Authors: This article was elaborated by the BUILD UP editorial team thanks of the input of the following BUILD UP Ambassadors: Roberta Pernetti, Paul McCormack, Barry Hayes, Holger Wallbaum, Thaleia Konstantinou, Maria Coral Albelda-Estellés Ness, Jernej Markelj, Jelena Brajkovic.

This article presents a selection of different national initiatives, programmes and financing schemes from EU Member States and beyond promoting energy savings and affordability measures. 

Central and Eastern Europe

Slovenia

• Eko Sklad - Eco Fund, Slovenian Environmental Public Fund promotes developments in environmental protection by offering financial incentives for different projects. A few years ago, as part of the National Energy Efficiency Action Plan 2014-2020, the Eco Fund financed a free energy advisory network to improve energy efficiency for households, including tackling the issue of energy poverty. The Eco Fund issued a public call for donations for 500 low-income households in Slovenia through the project Program ZERO500. The aim was to implement energy efficiency measures which would lead to a reduction of energy consumption, thereby lowering energy bills. Some of the measures implemented included thermal insulation of the roof, ceiling and façade, new doors and windows, and the replacement of the water heating equipment with solar water heaters or a heat pump. The incentives covered 100% of the cost of works within a maximum limit.

Croatia

• Call for renovation of residential dwellings to tackle energy poverty. It has been launched by the Environmental Protection and Energy Efficiency Fund (EPEEF) This call is specifically targeted at vulnerable groups, recipients of guaranteed minimum allowance. The call consists of a grant rate of 100% for renovation projects and technical assistance for the most vulnerable groups of households by social welfare centres and EPC certifiers. EPEEF will launch a new call in December 2023 with an allocation of EUR 25 million to renovate 1,000 houses with co-financing covering 100% of renovation costs. 
• Pilot schemes for state-owned multi-apartment buildings aims at renovating about 400 buildings owned and managed by the Central State Office for Renovation and Housing. The buildings have been selected based on the worst-performing and occupants who cannot afford the renovation costs. The investments needed will be partly covered by the Recovery & Resilience Plan and by the State budget and solidarity compensation funds. The estimated energy saving potentials are 26 GWh per year. Moreover, the installation of PV panels for self-consumption could altogether lead to energy saving of 691 tCO2 per year.

Northern Europe

Norway

• OPPTRE project aimed at reaching a nearly Zero Energy Building (nZEB) level for the renovation of wooden dwellings. Small wooden dwellings are responsible for more than half of the total energy use by the Norwegian building stock. The project´s scope contributes significantly to the national target of 10 TWh/year energy saving by 2030 for existing buildings. The project also created knowledge for nZEB level renovation of wooden dwellings for homeowners and builders, and knowledge for public and private decision makers on business models, regulations and incentives that can lead to market uptake of nZEB renovation towards 2030.

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Figure 2. nZEB renovation project illustration by OPPTRE

Sweden

The Swedish Energy Agency has released a guide for households on how to reduce energy use and thus face the energy crisis. The six tips concern daily actions for households, renovation of the envelope  and heating system maintenance: (i) review households´ habits of energy use, (ii) insulate the attic and/or facades, (iii) insulate hot water pipes and switch to efficient water taps, (iv) seal windows and exterior doors which should be replaced whether in bad condition, (v) review the ventilation system and take advantage of the heat from ventilation, (vi) plan maintenance of the heating system and, if necessary, supplement it with an heat pump or stove. Moreover, in every Swedish municipality there will be energy and climate advisors for free, giving guidance and information on all energy-related topics and financing opportunities.

Southern Europe

Italy

• Tender ALTERNATIVE set out to facilitate the spread of energy communities. The tender was promoted by Fondazione Cariplo and targeted at public and non-profit private bodies of Lombardia region and Novara/Verbano Cusio Ossola provinces. A total of 17 energy communities will be established and 17 photovoltaic systems, which can produce about 5000 MWh per year, will be installed. The initiative will lead to important economic, social, and environmental benefits. The total of energy bills savings, energy sharing incentive, and selling of residual energy will amount of EUR 650,000 per year. Moreover, about 1500 tons of CO2 emission will be avoided every year. Simultaneously, the Lombardy Region has invested EUR 22 million in three years for the development of energy communities (legge regionale 23 n.2 – ‘Promozione e sviluppo di un sistema di comunità energetiche rinnovabili in Lombardia. Verso l´autonomia energetica’). This regional law aims at creating 6000 energy communities over the next five years. This district will be able to respond to the needs of households and other users, leading to a reduction in energy costs for consumers.
• Italia in classe A is a national campaign funded by the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA). It offers educational activities for public administrations, companies, SMEs, banks, families, and students. The first campaign, which took place from 2016 to 2020, resulted in a reduction of energy consumption by 411 ktep in 2020. A new campaign was launched at the end of 2022 aiming at boosting technological innovation in energy efficiency and in urban development. In order to address the need for energy savings in households, the campaign will target the reduction of energy consumption of citizens (and other public consumers) through the creation and support of energy communities.

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Figure 3. Italia in classe A logo

Spain

• The More Energy Security Plan was launched in autumn 2022 and aims to boost long-term national energy security and short-term energy affordability for households.  The Plan aims at reducing domestic gas consumption by 5,1-13,5% and reducing energy imports. It also gives support by financing renewable energy generation and increasing government spending dedicated to residential renewable energy installations. Specifically, among these measures, it is expected the promotion of solar roofs, energy communities, self-consumption, and installation of community boilers which can lead to a reduction of energy bills for 1.6 million households.  Finally, awareness-raising campaigns will be carried out about energy efficiency and energy savings with the support of local administrations and SMEs. 
• IDEA (Instituto para la Diversificación y Ahorro de la Energía) has identified a set of recommendations for energy saving in homes. Taking into consideration that buildings account for 30% of total energy consumption in Spain, the correct installation of insulation, and the correct use of heating, hot water, household appliances, lighting, and air conditioning is key. For example, concerning heating, it is recommended to keep house temperature at 19°C which can still give thermal comfort with adequate clothing, to switch off heating when ventilating, to benefit from natural sun light, to maintain the heating system in good quality, etc. Concerning cooling, it is recommended to ventilate while minimising the impact on refrigeration, to use fans for cool down body temperature, if using the air conditioning, to not decrease the temperature too much, and to keep filters clean. It is also recommended to opt for self-consumption, benefitting from solar energy as Spain is one of the sunniest countries in Europe. Moreover, renewable technologies, such as photovoltaics, have become much cheaper.

Western Europe

The Netherlands

• Integrale Energietransitie Bestaande Bouw (Integrated Approaches for the Energy Transition in Existing Buildings). This project, running from 2020 to 2024, is funded by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency  through the program “Meerjarige Missiegedreven Innovatieprogramma’s (MMIP’s)”. The programme includes 125 organisations (including for example TU Delft, TNO, etc.) working on 9 thematic clusters. The programme aims at developing affordable and user-friendly renovation concepts for residential buildings. The focus is on innovative solutions for heat conversion and storage, digitisation, industrialisation concepts, decision-making frameworks, value chain integration and partnership models.
• EIB energy efficiency loans to homeowners of a total of €150 million, supporting the National Energy Saving Fund. These loans are intended to finance energy efficiency measures such as insulation, more efficient energy systems, installation of clean technologies (e.g. solar panels).
• EUR200 million loan approved by the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) to the Dutch National Heating Fund (NWF) for energy efficiency measures in residential and school buildings. In this way, more households and schools in the Netherlands can gain access to low-interest rates with favourable lending conditions which can help them to reduce energy consumption and related expenditures. The majority of investments concerned the replacement of existing heating systems, glazing, façade and roof insulation.

Ireland

• SEAI Home Energy Upgrades for the energy efficiency improvement of residential buildings. The initiative explains how to upgrade and renovate homes to reduce energy bills. It also allows to compare options for energy upgrade and grant applications, based on: individual energy upgrade grants (part funded by SEAI grants), one-stop-shop services (part funded by SEAI grants), and fully funded energy upgrade (funded by SEAI).
• Co-operative Energy Trading System (CENTS project) funded by the Disruptive Technology Innovation Fund (DTIF). The project ran from 2019 to 2022, involving the International Energy Research Centre, University College Cork, University of Galway, Technological University Dublin, Smart MPower, MSemicon, Community Power. The main aim of the project was to empower consumers and the community to generate their own electricity based on a cooperative model, earn from electricity generation, and to help decarbonising their homes and communities.  One of the main results comprises a developed and tested software solution for a cooperative peer-to-peer energy trading platform allowing energy micro-trades between individuals, communities, and businesses.

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Figure 4. CENTS project logo

Conclusion

There are many reasons to make buildings more energy efficient, thereby reducing the energy bills of households. Some of the most important reasons are: 

• to reduce carbon emissions and thereby tackle climate change
• to reduce energy bills
• to increase energy security by making buildings more self-sufficient
• to improve indoor thermal comfort. 

Thanks to EU and national policies and initiatives, households can more easily get access to financing as well as become knowledgeable on how to better use energy and how to make their home more energy efficient. The article gives an overview of some national projects and initiatives from EU Member States and beyond, to better understand how EU policies and financing are translated at the local level and how they are linked to national and regional financing and projects.

Do you have more examples of innovative initiatives? Share them with the BUILD UP community.