The initiative for Citizen-led renovation embodies a revolutionary strategy for energy efficiency and community involvement in the European Union. It places citizens at the forefront of the energy transition, incorporating building renovations and renewable energy solutions into a holistic programme. This initiative harnesses the combined strength and resources of local communities, with a main emphasis on empowering citizen groups, facilitating the creation of community-led energy projects, and offering technical support to actualise realise these aspirations.
Citizen-led renovation aims to boost the demand for residential energy renovations by mobilising citizen participation. In Phase II, the overarching objective is to extract practical insights by carefully choosing pilot projects, creating a conducive learning environment for Learners and Followers, and actively involving a diverse network of energy communities. This strategy establishes the groundwork for a sustainable renovation ethos driven by communities throughout the EU, envisioning a collective and energy-efficient future.
Selected applicants cannot combine the support service with other EU funded technical assistance or research & innovation programmes that provide support for the same type of activity as the citizen led renovation service.
Selected applicants will be asked to declare that they are not currently receiving financial support for the development of their services on citizen led renovation during the verification phase.
Below, you can find information about select ongoing initiatives, including a direct link to each pilot's profile on our website. There, you can read about their experiences and the expected outcomes of their ongoing work.
Yes, one of the key components of the initiative is to develop networking and collaboration among energy communities. This is facilitated through the Futurium platform, organised workshops, peer-to-peer exchange sessions, and community events designed to share best practices, challenges, and successes, creating a vibrant ecosystem of energy communities across the EU.
The application form and all the annexes need to be submitted in English. The working language is English and the Project Manager should be fluent in English to be able to participate.
The goal of this phase is to develop a pipeline of projects that empower communities to engage in renovation and to test different business models and approaches. Priority will be given to supporting more communities in working on CLR rather than enabling a single community to carry out multiple CLR projects.
Yes, provided that they support new communities and projects rather than those for which they have previously received funding.
Yes, provided that they support new communities and projects rather than those for which they have previously received funding.
Yes
Yes
Yes
This should be evidenced by the achievement of the following milestones (for each supported citizen led renovation project):
- Renovation’s design & documentation ready for companies’ consultation.
- Quotation received from construction companies.
- Works contract(s) signed.
All supported collectives should also develop plans to upscale their project(s) at street/neighbourhood/district level
No specific percentage reduction in energy consumption is required. However, renovations must include work on the building envelope rather than solely focusing on heating systems or energy production.
The enabler must provide at least 2.5 FTEs for the duration of the support services, but the remaining budget can be used to hire individuals within the communities to support the implementation of services.
Enablers may allocate funding to ensure that local communities are equipped with the necessary resources to launch and follow the renovation project. Funds should not be used for direct renovation or investment costs. However, funding for staff and operational support may be considered eligible.
The definition of a medium-sized municipality may vary by country. However, small municipalities demonstrating the ability to extend their impact beyond a single municipality will be considered favorably, for instance groupings of municipalities. Further clarification may be needed depending on geographic context.