Energy Performance of Buildings – Creating the conditions to make renovation faster, deeper, smarter, service- and data-driven

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Programme Category

EU Competitive Programmes

Programme Name

LIFE: Environment & Climate Action

Programme Description

The LIFE Programme is the EU’s funding instrument for the environment and climate action. The general objective of LIFE is to contribute to the implementation, updating and development of EU environmental and climate policy and legislation by co-financing projects with European added value. After 22 years, €3.4 billion and 4.170 projects, the LIFE Programme continues to finance actions for the environment and climate action.

Programme Details

Identifier Code

LIFE-2023-CET-BETTERRENO

Call

Energy Performance of Buildings – Creating the conditions to make renovation faster, deeper, smarter, service- and data-driven

Summary

This topic addresses several areas that are key for the achievement of the ambitious EU targets for the decarbonisation of buildings.
It aims to develop and deploy approaches that bring actors, markets, frameworks and innovative solutions together to increase the attractiveness of building performance up-grades and to reduce the administrative, logistic and financial burden that still goes along with (deep) retrofitting of buildings.
The topic also aims to address the need for quality data to make verification and financing more robust and to help deploy services that valorise building energy efficiency and smartness.

Detailed Call Description

Proposals are expected to focus on one of the three scopes (A, B or C) established below. In their introduction, proposals should clearly identify one scope against which the proposal shall be evaluated.

Scope A: Facilitating large-scale deep renovation
Proposals should stimulate volume and demand of deep renovation, by aggregating demand, linking demand and supply, by incentivising uptake of industrialised prefabrication solutions with reduced on-site construction time, by rolling out tools such as building renovation passports or by improving coordination of the supply chain. The topic welcomes action in all markets regardless of their readiness or maturity, and in particular in less mature markets. Proposals should explain and adapt the proposed activities to the context in which they will be acting.

Proposals should address one of the following areas/aspects:

  1. Remove market barriers and stimulate the development of business models for the implementation of large-scale deep renovation projects, e.g. at district or neighbourhood level, and including the roll out of industrialised prefabrication solutions, where relevant, to reduce construction costs, time, material use and potential supply-side disruptions.
  2. Roll out renovation passports for buildings (recast EPBD), providing a clear strategy for staged renovation with the objective to transform the building into a zero-emission building by 2050, helping owners and investors plan the best timing and scope for the interventions, and linking to finance and funding schemes. Proposals should also coordinate with existing support and funding schemes and one-stop-shops or renovation support services for homeowners.
  3. Remove barriers linked to the lack of coordination between the different actors and trades involved in the supply side of renovation works (in particular SMEs and individual craftspeople), and the capacity needed in the sector to deliver the renovation wave objectives. Actions should incentivise collaboration and result in the establishment of partnerships and consortia able to deliver business models and long-lasting collaboration models between MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) which effectively reach the building and homeowners and enable deep renovations with guarantees (including the switch to efficient renewable-based heating and cooling), reducing risks and transaction costs for companies. Proposals should ensure uptake of the results in the targeted local, regional and/or national markets, and for the sub-sector of the building stock tackled, for example through the involvement of professional organisations and/or other relevant stakeholders.

Scope B: Regulatory and administrative frameworks
Proposals should address barriers linked to the legal and regulatory framework in particular at local and regional level, and in the spirit of the recast as proposed for the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).
Proposals should clearly identify the specific barriers and the governance level which will be addressed, the expected outcome and provide an indication of the feasibility and timeline for implementation. The relevant public authorities should be involved in the project activities (not necessarily as consortium members) in order to ensure implementation of the proposed changes, with an indication of the necessary conditions/likelihood for implementing changes. Proposals should support public authorities in estimating the effectiveness of the frameworks and identifying changes to be introduced. Proposals should seek to exchange on examples and best practices with other regions and/or countries.

Scope C: Buildings energy data and services
Actions are expected to improve the availability, quality and accuracy of buildings data and the access to these for multiple usages and parties including financial institutions; they are moreover expected to explore and foster the use of data for the development and financing of services that enhance the energy performance of buildings and the efficiency of the system. Actions may also develop and deploy approaches for use of better data to improve the reliability and consistency of key instruments, such as Energy Performance Certificates.

Actions should address for example one or more of the following areas/aspects:

  • Develop methodologies that make the collection and structuring of data more robust and contribute to the systematic integration and use of conventional and metered including, where relevant, big data. This includes innovative methods and tools to measure and/or estimate and/or calculate energy performance and energy savings, facilitate financing of energy renovation and roll-out of energy services. This could also address specifically flexibility, including demand response, and non-energy benefits.
  • As established in the proposal for a recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), help improve the access of building owners, tenants and building managers to buildings data; help improve access of third parties, notably financial institutions, and service providers such as ESCOs and aggregators, to buildings data, e.g. by supporting evolutions of national regulations related to energy data access or developing data platforms.
  • Develop, implement and roll-out approaches that use metered data and integrated data collection/processing for Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) towards a) improving the accuracy and reliability of EPCs and/or b) enhancing the market uptake of EPCs; this includes for example actions that help link the rating of EPCs and the improvement of the rating to the value of a building in view of potential investments.
  • Promote and support the use of innovative technologies and digital tools for inspections, notably following constructions and renovations.
  • Develop/connect/integrate tools and platforms that would contribute to the coordination and harmonisation of data models, methodologies and standards for the energy performance of buildings.
  • Develop services that make use of actual energy consumption data, metered savings and flexibility of active buildings and explore the contribution of active buildings to the efficiency and stability of the energy system.

Call Total Budget

€11 000 000

Financing percentage by EU or other bodies / Level of Subsidy or Loan

95%

Expected maximum EU contribution: 2 000 000

Thematic Categories

  • Energy
  • Other Thematic Category
  • Public Administration
  • Small-Medium Enterprises and Competitiveness

Eligibility for Participation

  • International Organisations
  • Investment Funds
  • Local Authorities
  • NGOs
  • Non Profit Organisations
  • Other Beneficiaries
  • Private Bodies
  • Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
  • State-owned Enterprises

Eligibility For Participation Notes

In order to be eligible, the applicants (beneficiaries and affiliated entities) must be legal entities (public or private bodies) established in EU Member States (including overseas countries and territories (OCTs) or listed EEA countries and countries associated to the LIFE Programme (associated countries) or countries which are in ongoing negotiations for an association agreement and where the agreement enters into force before grant signature.

  • construction stakeholders
  • investors to building owners and occupants
  • SMEs
  • individual craftspeople
  • professional organisations
  • public authorities

Proposals must be submitted by at least 3 applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) from 3 different eligible countries.

Call Opening Date

11/05/2023

Call Closing Date

16/11/2023

National Contact Point(s)

Department of Environment

Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment
www.lifecyclamen.com.cy

Contact Persons 
Marilena Papastavrou
Environment Officer, National Contact Point for Environment
Telephone: +357 22 408 926
Email: mpapastavrou@environment.moa.gov.cy

Chrystalla Papastavrou
Environment Officer, National Contact Point for Climate
Telephone: +357 22 408 962
Email: cpapastavrou@environment.moa.gov.cy

EU Contact Point

European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency

https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/life_en

https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/life_en

Contact: https://cinea.ec.europa.eu/contact-0_en