One-Stop-Shops - Integrated services for clean energy transition in buildings

Expected impacts - Scope A and Scope B:

Proposals submitted under Scope A and Scope B should clearly present the concrete results to be delivered through the proposed activities and demonstrate how these results will contribute to the topic-specific impacts. This demonstration should include a detailed analysis of the starting point and a set of well-substantiated assumptions and baselines and establish clear causality links between the results and the expected impact.

Proposals should demonstrate how they will contribute (depending on the specific scope) to:

• Integrated services fully implemented, operational and tested before the end of the action: projects must necessarily set up the core infrastructure and launch the services before the project end; in addition, in a pilot phase, they must trigger the first investments that validate their concept, with the understanding that actual delivery at the worksites, comprehensive scaling of activities and subsequent investments will continue beyond the project's completion.
• Upgrade of the services offer compared to the existing situation in the area and in relation to the overall advancement of the OSS offer at national level.
• Strong and trustworthy partnerships with local actors (e.g. SMEs, architects, engineers, ESCOs, financial institutions, chambers of commerce, professional federations and networks, local and regional authorities, energy agencies, NGOs) evidenced, for example, by the signature of commitment charters, collaboration agreements and/or framework contracts.
• Prospect of economically viable business models that minimise reliance on public subsidies to cover operating costs, identifying robust revenue streams and implementing strategic actions to approach long-term financial independence.
• Increased awareness and trust of end-users through clear accountability evidenced, for example, by comprehensive quality assurance mechanisms and/or dedicated consumer protection policies.
• Public provision of data (e.g. average time required for support at each stage of the renovation journey, average conversion rates, typical profiles of the professionals involved, etc.) and guidance in order to facilitate replication of the approach by other market actors.
• Evidence that the value of the services offered is recognised by the market (e.g. through growth in the number of contacts, in the conversion rates leading to investment, in the willingness of final beneficiaries to pay for the services provided, etc.).

Proposals should quantify their results and impacts using all the impacts indicators listed below. They may also propose additional indicators which are specific to the proposed activities. The results and impacts should be quantified for the end of the project and for 5 years after the end of the project.

The indicators for this topic include:

• Amount of in-person support made available to building owners (quantified in full-time equivalent). The conditions for accessing support should also be specified (a permanent physical presence is not mandatory, and support mechanisms can also take other forms such as, for example, temporary counters, fleeting services, or direct on-site consultations).
• Number of dwellings credibly benefiting from the One-Stop Shop services, based on the territorial scope and justified availability of the services.
• Number of initial contacts (in number of households and/or private companies) made by the One-Stop Shop.
• Number of on-site visits conducted (only for scope A, in number of housing units, differentiated per housing type if relevant)
• Number of investment projects effectively implemented (in number of housing units, differentiated per housing type if relevant).
• Average global conversion rate (in %) of initial contacts into effective investments, demonstrating the value of the services offered.
• Investments in building energy renovation triggered by the project (cumulative, in million Euro, differentiated per housing type if relevant).
• Average percentage of energy savings per investment project (in %, differentiated per housing type if relevant).

All proposals submitted under this topic should also quantify their impacts related to the following common indicators for the LIFE Clean Energy Transition sub-programme:

• Primary energy savings triggered by the project (in GWh/year).
• Final energy savings triggered by the project (in GWh/year).
• Renewable energy generation triggered by the project (in GWh/year).
• Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (in t CO₂-eq/year).
• Investments in sustainable energy (energy efficiency and renewable energy) triggered by the project (cumulative, in million Euro).

Expected impacts - Scope C:

Proposals submitted under Scope C should result in:

• Expansion of a European community of practice gathering relevant stakeholders, deeply rooted in their ecosystem and actively involved in ongoing local implementation of "integrated home renovation services".
• Data and guidance made publicly available in order to facilitate the uptake of "integrated home renovation services" across Europe. Evidence that the value of such integrated services is recognised by the market.

The impacts of the proposals should be demonstrated during the project and within 5 years after the project lifetime.

Proposals submitted under Scope C should quantify their impacts using the indicators listed below, where relevant, as well as other project-specific performance indicators:

• Number, diversity and quality of stakeholders actively involved in the community. This could include, but not be limited to, public authorities, consultants, architect associations, craftsmen associations, homeowner associations, citizens associations, universities, training centres, financial institutions, etc.
• Number, nature and quality of planned collective outputs, distributed between the main categories outlined in the Scope section above. In particular, guidance and support proposed to emerging initiatives.
• Number and nature of planned contributions to legislative and regulatory processes.
• Number and nature of national capacity building programmes put in place.
• Number, nature and target audience of communication materials.

Proposals submitted under this topic should also quantify their impacts related to the following common indicators for the LIFE Clean Energy Transition sub-programme:

• Investments in sustainable energy triggered by the project (cumulative, in million Euro).
• Primary energy savings triggered by the project in GWh/year.
• Final energy savings triggered by the project in GWh/year.
• Renewable energy generation triggered by the project (in GWh/year).
• Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (in t CO₂-eq/year).

Funding rate

Other Action Grants (OAGs) — 95%

As highlighted in the “Renovation Wave” initiative of the European Green Deal and in the REPowerEU Plan, there is a pressing need to increase the number of ambitious building renovations across the EU and to better integrate the switch to efficient renewable-based heating and cooling as an integral part of building renovations. However, many building owners lack the skills and capacity to set up, implement and finance complex and ambitious clean energy transition projects. In addition, many project developers face high implementation costs, given the relatively small size of the investments and the lack of turnkey solutions, and have limited access to adequate and attractive financing solutions on the market.

This topic aims at supporting the creation or replication of One-Stop-Shops (OSS), offering integrated services for clean energy transition in private residential buildings, in line with the Energy Efficiency Directive (art. 22) and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (art. 18).

Proposals submitted under this topic (depending on the specific scope) are expected to set up integrated renovation services to tackle the following aspects:

1. Improve market conditions and develop integrated building renovation service offers to:

• Reduce complexity, simplify decision making and stimulate demand for investment in energy performance improvements and decarbonisation.
• Connect all relevant actors in the value chain (e.g. construction companies, architects, engineers, urban planners, financiers, etc.).
• Streamline access to various support measures, especially where there is support for specific target groups (e.g. energy poor households).
• Improve awareness and trust towards such integrated services, through an adequate mix of online and in-person support, clear accountability, quality assurance and/or dedicated consumer protection policies.
• Develop a robust pipeline of investments in building renovations, able to increase interest and participation from financial institutions and exploit synergies on the market, for instance via the development of dedicated financial products for building renovations facilitated through One-Stop-Shops.

2. Provide methods and support to:

• Implement and operationalise integrated services, and test them in a pilot phase, triggering the first investments that validate the proposed concept.
• Build expertise and organisational innovations needed for project development.
• Reduce costs and time for all actors of the value chain through standardised approaches (e.g. optimised business processes, standardised contractual arrangements or technical measures, branding of the proposed services, district approaches, etc.).
• Ensure cost effectiveness and price transparency of services provided to final beneficiaries.
• Operationalise a focus on low energy renovation, either all at once or in a planned staged approach, using tools such as Building Renovation Passports.

3. Aim at a sustainable business model of the integrated service taking into account that:

• Integration of services can be developed through dedicated operators and/or through an improved co-ordination between existing local actors.
• The approach should minimise reliance on public subsidies to cover operating costs, having the prospect of economically viable business models in the medium to long term.

4. Communicate results:

• Disseminate innovative solutions (e.g. organisational and contractual), suited to the targeted contexts.
• Help improve legal and regulatory environments by communicating project results to relevant public authorities and bodies.
• Demonstrate a high degree of replicability and include a clear action plan to communicate experiences and results towards potential replicators across the EU.

Proposals should provide a precise description of their starting point and clearly demonstrate a nuanced understanding of comparable initiatives, especially within their national context.

Proposals should demonstrate that the proposed services build concretely on existing work, ensuring they are well integrated in their local context. This includes making best use of what is locally available, notably in terms of local market conditions and public support schemes. Additionally, proposals should show how they contribute to developing partnerships between local authorities and the relevant market players, in the construction, heating and cooling, and wider energy sectors, as well as in the financial sector. The targeted territories and/or sector should be clearly identified and justified, notably segmenting and quantifying the potential target users, and a first detailed concept of the services should be presented in the proposal.

Applicants are encouraged to build on the existing information and material under EU-PEERS^[1]. Proposals should foresee to cooperate with the EU-PEERS community and to communicate relevant information and data including practical challenges and good practices.

Based on the generic approach and common objectives presented above, proposals submitted under this topic are expected to focus on one of the specific scopes below. The scope addressed should be specified in the introduction of the proposal. Although this does not exclude the possibility of addressing, in addition, some aspects of the other scope, proposals must be fully clear on what the core focus of the approach is, and who the main final beneficiaries will be.

Scope A: Integrated Home Renovation Services

Under Scope A, actions should clearly focus on the energy renovation of existing single or multi-family buildings in the private residential sector. Actions in “complex buildings” (e.g. coexistence of owner-occupied and rented housing; coexistence of private and social housing; coexistence of housing and business premises, typically on the ground floor; etc.) may be included in this scope. Specific approaches to deal with subsets of the residential sector (e.g. focus on condominiums, focus on energy poor households, etc.) are also welcome, as long as the main focus is on private non-professional homeowners (including homeowners’ associations in the condominium sector, but excluding public/social housing organisations).

Beyond the common objectives presented in the "Objective" section, the proposals presented under this scope should meet the following specific objectives:

The services developed under Scope A should cover the whole “customer journey” of the homeowners aiming to renovate their home. Dedicated structures (legal entities or consortia of organisations) should provide integrated home renovation services, with the explicit intention of delivering services that belong in the competitive sector. In particular, proposals are expected to provide proactive support to homeowners ranging from technical design, obtention of permits, selection of qualified professionals, contracting of works, structuring and/or provision of finance (e.g. loans), to the supervision of contractors to carry out the renovation works and quality assurance.

Those services can be implemented by public or private entities, either on a not-for-profit or for-profit basis.

Proposals addressing only the provision of generic information and diagnosis, and/or limited to Internet platforms without on-site interaction are not within the scope.

Proposals that showcase innovative approaches to effectively address the objectives, and/or that originate from regions where integrated home renovation services remain underdeveloped, will be prioritised.

Scope B: Integrated services for rental housing energy upgrade

Under Scope B, actions should clearly focus on energy renovations of existing rental housing owned by professional entities. Examples of stakeholders that could be targeted by the services developed under Scope B are, among others: private housing companies, housing cooperatives, social housing operators, real-estate investors, property managers (on behalf of multi-owner households or real estate investors), building administrators, non-profit organisations, etc.

Beyond the common objectives presented in the "Objective" section, the proposals presented under this scope should meet the following specific objectives:

The type of integrated solutions developed must be particularly tailored to the specificities of rental housing in the local context. Services developed under Scope B should go beyond merely providing first-level information and generic diagnoses. They must also address key objectives such as the development of strategic partnerships, particularly with construction companies and/or financial institutions; the development of tailored financial and/or fiscal schemes specific to rental housing, and the practical implementation of sustainable business models, leveraging property values, optimising market dynamics and ensuring consistent investment returns. Proposals should also pay particular attention to governance issues, e.g. developing a framework to facilitate decisions and conflict resolution among co-owners, or developing a framework so that tenants can participate in decisions and partly share risks and benefits, etc. Proposals addressing only the provision of generic information and diagnosis, and/or limited to Internet platforms without on-site interaction are not within the scope.

• For actions addressing mostly the development of a financing offer for home renovation, please refer to LIFE-2025-CET-PRIVAFIN.
• For actions primarily addressing energy poor households that require support beyond One-Stop Shop approaches, please refer to LIFE-2025-CET-ENERPOV.

Proposals under Scopes A and B may be submitted by a single applicant or by applicants from a single eligible country.

For Scopes A and B, the Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 1.5 million would allow the specific objectives to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Scope C: EU community of "Integrated Home Renovation Services" practitioners

Proposals under Scope C should build on the foundations established by the EU-PEERS project^[2], fostering a network of skilled practitioners and bringing together European initiatives focused on integrated home renovation services. By connecting local and regional initiatives, this community will foster international collaboration and share best practices.

The community should serve as a reference knowledge hub, gathering and consolidating information on existing and emerging home renovation approaches and models across the EU to enhance their replication potential. Participants should notably aim to actively collaborate with public authorities to support the transposition of the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED) and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).

Proposals under Scope C should consolidate findings, facilitate dialogue, and support emerging initiatives to expand local projects and enable cross-border replication. Proposals should aim to extend activities to Member States not yet covered by the EU-PEERS project. Special attention should be given to mentorship and outreach initiatives, particularly in regions where integrated home renovation services are limited or emerging.

Knowledge exchange activities should take place at both national and EU levels, with notably appropriate resources allocated to facilitating exchanges among one-stop-shop projects supported by the LIFE Clean Energy Transition programme.

Capacity-building activities, such as training national trainers and engaging local authorities, will strengthen renovation programmes. Effective communication will highlight successful home renovation strategies and renovation packages that effectively trigger ambitious renovations.

Proposals should align with relevant EU initiatives, leveraging existing results to maximise impact. In particular, efforts should be made to coordinate with national hubs of the European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition, where relevant.

Regarding thematic areas of focus, this community is expected to provide consolidated findings and recommendations for emerging and developing initiatives, as well as for national/local regulators working to facilitate the deployment of one-stop shops. Key areas of work include:

• Strategic positioning: Identifying market gaps, crafting attractive service offerings, and exploring scalable business models.
• Tools and methodologies: Streamlining renovation processes and developing innovative tools.
• Skills development: Identifying emerging professions and training needs.
• Partnerships: Establishing strong collaborations with market actors to ensure high-quality services.
• Quality assurance and consumer protection: Ensuring reliability and consumer trust in home renovation services

For Scope C, the Commission considers relevant that consortia gather a minimum of 3 applicants from 3 different eligible countries; and proposals submitted by a single applicant or proposals covering a single eligible country are not considered appropriate under scope C.

The Commission intends to select one single proposal under Scope C.

For Scope C, the Commission considers that a proposal requesting a contribution from the EU of a range of EUR 2 million to EUR 2.5 million would allow the specific objectives to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of a proposal requesting another amount.

[1] The EU-PEERS project (see https://eu-peers.eu) is organising a community of practitioners gathering different European initiatives of integrated home renovation services; this platform provides support for the establishment of integrated home renovation services, including operational guidance, best practice insights, strategic analysis, and capacity-building resources.

[2] see https://eu-peers.eu