Energy Performance of Buildings - Making renovation faster, deeper, smarter, service- and data-driven

Deadline: Sep 19, 2024  
- 133 days

This topic contributes to the goals of the EU Renovation Wave strategy^[1] and aims to help implement current and future buildings policies, notably in view of the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), but considering as well aspects of the New European Bauhaus initiative^[1].

This topic addresses several areas that are key for the achievement of the ambitious EU targets for the decarbonisation of buildings. It aims to develop and deploy approaches that bring actors, markets, frameworks and innovative solutions together to increase the attractiveness of building performance up-grades and to reduce the administrative, logistic and financial burden that still goes along with (deep) retrofitting of buildings. The topic also aims to address the need for quality data to make verification and financing more robust and to help deploy services that valorise building energy efficiency and smartness. Proposals should, where appropriate, explore synergies, while linking to, building on, complementing or promoting the market uptake of results from projects funded under other EU programmes, notably Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe.

Proposals are expected to focus on one of the two scopes (A or B) established below. In their introduction, proposals should clearly identify one scope against which the proposal shall be evaluated. In case a proposal addresses elements of more than one scope, this should be duly justified.

Scope A: Facilitating large-scale deep renovation

Actions under Scope A should stimulate volume and demand of deep renovation, by aggregating demand and deploying business models for district level deep renovation projects, by rolling out tools such as building renovation passports or by improving coordination of small and medium actors in the supply chain.

The topic welcomes action in all markets regardless of their readiness or maturity, and in particular in less mature markets.

Proposals should explain and adapt the proposed activities to the context in which they will be acting.

Applicants are referred to the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive which provides legal definitions for concepts such as “deep renovation”, “staged deep renovation” or “zero emissions building”. Besides energy efficiency upgrades and the switch to sustainable energy sources, proposals should consider Indoor Environmental Quality^[3] (IEQ) and comfort aspects.

Proposals should address at least one of the following areas/aspects:

1. Remove market barriers and stimulate the development of business models for the implementation of large-scale deep renovation projects, e.g. at district or neighbourhood level. Proposals should make the whole renovation process easier and more attractive for all those involved, from construction stakeholders and investors to building owners and occupants. Proposals should facilitate demand mobilisation and aggregation and the links between supply and demand, e.g. interaction between building owners, managers and suppliers. Proposals should not focus on technology and/or material development, but on rolling-out market-ready technology and packages and targeting building segments or typologies that would allow for a fast and large-scale deployment. Proposals can also address standardisation of building renovation solutions and circularity-related aspects where relevant. Proposals can address the roll out of materials and solutions that improve energy efficiency and wellbeing in buildings, including industrialised prefabrication and modular solutions or other solutions, considering also circular and bio-based materials. Proposals should seek to reduce construction costs, time on site for renovations, to reduce material use and the impact of potential supply-side disruptions, to improve carbon footprint and whole life cycle emissions, and to increase circularity. On top of technical solutions, business models, financing solutions, performance guarantees, design and procurement processes should be taken into account.
2. Roll out renovation passports for buildings. This is a tool introduced by the recast of the EPBD, to equip building owners to planning a staged renovation of their buildings. Renovation passports provide a clear strategy for staged renovation with the objective to transform the building into a zero-emission building by 2050, helping owners and investors plan the best timing and scope for the interventions, and linking to finance and funding schemes. As indicated in the revised EPBD, Member States will have to introduce a scheme of renovation passports, in order to give their citizens access to the use of this tool. Therefore, proposals should follow the evolutions in the territories where they will be working and align with the EU and national frameworks where available. The interrelation of this tool with other building related instruments should be considered, i.e. energy performance certificates and digital building logbooks. Proposals should also coordinate with any existing support and funding schemes and one-stop-shops or renovation support services for homeowners in their area of action.
3. Remove barriers linked to the lack of coordination between the different actors and trades involved in the supply side of renovation works (in particular SMEs and individual craftspeople), and the capacity needed in the sector to deliver the “Renovation Wave” objectives. Actions should incentivise collaboration and result in the establishment of partnerships and consortia able to deliver business models and long-lasting collaboration models between MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) which effectively reach the building and homeowners and enable deep renovations with guarantees (including the switch to efficient renewable-based heating and cooling), reducing risks and transaction costs for companies. This could include standardising contractual aspects, e.g. liabilities in case of low quality work, putting together different trades and/or training them to deliver joint quotes and work together on projects for deep renovation, ensuring a more robust information sharing between companies, showcasing integrated offers for deep renovations to potential customers, etc. These activities could be linked to the services provided by one stop shops for renovation, marketplaces, or other facilitation structures. Proposals should also integrate aspects related to quality and guarantees, giving confidence to present and future customers, including for example potential linkage of performance guarantees to payments and procedures for post-completion evaluation of works to integrate lessons learnt. Proposals should ensure uptake of the results in the targeted local, regional and/or national markets, and for the sub-sector of the building stock tackled, for example through the involvement of professional organisations/associations and/or other relevant stakeholders.

Scope B: Buildings energy data and services

Actions are expected to improve the availability, quality and accuracy of buildings data and the access to these for multiple usages and parties including financial institutions and data aggregators; they are moreover expected to explore and foster the use of data for the development and financing of services that enhance the energy performance of buildings and the efficiency of the system. Actions may also develop and deploy approaches for use of better data to improve the reliability and consistency of key instruments, such as Energy Performance Certificates.

Technological, including innovative, solutions may be employed as enablers but must not be at the centre of the action.

Actions should address for example one or more of the following areas/aspects:

• Develop methodologies that make the collection and structuring of data more robust and contribute to the systematic integration and use of conventional and metered data including, where relevant, big data. This includes innovative methods and tools to measure and/or estimate and/or calculate energy performance and energy savings, facilitate financing of energy renovation and roll-out of energy services. This could also address non-energy benefits, notably health, wellbeing and productivity through the improvement of Indoor Environmental Quality.
• As established in the recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), help improve the access of building owners, tenants and building managers to buildings data; help improve access of third parties, notably financial institutions, and service providers such as Energy Service Companies (ESCOs) and aggregators, to buildings data, e.g. by supporting evolutions of national regulations related to energy data access.
• Develop, implement and roll-out approaches that use metered data and integrated data collection/processing for Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) towards a) improving the accuracy and reliability of EPCs and/or b) enhancing the market uptake of EPCs; this includes for example actions that help link the rating of EPCs and the improvement of the rating to the value of a building in view of potential investments; c) factoring in new aspects to be reflected in EPCs, such as Indoor Environmental Quality and related elements.
• Promote and support the use of innovative technologies and digital tools for inspections, notably following constructions and renovations.
• Support the coordination across initiatives and projects in the area of buildings, buildings policies and buildings data, including promoting the collaboration and communication towards projects and activities for which building policies and data are an essential element.
• Support the establishment, and manage the operation of, an agile market-based community of data providers for the EU Building Stock Observatory, seeking to involve all relevant sectors and (private and public) players; define and implement an effective set-up to perform extensive and long-lasting data collection from the community, in cooperation with the EU BSO, in view of maximising the continuous expansion of the EU BSO database.
• Integrate tools and platforms that would contribute to the coordination and harmonisation of data models, methodologies and standards for the energy performance of buildings.
• Develop services that make use of actual energy consumption data, metered savings and measured flexibility provided by active buildings, building on and contributing to the Smart Readiness Indicator (SRI) testing and implementation in EU Member States, and explore the contribution of active buildings to the efficiency and stability of the energy system, in particular from large tertiary buildings.

For actions specifically providing support for national authorities in contributing to the EU BSO, please refer to topic LIFE-2024-CET-POLICY.

For all Scopes, proposals must be submitted by at least 3 applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) from 3 different eligible countries.

For all Scopes, the Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 1.75 million would allow the specific objectives to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Proposals submitted under this topic should present the concrete results which will be delivered by the activities, and demonstrate how these results will contribute to the topic-specific impacts (depending on the scope). This demonstration should include a detailed analysis of the starting point and a set of well-substantiated assumptions, and establish clear causality links between the results and the expected impacts.

For Scope A:

Proposals submitted under Scope A should demonstrate how they will contribute to the following impacts, depending on the area addressed:

• Development of business models for the implementation of large-scale deep renovation projects allowing to reduce costs and time-on-site.
• Roll out of renovation passports for buildings.
• Improved coordination between the different actors and trades involved in the supply side of renovation works (in particular SMEs and individual craftspeople).
• Effective and replicable solutions leading to increased rates of renovation.

Proposals should quantify their results and impacts using the indicators provided for Scope A, when they are relevant for the proposed activities. They should also propose indicators which are specific to the proposed activities. Proposals are not expected to address all the listed impacts and indicators. The results and impacts should be quantified for the end of the project and for 5 years after the end of the project.

The indicators for Scope A include:

• Increased renovation rates.
• Increased deep renovation rates.
• Number of deep renovations with reduced costs.
• Number of buildings equipped with a renovation passport.
• Number of companies benefiting from improved coordination for deep renovation projects.

For Scope B:

Proposals submitted under Scope B should demonstrate how they will contribute to the following impacts:

• Improved availability, quality and accuracy of buildings data.
• Improved access to and use of buildings performance data by financial institutions, service providers and building owners/operators, e.g. to deploy innovative financing schemes and/ or dedicated financial products.
• Improved reliability and consistency of Energy Performance Certificates; increased up-take of EPCs in the market, including stronger consideration in the valorisation of buildings and building portfolios.
• Better quality and cost-effectiveness of inspections and of the assessment procedures carried out for the Energy Performance Certificate.
• Up-take of improved methodologies to measure and monetise primary benefits and co-benefits of innovative services, such as environmental and health externalities.

Proposals should quantify their results and impacts using the indicators provided for the topic, when they are relevant for the proposed activities. They should also propose indicators which are specific to the proposed activities. Proposals are not expected to address all the listed impacts and indicators. The results and impacts should be quantified for the end of the project and for 5 years after the end of the project.

The indicators for Scope B include:

• Number of methodologies and interoperable data models taken up by stakeholders, including market and public/ policy-relevant stakeholders.
• Number of references evidencing the use of improved buildings data by market and public/policy-relevant stakeholders.
• Number of third parties, including financial institutions and energy service companies, benefitting from access to building performance data.
• Number of more accurate and reliable Energy Performance Certificate-schemes and assessment procedures/ tools tested and/or deployed.
• Number of references evidencing the use of more accurate and reliable Energy Performance Certificates by public and/or market stakeholders, including financial institutions.
• Number of stakeholders, notably public, using and feeding into platforms designed to host and integrate data models and standards in the area of energy performance of buildings.
• Number of innovative inspection procedures and tools developed, tested and/or deployed.
• Number of consumers (residential, commercial, public) offering or benefitting from new and smart service offers.

Proposals under Scopes A and B should also quantify their impacts related to the following common indicators for the LIFE Clean Energy Transition subprogramme:

• Primary energy savings triggered by the project in GWh/year.
• Final energy savings triggered by the project in GWh/year.
• Renewable energy generation triggered by the project (in GWh/year).
• Reduction of greenhouse gases emissions (in tCO₂-eq/year).
• Investments in sustainable energy (energy efficiency and renewable energy) triggered by the project (cumulative, in million Euro).

[1]Communication A Renovation Wave for Europe - greening our buildings, creating jobs, improving lives, COM(2020) 662 final. https://new-european-bauhaus.europa.eu/about/about-initiative_en

[2]Communication A Renovation Wave for Europe - greening our buildings, creating jobs, improving lives, COM(2020) 662 final. https://new-european-bauhaus.europa.eu/about/about-initiative_en

[3]Indoor Environmental Quality including Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), thermal comfort, lighting and acoustics comfort.