Citizen-led renovation: Enablers Board discusses priorities for upscaling

The Enablers Board of the EU’s Support service for Citizen-led renovation discussed priority areas for upscaling at its fourth meeting in Brussels on 11 June.

Niels Ladefoged, acting head of the Buildings Unit in the Commission, and Anne Weidenbach, member of the Energy Commissioner’s team, encouraged the spread of the CLR concept and raised expectations for combating disinformation and supporting a people-focused implementation of policies.

Marion Santini, one of the creators of the CLR approach, highlighted that it is “the place where bottom-up meets top down” and that municipal heating and cooling plans are a promising interface.

The members of the Enablers Board contributed to and endorsed the recommendations prepared by JOANNEUM RESEARCH, Th!nk E and Stefan Scheuer:

• Extend the scope beyond energy communities to reach underserved parts of the population and tap into the potential provided by other collective actions, such as housing cooperatives or co-owner organisations.
• Develop a strategy to anchor the role of CLR in energy and building policies and establish dedicated and stable support mechanisms to align with the needs of communities and renovation activities.
• Enhance the clarity of the role and promote reinforcement of citizen-led renovation through regulated activities, such as One-Stop-Shops or local heating and cooling plans.