Heat Pumps on Subscription (HPoS): a service-based pathway to decarbonising leased buildings in Europe
This article explores how subscription-based heat pump models can unlock cost-effective, scalable, clean heating solutions for leased buildings, addressing investment barriers while enhancing performance, comfort, and energy efficiency.
Heat pumps at a crossroads: unlocking Europe's next phase of building decarbonisation
Heat pumps are increasingly recognised as a cornerstone of Europe’s building‑sector transition. This article reviews the regulatory framework enabling their deployment, recent market developments, and the opportunities and challenges of integrating them across Europe’s diverse building stock.
Modernisation of the built environment in Slovenia
The refurbishment of a residential and office building dating from 1982 in Ravne na Koroškem, in Slovenia, is presented as an example of industrialised deep renovation aimed at improving the energy performance of an existing multi-family building.
Europe faces rising cooling needs as extreme heat exposes limitations in building performance
The article, published in 'Enlite' and authored by Marine Cornelis, founder of Next Energy Consumer, highlights how increasing temperatures are intensifying demand for cooling and revealing gaps in efficiency, access and energy affordability.
Positive energy neighbourhoods (PENs) in practice: evidence from Genk, Pamplona and Tartu
Three European cities are applying neighbourhood‑scale renovation, renewable energy systems and co‑creation to support the development of Positive Energy Neighbourhoods.
Heat pumps: The heart of a secure Europe
Heat pumps are presented by the EHPA as a key element for reducing gas demand, improving system flexibility and supporting Europe’s long‑term energy objectives.
The BUS2FRANCE project addressed the severe shortage of skilled building professionals in France by updating the national "BUILD UP Skills" roadmap for 2030. Through a comprehensive status quo analysis published in September 2023, the project identified a critical need for 430,000 full-time equivalent workers to achieve the nation's ambitious energy renovation and decarbonization goals. As a result, the consortium developed 17 concrete proposals for action across three main axes: supporting the performance market, encouraging recruitment, and developing specialized training.
Key scaled solutions and best practices:
- National diagnosis and action plan: A detailed assessment of market needs, jobs, and building professions up to 2030, paired with a 17-point action plan that has been actively integrated into the interministerial plan for structuring the French energy renovation sector.
- SERAFIN association guide integration: The strategic endorsement and distribution of a specialized guide to help local authorities set up Sociétés de Tiers Financement (STFs)—local schemes providing technical, financial, and social support to private individuals for efficient renovations.
- Sustainable building MOOCs scale-up: A dedicated action to fund the technical updates and ongoing maintenance of existing Sustainable Building MOOCs, ensuring these digital training resources remain cutting-edge and widely accessible for the workforce.
- "Expertises Territoire" resource centre: A dedicated resource hub to share best territorial practices and facilitate the pooling of human and financial resources between local authorities for tertiary building renovations.
- Work Integrated Training (WIT) models: Practical, site-based educational programs linking actual commissioned construction work with hands-on training via mobile or fixed technical platforms, particularly focusing on worksite co-activity.
- Career discovery workshops & mobile platforms: Practical, fun discovery tools, including equipped training trucks and technical platforms, designed to introduce young people and women to various building professions through hands-on, one-day experiences.
The SEETheSkills project empowered construction professionals to effectively tackle the energy renovation of the existing building stock by elevating the visibility, validation, and value of specialized energy skills. Through a targeted approach, the initiative actively promoted tailored upskilling and reskilling opportunities while demonstrating the tangible benefits of a trained workforce to the broader industry. Moving beyond theoretical frameworks, the project successfully validated these competencies and delivered a suite of highly practical, ready-to-use digital tools that remain available for the industry today to support the growing demand for sustainable construction.
Key usable outputs and tools:
- Integrated register of energy skills: A comprehensive, centralized online repository that merges three critical interconnected databases: a catalogue of training schemes, a register of certified professionals, and a database of energy-efficient construction materials.
- BUILD UP Skills advisor app: A free mobile application acting as a direct catalogue for training schemes, helping both blue-collar and white-collar workers easily find the specific courses they need to upskill.
- E-learning platform: A Learning Management System (LMS) offering 8 self-guided micro-learning courses on highly relevant topics, including PV system installation, Building Information Modelling (BIM), and cross-craft skills. Professionals can take digital exams to earn EU-wide recognized digital badges, serving as a verifiable passport of their competencies.
- E-RPL (Recognition of Prior Learning) tool: A web-based application designed to digitally validate non-formal and informal learning. It is accompanied by a self-assessment app that allows workers to easily compare their existing skills against minimum required standards.
- Post-Occupancy Evaluation (POE) web tool: A free, web-based tool enabling homeowners to self-evaluate their living spaces, identify energy performance gaps, and receive basic recommendations for structural improvements through the intervention of skilled workers.
- Materials database: A practical technical resource providing environmental and economic data regarding construction elements. This helps designers, quantity surveyors, and facility managers calculate accurate budgets, compare design options, and measure the true environmental impact of a project.
BUS4RoBOOST aimed to significantly increase the number of skilled building professionals in Romania by modernizing its national skills roadmap for 2030. The initiative successfully analyzed the current labor market, highlighting the urgent need for cross-craft training in energy efficiency and renewables. As a practical tool available today, the project delivers a comprehensive strategy and dataset that training centers can directly use to design impactful reskilling courses for local workers.
Comparing the performance of exhaust-air and air-source heat pumps in Luxembourg housing
A Luxembourg-based simulation study compares exhaust-air and air-source heat pumps in a residential building, highlighting differences in electricity consumption and the importance of technology selection and system sizing.