Introduction
Public buildings are at the heart of daily life in Europe. They house essential services, embody the public sector’s environmental responsibility, and have significant potential to drive the energy transition. Yet, across the EU, the energy renovation of public buildings remains well below expectations, hindered by complex procurement rules, limited local capacities, and fragmented funding mechanisms.
The European Green Deal, the Renovation Wave, and the recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) have all reaffirmed that public administrations must set an example. However, transforming this policy ambition into action requires effective operational structures capable of turning renovation goals into implemented renovation projects.
One-Stop-Shops (OSSs) have become a key policy instrument for accelerating building renovation, providing integrated technical, financial, and legal support. However, most OSSs developed across Europe have focused on residential buildings, while applications in the public sector remain rare. The LIFE-CET FACILITA project advances this emerging area by developing the first comprehensive OSS framework specifically tailored for the renovation of public buildings in Spain.
FACILITA operates in three pilot regions in Spain (Extremadura, Madrid, and the Valencian Community), testing distinct governance models led respectively by a public energy agency, a private consultancy, and a private non-profit organisation with public interest status. Through this comparative approach, the project aims to identify transferable business models, strengthen institutional capacities, and support municipalities in overcoming legal, financial, and organisational barriers to building renovation.
Methodology: from analysis to design
FACILITA’s methodology builds on a structured and evidence-based process linking regulatory and financial analysis with the operational design of regional OSS models. The process is structured in four key phases, combining top-down policy analysis with bottom-up territorial intelligence.
Phase 1: Mapping the regulatory and legal landscape
The starting point was an in-depth mapping of Spain’s multi-level governance framework for the renovation of public buildings. FACILITA examined the interplay between EU directives, national regulations, and regional administrative frameworks, identifying specific constraints that hinder building renovation in the public sector.
The analysis revealed that while European and national policy frameworks provide a strong strategic foundation (EPBD, Energy Efficiency Directive (EED), National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs), Spanish long-term renovation strategies (LTRS)), local authorities often encounter procedural barriers, particularly in procurement accounting rules, and energy performance contracting (EPC). FACILITA’s comparative study classified these barriers into three main groups: legal and administrative, financial, and organisational. This diagnostic step forms the foundation for tailoring OSS services to actual institutional needs rather than generic building renovation pathways.
Figure 1. Comparative analysis of barriers to the renovation of public buildings identified during regional workshops. Source: FACILITA deliverable D3.2, 2025.
Phase 2: Financial mechanisms and feasibility
FACILITA compiled a catalogue of financial mechanisms relevant to the renovation of public buildings in Spain, evaluating both public and private instruments. The study analysed how regional authorities can combine grants, loans, and revolving funds with innovative models such as EPCs, green bonds, and energy communities.
This mapping revealed a fragmented financial landscape with limited access to private capital for public building renovation projects. As a result, one of FACILITA’s key design principles is to embed financial advisory support directly into each OSS, bridging the gap between public decision makers and financing institutions. Each regional OSS will therefore provide bespoke guidance on funding opportunities, blending EU, national, and local sources while ensuring legal compliance with public accounting rules.
Figure 2. Overview of non-repayable funding streams for the renovation of public buildings in Spain. Source: FACILITA deliverable D2.3, 2025.
Phase 3: Benchmarking existing OSS models
FACILITA conducted a benchmarking and comparative analysis of existing OSS models across Europe, focusing on their transferability to the public buildings sector. The study found that most established OSSs — such as RenoWatt in Belgium or SPL OSER in France — succeed by integrating legal, financial, and project management expertise ‘under one roof’. FACILITA adapted these lessons to the Spanish context, developing a framework for three model types:
- Publicly driven OSS: operated by regional or local energy agencies.
- Privately driven OSS: managed by consultancies or ESCO-type entities.
- Hybrid or PPP OSS: combining public legitimacy with private sector agility.
The analytical framework also examined the ‘customer journey’ from awareness to implementation, identifying key service clusters: technical assistance, procurement support, financial structuring, and post-renovation monitoring.
Figure 3. Mapping of one-stop-shop (OSS) initiatives for the renovation of public buildings across Europe. Source: FACILITA deliverable D2.4, 2025.
The map in Figure 3 identifies 20 initiatives related to the establishment or development of OSSs for the renovation of public buildings. Green markers represent already established OSSs, yellow markers indicate Spanish initiatives that could evolve into OSSs, and blue markers correspond to ongoing projects that are still under development. The mapping illustrates the diversity and geographical spread of OSS approaches across the EU.
Phase 4: Designing and validating the OSS model
Finally, the FACILITA team synthesised all findings into the FACILITA OSS Design Blueprint, defining the operational structure, governance model and service portfolio for each pilot. This blueprint follows a three-layer approach:
- Strategic layer: aligning with EU and national policy frameworks and regional strategies.
- Operational layer: detailing governance, financing, and service delivery mechanisms.
- Digital layer: including the FACILITA Hub, an interactive platform that centralises tools, guidance, and user-interaction channels.
This holistic methodology bridges the traditional gap between policy analysis and actual implementation, providing a replicable model for other EU regions aiming to develop OSSs for the renovation of public buildings.
Case studies: three regional OSS pilots
FACILITA’s strength lies in its territorial diversity. The three pilot regions — Extremadura, Madrid, and the Valencian Community — represent contrasting institutional, climatic, and socioeconomic contexts. This diversity enables the project to test different governance and business models while still maintaining a coherent methodological backbone.
Extremadura: a publicly led OSS for rural cohesion
In Extremadura, the OSS is led by AGENEX, the regional energy agency. The region’s dispersed and predominantly rural municipalities face acute capacity constraints, with many local administrations lacking dedicated technical staff. FACILITA’s approach here prioritises intermunicipal cooperation, using associations of small municipalities as intermediaries between the OSS and local authorities.
The Extremadura OSS will provide shared services in project identification, technical design, and access to funding, acting as a permanent support structure for small municipalities. This model demonstrates how a publicly driven OSS can become an instrument of territorial cohesion, addressing not only energy efficiency but also governance fragmentation.
Madrid: a private sector model for efficiency and innovation
The Madrid pilot is coordinated by ESCAN, a private consultancy with extensive experience in energy management and contracting. The region’s dense urban environment and advanced market maturity allow for a more commercially focused OSS model. Here, FACILITA explores the feasibility of performance-based contracting, integrating EPC and ESCO schemes under a single support structure.
This pilot illustrates how private sector operators can deliver value through agility, innovation, and scalability. The Madrid OSS aims to bridge the gap between public demand and private suppliers, positioning itself as a ‘matchmaker’ that accelerates large-scale renovation projects in municipalities with medium to high technical capacity.
Valencian Community: a non-profit model with public interest
In the Valencian Community, the OSS is developed by the Valencian Institute of Building (IVE) — a private non-profit organisation under public governance. This hybrid structure allows FACILITA to combine the neutrality and research expertise of IVE with direct coordination from the regional government.
The Valencian OSS focuses on capacity-building and standardisation, providing municipalities with model contracts, procedural templates, and legal guidance. The approach emphasises replicability and digitisation through the upgrade of the RenUEva platform, which will integrate data from public buildings and support public investment planning.
Figure 4. Example of the RenUEva platform interface for the planning of building renovation. Source: FACILITA – RenUEva platform, IVE, 2025.
The RenUEva digital tool, which will be improved within the Valencian pilot of FACILITA, will support municipalities in assessing renovation options, comparing energy, comfort, and cost improvements, and estimating funding scenarios. It shows emission reductions, energy savings, and investment returns to facilitate informed decision-making for public authorities.
These three case studies demonstrate that there is no single ‘one-size-fits-all’ OSS model for public buildings. Instead, the success of such schemes depends on aligning governance, financing, and service design with the institutional and territorial realities of each region.
The Community of Practice: building connections across Europe
Beyond the national pilots, FACILITA has launched a Community of Practice (CoP) to connect professionals and projects working on OSSs for public buildings across Europe. The CoP provides a collaborative space for exchanging methodologies, lessons learned, and practical tools, ensuring that knowledge developed in one region can inspire others.
The CoP has already engaged more than 60 stakeholders, including regional energy agencies, public procurement experts, and representatives from other EU projects. Through thematic workshops and online exchanges, the platform supports peer learning and fosters coordination between ongoing initiatives.
This collaborative approach transforms FACILITA from a national demonstration project into a European knowledge hub, amplifying its impact and strengthening the collective effort towards the decarbonisation of public buildings. The involvement of projects like CROSS (Croatia) and MERIT-OS (Spain) allows for the comparison of national approaches, while JINAG’s participation contributes an interregional perspective from Central Europe.
Conclusion
FACILITA demonstrates that public buildings can become a powerful entry point for accelerating Europe’s energy transition — if equipped with the right operational mechanisms. Its methodology translates complex regulatory, financial, and organisational frameworks into actionable, regionally adapted OSS models.
By combining rigorous analysis, territorial experimentation, and cross-project collaboration, FACILITA has laid the foundation for a new generation of OSSs tailored to public administrations. The project proves that institutional consumers — municipalities and regional authorities — can act as catalysts for market transformation, improving not only energy performance but the quality of public services and citizens’ daily lives.
As Europe moves towards climate neutrality, projects like FACILITA remind us that achieving results requires more than policies and targets – it demands initiatives capable of overcoming barriers, creating trust, and turning plans into facts.
