LIFE Programme: Integrated Home Renovation Services

Objective:

This topic aims at creating or replicating innovative local or regional “integrated home renovation services”.

Building refurbishment can be particularly cumbersome in private housing and there are many barriers discouraging homeowners from taking the investment decision. Based on good practices and successful models across the EU and in line with the “Renovation Wave” initiative of the “European Green Deal”, there is pressing need and value in coordinating actions and make home renovation as simple as possible for homeowners.

Scope:

Projects funded under this topic are expected to address, but are not be limited to, the following aspects:

1. Improve market conditions and develop integrated home renovation services offers to:

• Reduce complexity, simplify decision making for homeowners to stimulate demand for building renovation and energy performance improvements
• Create, coordinate and/or optimise the services required along building energy performance investment processes
• Connect all actors in the value chain (e.g. construction companies, architects, engineers, urban planners, financers, etc.)
• Streamline access to various support measures, especially where there is support for specific target groups (e.g. energy poor households)
• Improve awareness and trust towards such integrated services, through clear accountability, quality assurance and dedicated consumer protection policies.

2. Develop a self-sustained business model:

• Integration of services can be developed through dedicated operators (new public or public/private entity or mandated private operators) and/or through an improved co-ordination between existing local actors
• The prospect of economically viable business models is expected, targeting self-sustainability in the medium to long term, i.e. ultimately running without subsidies to cover running costs.

3. Provide methods and support:

• Build expertise and organisational innovations needed for project development
• Reduce costs and time on-site through standardised approaches (e.g. optimized business processes, standardised contractual arrangements, branding of the proposed services etc.)
• Ensure cost effectiveness and price transparency of services provided to homeowners
• Support the streamlining of standards and practices into consistent and transparent processes investors can rely on, and overall improve financing conditions.

4. Communicate results:

• Mainstream innovative technical and organisational solutions, adapted to local context
• Help improve legal and regulatory environments
• Demonstrate a high degree of replicability and include a clear action plan to communicate experiences and results towards potential replicators across the EU.

Actions should clearly focus on the energy performance improvement of existing single or multi-family buildings in the private residential sector. However, actions in “complex buildings” (e.g. coexistence of private and social housing; coexistence of housing and business premises, typically on the ground floor) can also be considered, as long as the main focus is on private non-professional decision makers.

The developed services should cover the whole “customer journey” from technical and social diagnosis, technical offer, obtaining permits, finding qualified professionals, contracting of works, structuring and provision of finance (e.g. loans), facilitating access to available subsidies or other support schemes, to the monitoring of works and quality assurance.

The meaning of the word “integrated” is twofold :

• The approach should combine various services in a packaged offer to homeowners, in order to create confidence and simplify their renovation process.
• The approach should also be well integrated in its context, making best use of what is locally available, notably in terms of public support schemes and local market players.

Proposals should foresee to cooperate with the emerging community of integrated home renovation services, notably those funded by H2020 and LIFE CET for analysis, exchange and communication efforts associated to cross-cutting elements.

Applications may be submitted by a single applicant.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of a range of EUR 1 million to EUR 1.5 million would allow the specific objectives to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

• Integrated Home Renovation Services implemented, operational and tested at the end of the action, although upscale may happen after project completion
• Investments in sustainable energy triggered by the project (cumulative, in million Euro, during the action (pilot phase) and within the first 5 years of operation of the services)
• Strong and trustworthy partnerships with local actors (e.g. SMEs, architects, engineers, ESCOs, financial institutions, energy agencies, NGOs)
• Implementation of economically viable business models, ultimately running without the need for public subsidies to cover running costs
• Availability of adequate financing offers to support investment in home energy performance improvement
• Data and guidance made publically available in order to facilitate replication of the approach by other market actors. Evidence that the value of the services offered is recognised by the market
• Primary energy savings/Renewable energy generation triggered by the project (in GWh/year)
• Reduction of greenhouse gases emissions (in tCO2eq/year) and/or air pollutants

Deadline

12 January 2022

More information

Funding & Tenders