitive digital twin – Plug-and-play integration of building and infrastructure data (e.g., energy demand, system sizing, building type) into a robust data management platform.

• Scenario-driven approach – Change variables (energy sources, layout, renovation rate) and instantly compare the results.

• Large-scale analysis – Filter and analyze nationwide datasets and simulate scenarios across thousands of buildings in minutes.

• Integrated collaboration – Share and manage database versions and network scenarios across teams and stakeholders.

At Urbio, our mission is to accelerate the energy transition by enabling energy stakeholders to decarbonize buildings on a large scale. We are an impact software company specializing in thermal energy network planning, and we facilitate rapid, data-driven, science-based decisions in the face of the climate emergency.

Founded in January 2020 as a spin-off from EPFL's climate-tech ecosystem, Urbio was born within the Energypolis innovation hub in the Swiss Alps. Our international and multidisciplinary team brings together cutting-edge expertise in energy modeling, data science, machine learning, and human-machine interaction—combining cutting-edge research with practical industry knowledge.