EU Peers Summit: the new European voice of local one-stop shops for home energy renovation

The European Union wishes to achieve a zero-emission building stock by 2050, by boosting renovation rates and reaching for the highest possible energy efficiency of buildings. However, homeowners wishing to retrofit their homes face frustrating hurdles. Integrated Home Renovation Services (IHRS), or so-called One-Stop Shops for residential energy renovation (OSS), are emerging in Europe to ease their renovation journey but we need many more of these innovative consultancies. A new initiative, EU Peers has been launched recently to support OSS providers by creating a thriving network, which enables them to learn, exchange, gain visibility and advocate their cause. The first summit of the network was held in Brussels on 11 June with the participation of more than seventy OSS providers and supporters but the project seeks to involve 600 members from all over Europe over three years.

The need for a renovation wave

Residential buildings accounted for more than a quarter of final energy consumption in the European Union in 2020. In most EU countries, at least half of all homes were built before the start of the 1970s, and have poor energy performance. 

Sadly, most homeowners face major difficulties when they wish to retrofit their homes: having the necessary funds (or at least reliable information on loans and subsidies), selecting suitable contractors and supervising the renovation project. In addition, in multi-family buildings, collective decision-making is often slow and complicated.

Not surprisingly, the weighted annual energy renovation rate is extremely low, at around 1%, and in some regions, energy renovation is virtually absent. 

One-Stop Shops are innovative organisations, offering integrated home renovation services that make the complex renovation process attractive, simple, tailor-made and accessible. Hundreds of them are already operating all over Europe but many more are needed. The good news is that the EU requires Member States to roll out one OSS for every 80,000 inhabitants or at least one per region. However, there are significant variations in regulations, funding mechanisms, and uptake of OSS across Europe. Thus the challenges and opportunities are also varied.

EU Peers enters the scene

The newly launched EU Peers initiative aims to strengthen and upscale the OSS movement. It is establishing a thriving network of One-Stop-Shops and their supporters – 600 members are envisioned in three years. This inclusive community will provide opportunities for knowledge sharing and collaboration, both online and offline. Community platforms have been established for six priority countries (Italy, France, Spain, the Baltic states, Hungary, Ireland) and for transnational exchanges.

In addition, EU Peers wishes to be the voice of the OSS scene: it will advocate for improved regulatory conditions, develop European and national policy recommendations, organise public policy debates and dialogue with local public authorities and market stakeholders.

The official launch of the community

• The first EU Peers summit took place in Brussels on 11 June with more than 70 OSS providers and supporters participating.

The event opened with a discussion between Stefan Moser, Head of Unit at the European Commission and Thomas Brose, Executive Director of Climate Alliance. According to Stefan Moser, the inclusion of OSS  in the Energy Efficiency Directive and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive gives a clear signal: OSS are one of the key tools to massify home energy renovation. He also stressed that OSS have the capacity to generate local jobs.

Participating OSS providers had the chance to get to know one another through round tables, creative icebreakers and small-group discussions. The new but already vibrant community is eager to continue collaborating and encourages experienced and emerging One-Stop Shops to join them by registering on the EU Peers website.

The EU PEERS Project (101120790 LIFE22-CET-EU Peers) is co-funded by the LIFE Programme of the European Union under Grant Agreement No. 3875032.