Tailored services promote energy efficiency renovation
Recognition that the building sector in Europe represents 40 % of total energy consumption has led to a wave of renovation. The EU-funded EUROPA project facilitates the renovation process by defining technical specifications, procedures and standards for energy efficiency subscriptions (EESs). The project coordinates information and services through one-stop-shops (OSSs) and provides training through a mentoring programme.
Meeting the challenges of energy efficiency renovation
The need for rapid, wide-spread building renovation throughout Europe is paramount, but the process faces numerous challenges. Consumer confidence, availability of quality contractors and the variety of needs across different countries and regions all play a part. According to project coordinator Silvio De Nigris: “In general, there are high entry barriers to the renovation process. Often, individuals trying to motivate their fellow owners face resistance, which is usually based on misinformation, concerns about the financial viability of renovations and procedural insecurities.” EESs and OSSs are essential to solving these challenges. To ensure that renovations provide the energy and financial savings promised, the project determined common rules, approaches and methods to guide EESs. These guidelines promote consumer confidence and help stakeholders such as condominium managers, construction companies and professional groups to navigate and promote major renovation projects. OSSs are crucial to coordinating the information and the multiple parties involved in renovations. Crucially, OSSs are able to tailor services in specific regions. Due to market maturity, legal frameworks, financial incentives and specific climate conditions, different areas have differing needs. EUROPA set up OSSs in five locations, triggering investment of more than EUR 35 million.
Tailored OSSs
Project partners set up OSSs in Germany, France, Italy, Latvia and Portugal. Needs were different in each area. For instance, De Nigris says: “In Italy and France, the most significant challenge was to engage the market operators in the regional network, since they were already overworked due to high demand thanks to the numerous incentives available for building renovation.” In Germany, the focus of the OSS was on providing information to building owners and encouraging people to take the next step in the renovation process. In Latvia the OSS needed to address an environment with unfavourable legislation and poor incentives for renovation. Portuguese partner Arena Tejo collaborated with seven municipalities and enabled the energy assessment of 209 buildings.
EUROPA mentoring programme
Training stakeholders and sharing information about the EUROPA approach are important goals of the project. Coming from eight EU countries, 22 mentees successfully completed the programme. In addition to using self-guided learning materials, mentees met online and in-person in small groups facilitated by project partners. Training and information dissemination are key to ensuring that the achievements of the project continue into the future. The mentees in the Italian Piedmont region agreed to continue collaboration in the future. Evaluations in all mentorship groups show a high degree of satisfaction with the programme, with 92 % of participants stating they would recommend the programme to others. A wave of renovation is taking shape in Europe. The work of the EUROPA project helps ensure that building owners, as well as society in general, will benefit from the transformation that is coming.
Keywords
EUROPA, energy efficiency, one-stop-shops, building renovation, energy efficiency subscriptions, mentoring programme
