How sponsorships turned one renovation into three in Kozani 

In the ZEP district of Kozani, a lively Greek urban neighbourhood mixing residential buildings, social housing and regional government offices, CluBE (Cluster of Bioeconomy and Environment of Western Macedonia) is carrying out the Greek demonstration of the ProLight EU project. Nearly 500 social dwellings in the district, allocated to low-income households by the Greek State, suffer from poor construction quality and high energy consumption. 

ProLight is refurbishing six demo sites and energy communities across six European countries, applying a smart neighbourhood approach to develop replicable blueprints for fast roll-out. The Kozani demo contributes to this ambition by tackling the financial and organisational barriers that typically stand in the way of deep renovations in social housing. It aims to promote sustainable urban development, deliver affordable and energy-efficient housing, and improve quality of life for vulnerable households. The goal throughout is a renovation model that is both replicable and socially inclusive. 

Through local collaboration, community engagement and an innovative sponsorship-driven renovation model, the demo shows how deep renovation can be made to work in social housing. 

Selecting the demo homes and measuring their starting point 

CluBE jointly launched an open and transparent selection process to identify suitable dwellings. Technical, economic, and social criteria were combined with active community outreach. A public call for expressions of interest was disseminated through social media, local press, and municipal channels, followed by site visits that assessed building conditions and engaged directly with residents. Through this process, an unrenovated 110 m² apartment occupied by a low-income family with three underage children was selected as the primary demonstration dwelling.  

A key element of the project was the robust monitoring framework.  Before renovation began, indoor environmental sensors were installed in collaboration with the University of Western Macedonia. These sensors measured temperature, humidity, CO₂ concentration, air velocity and mean radiant temperature. The baseline data they collected allowed for a clear, quantitative assessment of how much indoor comfort, health conditions and energy performance improve after renovation. 

The sponsorship-driven renovation model 

The core innovation of the Kozani demo lies in its sponsorship-driven renovation model. Instead of relying solely on public funding, CluBE mobilised suppliers, manufacturers, contractors, and engineers to contribute materials, labour, and technical services. Through systematic outreach, including emails, calls, presentations and on-site visits, the project team built trust with private actors and clearly communicated the social and environmental impact of their contributions. The response exceeded expectations, resulting in sponsorships that covered major renovation costs and enabled the expansion of the demo from one to three dwellings. Total sponsorship contributions amounted to 43 000 EUR for Demo 1, 30 000 EUR for Demo 2, and 20 000 EUR for Demo 3. 

Renovation specifications  

Energy-saving measures were tailored to each home. Demo 1 received a full renovation package, including external wall and roof insulation, high-performance window frames, a 2.5 m² solar thermal system, an 8 kWp rooftop PV system, air-conditioning units, and a heat pump. Demos 2 and 3 received external insulation, new windows and frames, and solar thermal systems for domestic hot water. 

Excepted outcomes and scale-up potential 

The renovations are expected to deliver very low energy demand and significant reductions in electricity and heating consumption. Demo 1 is set to reach zero energy bills entirely, thanks to PV self-generation. Across all three households, improved thermal comfort, enhanced quality of life, behavioural change and increased environmental awareness are anticipated, alongside notable CO₂ emission reductions and improved Energy Performance Certificate ratings. 

The Kozani demonstration shows how community-driven sponsorships and public-private cooperation can enable deep renovations in social housing. It also illustrates how a private actor such as a Cluster can deliver this type of project faster and with less bureaucracy, without compromising safety standards, offering a model that could be replicated in other European regions. 

Building on the pilot’s success, the Municipality of Kozani is now exploring large-scale renovation programmes covering up to 18,200 buildings through blended public and private financing. This shows how social innovation, local trust and private sector engagement can deliver inclusive, climate-ready housing solutions at scale. 

This best practice is extracted from our publication ‘Sustainable Regions in Action‘. Discover more best practices here!