A new hub to foster energy renovation of buildings Renovation of existing buildings is a significant milestone in our transition to an energy-efficient society. A new initiative helps coordinate house owners on the demand side and businesses, engineers and consultants on the supply side. Climate Change and Environment © Julia Lopatina, Shutterstock Cities only cover 4 % of the EU’s land surface, but their carbon footprint is huge. Cooling and heating in buildings account for nearly 50 % of the EU’s annual energy consumption. Reducing the energy consumption of existing buildings is thus critical to the fight against climate change. A one-stop shop for promoting awareness, networking and demand EU Missions aim to bring concrete solutions to urban climate change. Involving local authorities, citizens, businesses and investors, as well as regional and national authorities, they will deliver 100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030. The Municipality of Padua, lead partner of the EU-funded PadovaFIT Expanded project, was recently included amongst the 100 cities that will benefit from this R&I programme. “With the aid of PadovaFIT Expanded, Padua has piloted a one-stop-shop solution dedicated to home renovation services. This operational tool will boost the energy upgrade rate of the city’s private building stock,” notes project coordinator Giovanni Vicentini. The concept builds on the successful operation of similar one-stop shops in Europe, such as HIROSS4all in Spain, motivating and supporting homeowners as well as professionals, companies and financial institutions to invest in energy efficiency. Owing to their holistic approach, one-stop shops seem to have the highest potential to bring together all players involved in the renovation sector. Key factors leading to creation of a one-stop shop The one-stop shop operating in Padua is part of a small group of one-stop shops driven by public authorities. “Municipalities could mobilise investment in the energy-efficient renovation of the building stock and define a regulatory framework to accelerate the process. However, they often lack the competence level and resources to provide renovation services to homeowners,” explains Vicentini. After the COVID-19 outbreak, the Italian government adopted a regulatory framework that favoured the refurbishment of residential buildings. Homeowners received a tax reduction equal to 110 % of the expenses incurred on specific energy redevelopment works. Despite the success of the initiative, a large number of buildings, such as those located in the historic centre or poor neighbourhoods, did not derive any benefit. Furthermore, this financial support mechanism disrupted the local market, leading to increases in the prices of building components or consulting services. “This underlined the need to offer integrated and dedicated solutions to specific categories of vulnerable citizens or specific urban areas,” notes Vicentini. Project partners started with a simplified model that exclusively provides information services through the Energy Saving Desk. So far, more than 15 000 citizens have directly used this service. “In 2022, the City of Padua, supported by project partners and the expertise of the Energy Saving Desk, activated major investments in the energy renovation of more than 550 housing units for vulnerable families,” remarks Vicentini. The initiative involved public-private partnerships, including technical and financial private experts in the consortium. A paradigm shift to the energy-efficient upgrade of buildings PadovaFIT Expanded is encouraging the replication of its model in other Italian cities. The municipality has assumed a promoter role in the activation of a national network of one-stop shops and is providing support services to other local authorities in Italy. The project has also motivated the creation and set-up of new one-stop shops in Bulgaria and Romania. “Through PadovaFIT Expanded, we wanted to define ways to make the one-stop shop a factor that influences change in the renovation market rather than just a ‘new kid on the block’,” Vicentini concludes. Keywords PadovaFIT Expanded, one-stop shop, renovation, buildings, homeowners, Municipality of Padova, Energy Saving Desk
