Peter Op ’t Veld, HI&A & others
HI&A
2024
🌍 Context and Purpose The re-MODULEES Final Report outlines a comprehensive initiative aimed at fostering a sustainable retrofit market within the European residential building sector. This project, funded by the European Union's HORIZON 2020 program, aims to overcome barriers to large-scale renovations and promote energy efficiency in buildings. The report is produced by HI&A, with contributions from various project partners, including IRI UL, CNR, and others. 🏗️ Project Objectives and Methodology The main objective of re-MODULEES is to create an EU-wide retrofit market activation framework supported by digital and physical Renovation Hubs in seven pilot markets: Spain, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Italy, Slovenia, and the Netherlands. The project emphasizes a modular approach, enabling tailored solutions for diverse regional conditions. It focuses on capitalizing on existing European projects' outputs and enhancing market uptake of innovative renovation practices. 📊 Key Achievements The project has established Local Advisory Boards (LABs) to engage stakeholders from the public, private, and financial sectors, fostering collaboration and knowledge transfer. It has also developed a digital platform that consolidates renovation tools, services, and resources, making them accessible to stakeholders. The re-MODULEES platform aims to facilitate decision-making, provide training, and support the implementation of renovation projects. 💡 Pilot Market Implementation The report documents the activation of seven pilot markets, each reflecting unique social, geographical, economic, and policy contexts. For instance, the Bulgarian re-HUB promotes a one-stop-shop model for easy access to renovation services, while the Spanish re-HUB integrates existing local OSS to streamline processes. The initiative emphasizes the importance of community engagement, providing tailored support to homeowners and building professionals. 📈 Sustainability and Future Directions The re-MODULEES project aims to ensure the sustainability of its outcomes by transitioning from LABs to permanent re-HUBs that will continue to operate after the project's completion. These hubs are designed to provide ongoing support and resources, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement in the renovation sector. The project emphasizes the need for flexible business models and the importance of stakeholder collaboration to drive sustainable housing solutions across Europe. 🔍 Conclusion The re-MODULEES Final Report highlights the critical need for a coordinated approach to building renovation in Europe, emphasizing energy efficiency and sustainability. By leveraging existing resources, engaging local stakeholders, and developing comprehensive support structures, the project aims to create a more resilient and environmentally friendly built environment.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s HORIZON 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 955529 re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 / HI&A Ref. Ares(2024)4929872 - 08/07/2024 Published and produced by: HI&A with support from all work package and task leaders Author(s): Peter Op ’t Veld HI&A with contributions from IRI UL, CNR, IVE, Certimac, META, DOWEL, UIPI Reviewer(s): IRI UL, CNR, IVE, Certimac, META, DOWEL, UIPI Layout: SYMPRAXIS Dissemination level: Public Website: www. re-MODULEES.eu © 2021 re-MODULEES project. Reprint allowed in parts and with detailed reference only. Project duration: 1 November 2020 – 30 April 2024 Grant Agreement: 955529 – re-MODULEES Coordinator: Project Partners: The sole responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the authors. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union. Neither the CINEA nor the European Commission are responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 3 HISTORY OF CHANGES Version Month Year Organisation Comments 1.0 30-06-2024 HI&A Final version re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 4 Executive summary The main aim and objectives of the re-MODULEES project The main aim of re-MODULEES is the creation of the EU-wide retrofit market activation framework in the residential building sector, supported by digital and physical Renovation Hubs at the member state and EU level.
Modularity is to be understood as: - multi-level: regarding the “breakdown” of the overall retrofit process, as a renovation journey, into standardized segments, energy efficiency and clean energy solutions, to isolate the most effective tools and approaches; - multi-target: regarding the “customization” of retrofit solutions according to regional climatic, building, socio- economic and market conditions, to maximize cost-reduction, business spill overs and local impact. re-MODULEES aims to contribute to the decarbonization of the EU building stock and to accelerate deep renovation processes by fostering a market uptake of valuable key results of recent European projects on deep renovation, enhancing a people-centred renovation process at a local and pan-EU level, in order to make deep renovation more attractive for consumers and investors (from the public and private sectors), environmentally friendly and cost effective. Re-MODULEES will develop and implement digital and physical Retrofitting Market Activation Platforms, and will validate them on a national MS level in seven Pilot Markets in Spain, Bulgaria, France, Greece, Italy, Slovenia and The Netherlands. The selected pilot markets are representative of singular social-geographical-economical-policy ecosystems in Europe with the objective for a further roll out in other Member States and at the European level to support Public and Private Partnership (PPP), as endorsed by relevant EU umbrella associations in the private (UIPI - International Union of Property Owners) and public (HE – Housing Europe) residential sectors. re-MODULEES has achieved this by four key pillars: 1. Clustering of efforts and evidence capitalizing key outputs from relevant EU projects; 2.
Digitalizing these key outputs to make them attractive to end-users and easily accessible in virtual Renovation Hub, an on-line, GIS-based, open source platform; 3. Enhancing the impact of current EU projects key exploitable results (KERs) by a) offering evidences on existing locally-relevant renovation business models, and developing new ones, b) supporting scalability and uptake of innovative renovation practices through tailored go-to-market strategies, c) giving easy access to affordable financing and d) shaping cross-regional market uptake enabling policies; 4. Fostering the implementation of renovation practices by establishing 2 physical Renovation Hubs and 7 Local Advisory Boards (LABs) in EU-relevant pilot markets, leading to a further roll out in other Member States. To achieve the aims, as described section 1.1, re-MODULEES has worked on following five objectives: Objective 1: To make deep renovations easier, faster and more attractive for stakeholders by fostering market uptake and giving access to key results of relevant European projects Objective 2: To nudge relevant stakeholders to renovation by fostering holistic consumer-centred business models and decision tools, supported by evidence-based performances Objective 3: Facilitate decision making on deep renovation by tackling demand and supply sided social, financial and legal barriers Objective 4: Fostering the implementation of the re-MODULEES actions in seven demonstration pilot markets Objective 5: To roll out the re-MODULEES concept on a European level, supported by a go-to-market exploitation at MS-level The re-MODULEES concept The re-MODULEES project is a comprehensive initiative aimed at overcoming barriers to large-scale renovation in the European residential sector.
It seeks to capitalize on the outcomes of previous EU projects by transitioning from solid exploitation plans to actual market uptake. The project envisions three distinct transition paths to achieve this goal: 1. Capitalizing on Available Outcomes: This path involves gathering reliable data, identifying target groups, and auditing both supply and demand sides to understand the diversity of retrofitting markets across EU Member States. The aim is to establish a standard modular architecture for deep energy retrofitting at the EU level, clustering markets based on common challenges and opportunities. 2. Digitalizing Access to Outcomes: The focus here is on creating a decision support system that addresses the varied landscape of EU retrofitting markets. This includes customizing solutions to each market's maturity and re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 5 the needs of professionals, aiming to enhance the value of professional work, standardize features, and increase productivity. The platform's construction will involve establishing methodological frameworks, developing the digital architecture, and creating a "calculus engine" for cost-optimal procedures. 3. Implementation through Renovation Hubs: This path is about demonstrating the viability and attractiveness of the re-MODULEES modules at the national and local levels. It involves engaging consumer-members and regional stakeholders in co-creation processes and testing automated decision support system tools and services in seven selected pilot markets. The project is particularly focused on engaging relevant stakeholders in the renovation value chain, including social housing companies, private homeowners, condominiums, ESCOs, construction companies, investors, architects, and concept developers.
It addresses the specific challenges and profiles of these stakeholders, providing tailored solutions and support mechanisms. Local Advisory Boards (LABs) will be established in each pilot market to activate and validate local renovation practices, ensuring they are aligned with local needs and regulations. These LABs will consist of stakeholders from financial, technical, social, and legislative fields, working in harmonized tasks to achieve a wide-scale market impact. The re-MODULEES concept includes a range of services such as knowledge provision on holistic renovation, on-site analysis, technical inspection, funding procurement, and project management. It also outlines a direct approach to market engagement through various channels and considers the costs and revenues associated with these activities. Overall, re-MODULEES is a multifaceted project that combines market analysis, digital innovation, and local implementation to drive the renovation of residential buildings in Europe. It emphasizes the importance of stakeholder engagement, customization, and a people-centered approach to create a sustainable and effective renovation ecosystem The re-MODULEES methodology re-MODULEES has developed a market activation platform based on the modularization of an array of innovative renovation tools, solutions and approaches selected according to local market conditions and needs, to be extended across EU regions and climates. Core theme of the re-MODULEES methodology is the activation of the seven pilot markets representing the variety of social-geographical-economical-policy ecosystems in Europe, of renovation market structures and their maturity scenarios.
Pilot market activation will be pursued by fostering an integration among three fundamental market domains: - the “physical realm”, meant as the concrete conditions of local EU retrofitting markets; this will be addressed by carrying out a market profiling activity on the field of seven EU pilot markets and by scouting, analysing and assessing innovative solutions from relevant EU projects as well as from local best practices; - the “virtual realm”, meant as the domain of digital services aimed to foster and enhance the market uptake of deep retrofitting; this will be addressed by developing and testing the re-MODULEES Automated Decision Support System, aimed to offer innovative and tailored services to the retrofitting markets according to a GIS- based and modular approach; - the “people realm”, meant as the human component of retrofitting markets; this will be addressed by demonstrating in the 7 pilot markets the financial, technical and social viability and attractiveness of the re- MODULEES market activation platform, with the aim of establishing a “Renovation Hub” in each market, in which national and local drivers will be exploited and value chains will be involved in the application of tailored and endogenous renovation and business models, geared to end-users. Towards a people centred approach for a market activation platform for deep renovation An important part of what makes re-MODULEES project a pioneering initiative in transforming the building renovation and retrofitting markets in Europe is its people-centered approach. From the very beginning of the project, the consortium worked hard to understand and respond to the needs, challenges, and dynamics of the various stakeholders involved in these markets. This approach was not only ethical but also strategic, ensuring that the solutions developed would be meaningful, impactful, and sustainable.
At the heart of the re-MODULEES project were three primary activities: the activation and engagement of Local Advisory Boards (re-LABs), the definition of User-Centered Value Propositions, and the collection of success stories and best practices. These activities were designed to foster collaboration, knowledge exchange, and innovation among key stakeholders, including suppliers, private and public demand representatives, and financial institutions. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 6 The activation of re-LABs was a critical step. These boards, established in various regions, served as platforms for dialogue, where participants could share insights, discuss challenges, and explore opportunities for market advancement. The process involved identifying key stakeholders, inviting them to participate, and facilitating regular gatherings to support the development of re-MODULEES solutions. This approach not only enhanced the project's understanding of local market conditions but also strengthened the bonds between market actors, paving the way for concerted efforts to drive renovation activities. The definition of User-Centered Value Propositions was another cornerstone of the project. By conducting extensive research and engaging with stakeholders, the project team identified the pains, constraints, and needs of various user groups. This led to the creation of value propositions that were not only relevant but also actionable, addressing the specific challenges faced by stakeholders in different contexts. Lastly, the collection of success stories and best practices provided a wealth of real-world examples that demonstrated the effectiveness of the project's approach. These stories, gathered through a combination of desktop research and ethnographic methods, were documented and shared through the re-MODULEES digital platform.
They served as inspirations and blueprints for future renovation projects, highlighting the potential for innovation and efficiency in the sector. The people-centered approach of re-MODULEES yielded significant benefits. It deepened the project's understanding of the complexities and nuances of the renovation markets, enabling the development of solutions that were tailored to the needs of the stakeholders. It also fostered a sense of community and collaboration among market actors, breaking down barriers and facilitating the exchange of ideas and best practices. This, in turn, contributed to the overall credibility and impact of the project, setting a precedent for future initiatives in the field. The re-MODULEES people-centered approach therefore helped the project to create a tangible impact that extends beyond the immediate outcomes, laying the groundwork for a more sustainable and innovative future in the sector. Resources and tools capitalized by re-MODULEES The re-MODULEES project is focused on developing a platform for business models within the context of deep energy retrofitting. The project's initial phase involves creating a comprehensive knowledge base through detailed market profiling in seven pilot markets. This profiling encompasses technical, operational, and social characteristics, as well as an examination of innovative tools, services, and applications (TT/SS/AA) to facilitate market exploitation. To achieve the first objective of the project it is necessary to generate the input knowledge base for the re-MODULEES platform business model by deep market profiling regarding the seven re-MODULEES pilot markets aimed to setting the baselines for the further project tasks; solutions scouting aimed to prepare their capitalization phase.
The project employs a clustering process to match TT/SS/AA with market profiles, creating sourcing scenarios to support the re-MODULEES platform. This process also identifies market opportunities and barriers, leading to the development of a standard modular architecture (SMA) for energy retrofitting at the EU level. A clustering work was carried out with reference both to market profiles produced as well as to TT/SS/AA, leading to the generation of an opportunity matrix of market untapped potentials, and vice versa, of market limits and barriers. Local Advisory Boards (LABs) play a crucial role in engaging with the project, reviewing EU projects, and adapting TT/SS/AA to local market knowledge. The workflow involves a review at the consortium level, transfer to the Member State (MS) level for enrichment by LABs, and then a return to the consortium level for a proof-of-concept of the SMA, followed by final validation at the MS level. The workflow of the LAB engagement was as follows: - EU projects and other programmes will be reviewed at consortium level, TT/SS/AA detected; - The results of the analysis will be transferred at MS level, where proposed TT/SS/AA will be reviewed and enriched by LABs according to local market background knowledge; - Reviewed TT/SS/AA will be returned at consortium level for a proof-of-concept of the SMA; - Final validation at MS of the WP results." The project conducts a survey in three steps to scout TT/SS/AA, involving re-LAB members and project partners. The survey collects preliminary information, deeper insights, and matches TT/SS/AA with market constraints. The outcomes inform the exploitation activities of promising TT/SS/AA.
In order to scout TT/SS/AA available and useful for the renovation markets, three steps of survey were carried out with also the consultation of the members of the re-LABs established in the 7 countries renovation pilot markets. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 7 The project identified 45 TT/SS/AA, some of which are applicable across Europe, while others are specific to certain countries. These tools are analyzed in terms of applicability, customer journey, and addressed constraints at both EU and pilot market levels. 45 TT/SS/AA were selected and analyzed in relation to the applicability, the customer journey and to the addressed constraints at EU level and at pilot level. The tools are categorized into three scope groups based on their coverage of the customer journey: wide, medium, and specific. An opportunity matrix is created, integrating the tools into the re-MODULEES platform through the SMA, validated by re-LAB members. The analysis of the collected data and features of TT/SS/AA versus different criteria allowed the integration of the TT/SS/AA into the re-MODULEES platform through the definition of a Standard Modular Architecture (SMA) of the deep energy retrofitting process at EU level with the validations of re-LABS members. The development and implementation of the re-MODULEES platform re-MODULEES platform design started focusing on the residential buildings’ energy renovation data and resources (TTSSAA) available on the different pilot markets and EU levels, and their possibility for discovery, access and interaction automation. Nevertheless, outputs from other activities shown that many markets and/or user profiles would better relay on examples, peers’ experiences and other subjective perceptions than hard data and figures, and that human interactions and self-management functionalities can be preferrable than machine facilitations.
Therefore, subsequent re-MODULEES platform design considers not only this data and automations available, but also those re-MODULEES outputs, that decentring the focus from buildings to people, and from data to stories, move the ‘one click core’ and ‘extensions’ to a ‘Solution Store’ representing one corner of a triangular space where personal managing space and marketplace occupy the other two, and relations between them enable the enhancement of the renovation process value chain. The platform workspaces are then configured as follows: - Landing: access to all workspaces, highlighted functionalities & language control - Solutions Store: tools, solutions, approaches, documents, regulations, methodologies helping renovation process according to location and profile, with training and reviews. highlighted solution is the One Click, where users can explore maps with relevant information about pilot markets, energy diagnosis and renovation options or success stories and best practices around - Activity Hub: publications, news and professional membership to configure the market stakeholders’ space. - Personal Dashboard: managing work, experience and network. - Admin panel: managing the content of a platform version related to a geographic area. The main development steps considered the logics behind the re-MODULEES platform and addressed the whole customer journey, based on the different user profiles. To ensure that the re-MODULEES application meets its goals, a three-layer architecture is adapted to handle specific geospatial data processing and visualization requirements. Its architecture is designed to be a robust, scalable, and efficient platform for handling and visualizing geospatial data, and it is carefully structured to be scalable, hence, new data connections can be added through a service- oriented approach.
This flexibility is the key for the incorporation of new databases and the linkage of the existing datasets as the platform grows: - The re-MODULEES project employs two distinct data schemas. The first schema is dedicated to building diagnostics and integrates geographic information, supporting comprehensive spatial analysis. The second schema underpins the functionality of the portal, facilitating the dissemination and management of applications, users, and articles. - The service layer is the key to the data management complexities abstraction; therefore, it is easy and simple to use for both the developers and the end-users and involves the usage of standardized protocols and APIs to facilitate scalability and maintainability of the system. - The application layer architecture of the re-MODULEES project is carefully crafted to guarantee web interactions that are stable and responsive. The UX/UI process in the re-MODULEES project is structured to improve the user interaction and the interface design. The design team focused on creating an intuitive interface for the end user, streamlining the navigation by minimizing the number of clicks, buttons, and sections required for operation. Utilizing a combination of powerful software components, previous design supports a broad range of functionalities from data storage and processing to web hosting and map integration, and finally the platform is deployed with a secure connection at https://re-modulees.five.es/#/home re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 8 Last step has been the documentation of the process and outputs, which can be found in the different documents available at the project website, related to data, design and documentation; in the published videos; commented source code; and manuals and guidelines.
The activation of the seven re-MODULEES pilot markets The re-MODULEES project breaks the mold of traditional renovation approaches. Instead of a simple user-platform, it fosters a collaborative community, empowering stakeholders through a focus on "community-usefulness-results." This vision has four pillars: - Market Activation: Sparking demand for renovation services and products through targeted campaigns, easy- to-access information, and readily available resources. - Impactful Renovations: Streamlining and optimizing renovation processes by leveraging existing resources effectively. - Forward-Thinking Vision: Encouraging innovative solutions to tackle complex renovation challenges. - Community Building: Facilitating collaboration and knowledge exchange among all stakeholders involved. Key Tools and Processes: - Standard Action Plan (SAP): A reference framework guiding market activation efforts in pilot areas. It ensures a structured and coordinated approach for maximizing success and long-term impact. - Local Deployment Plans (LDPs): Tailored versions of the SAP created for each pilot market, incorporating local insights and stakeholder expectations. LDPs ensure flexibility while maintaining alignment with the broader project goals. At the heart of this strategy lie re-LABs and re-HUBs: - re-LABs: Experimental entities that played a crucial role in initiating and testing innovative renovation approaches. They served as incubators for new ideas and provided valuable insights. - re-HUBs: Permanent, self-sustaining entities built upon the foundations of the re-LABs. They leverage the project's outcomes and resources to drive impactful change by: ● Consolidating and amplifying re-LAB findings. ● Providing ongoing support and resources to stakeholders. ● Fostering continuous improvement and innovation. ● Acting as a bridge between research, policy, and practice.
The project meticulously guides market activation through a six-phase process: 1. Activating re-LABs: Engaging stakeholders using a standardized approach that considers the unique needs of each pilot country. 2. Listening to Needs: Employing an ethnography-inspired people-centered approach to understand challenges, needs, and innovation drivers through stakeholder interviews. This step supports the validation of the renovation customer journey. 3. Co-creating Solutions: Collaboratively designing the re-MODULEES digital platform with functionalities and resources tailored to meet local needs. 4. Building a Rich Ecosystem: Cultivating a thriving ecosystem by involving stakeholders across the entire renovation value chain (demand, supply, finance, institutions) through re-LABs and Local Support Networks (LSNs). 5. The re-HUB Community Emerges: A dynamic community develops around the re-HUB, leveraging the platform and resources to drive effective renovations. 6. Ensuring Sustainability: Implementing a rigorous testing and validation protocol to monitor renovation rates and benefits. This includes collecting success stories and using a multi-level impact calculation approach. By fostering collaboration and leveraging the strengths of existing initiatives, re-MODULEES ensures the long-term viability and impact of re-HUBs. This paves the way for a more efficient and resilient built environment across Europe. Exploitation and further market uptake One of the re-MODULEES objectives is to support business modelling and market uptake of re-MODULEES tools re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 9 and the services. To achieve this, Local Advisory Boards (re-LABs) are being established in the seven re-MODULEES pilot markets for housing renovation and retrofitting (Bulgaria, France, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and Slovenia).
The re-MODULEES replication and exploitation strategy contains deliberate efforts to increase the impact of the re-MODULEES results across different European countries, regions and industries. Re-MODULEES addresses these aims by: - Identification and categorization of end-users needs for the re-MODULEES business models, development of user stories and value propositions; - Elaboration and incubation of re-MODULEES business models and Exploitation strategy at national level; - Providing policy recommendations for current and future alignment; - Collaboration and connection with European umbrella associations; - Contributing to a strategy for a full coverage of the project results and supporting optimal conditions and solutions for the exploitation of the project outcomes by consolidating the project visibility among stakeholders at national and EU level. To achieve this objective, an exploitation strategy was developed that supports effective planning and coordination and defines the path for the sustainability of each Key Exploitable Result (KER). The plan for exploitation defines the use model for each KER, its unique value proposition, the early adopters, and the business model to pave the way towards use and impact. Exploitation activities carried out during re- MODULEES life were crucial for mobilizing outcomes, during and soon after the end of the project, enabling long- term impact. A Business Plan Structure for each Key Exploitable Result is given, as well as the Exploitation Strategy and Recommendations for improving the actions to be undertaken after re-MODULEES end. re-MODULEES proposes effective solutions to the faced challenges, and is committed to ensuring the sustainability of the results beyond the granted period.
The focus of the project has been on the following points: - re-MODULEES Platform - that consolidates relevant information and possibilities for renovation. It provides access to modules, services and communities and serves as a showcase/promotion channel. - Transition from re-LABs to re-HUBs: the project transitions from re-LABs, which are active only during re- MODULEES lifetime, to re-HUBs, which will remain operational after the end of the project. This transition ensures the continuity of the market uptake process through the delivery of modular services. o The re-LABs are Renovation Local Advisory Boards formed by a core group of stakeholders from four different categories (demand, supply, public and financial sides) representing the renovation value chain. They provide assistance, support and tailored advice to various stakeholders. They represent the opportunity to validate the use model and the services set-up to be provided after re-MODULEES. o The re-HUBs are digital and/or physical ecosystems promoting renovation, that will be operational after the end of re-MODULEES. The re-HUBs will guarantee the continuation of the activities related to the building renovation process (delivery of modular services) after the end of the project. They are regional nodes (branches regional formalized networks of relevant stakeholders) that can be linked to the re-LABs.
Guidelines for OSS in Europe: analysis and recommendations for candidate OSS The work deployed to build guidelines for One-stop shops (OSS) and based on diverse re-MODULEES assets (the re- Modulees platforms, the feedback from the national pilots) constitutes a capitalization stone to be used by OSS- related communities: - candidate organizations as OSS (‘new comers’ with different profiles) - academics and institutions working on One-Stop shops - Existing OSS using self-made or ‘scattered tools’ or without adequate tooling. It was developed as an enabler in the form of guidelines for OSS and OSS communities with the purpose of providing guidelines and recommendations on how to set up one OSS while considering different perspectives related to the legal form of the entity. The reader gets theoretical and practical insights on two enabling poles faced by an entity either candidate or already active as an OSS, focusing on two main points: 1. How to build a sustainable business model? Through a use case approach inspired from literature and EU- funded R&I results. The nature of such an entity matters. A case-by-case approach was adopted to address very different configurations. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 10 2. Which tooling could support these ‘candidate OSS’ to gain efficiency when providing such services? Here the connection is made with the re-MODULEES platform and its ability to be tuned to the local demand, offer and legal context in the energy renovation. The three use cases considered for the design of the service offer leverage on their particularities: - The public OSS model, a privileged position for triggering confident onboarding and engagement of homeowners - The Private OSS Model for support and implementation of renovation works. - The mixed-ownership OSS Model, a role-centered configuration to further push deep renovation rates.
The re-MODULEES policy recommendations: The re-MODULEES considerations underscore the necessity for a forward-thinking approach towards shaping the future of EU climate policy. It is relevant to draw upon the lessons learned from past initiatives and embrace innovative strategies to address emerging challenges. The recommendations put forth by the re-MODULEES Consortium serve as a roadmap for policymakers, urging the establishment of robust frameworks to support open-source solutions, facilitate knowledge sharing, and ensure the durability of project outcomes. The policymakers can maximise the impact of EU-funded projects, urging the establishment of robust frameworks to support open-source solutions, facilitate knowledge sharing, and ensure the durability of project outcomes. Enhancing support mechanisms and promoting transparency through mandatory feedback reporting will enable continuous improvement and accountability within the policy landscape. Embracing these recommendations will not only enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of EU climate policy initiatives but also pave the way for a more resilient and impactful future.
Lessons learned and recommendations for a re-MODULEES 2.0 Positive outcomes - Bringing some structure to the renovation ecosystems - Working with key national stakeholders, dialogue with them to understand the local pains; use local language for communication - Involvement of the financial side in the project - The re-MODULEES methodology: Multi-target approach helps tackling multiple barriers - Identified needs and barriers in each local market - Designing the sustainability requirements for the RE-HUB - A working platform to engage and run renovation services Challenges - Adapting the EU platform to local ecosystems - Complexity of the re-MODULEES platform - Platform completion late in comparison to re-hub establishment; - Difficulty in updating building data in existing databases - Uncertainty of incentive schemes: some hubs depends on municipal or governmental incentives to continue - Earlier demonstration to show stakeholders how to trigger renovation solutions - Defining Sustainability of the re-HUBs after project ends Follow up actions for REMODULEES 2.0 - Monitored data on renovations to be used in other projects (like Build UPSpeed, Giga regio factory, INFINITE and others) - Platform: update the data to be more attractive and relevant over time; extend it to other ecosystems - New projects using the re-MODULEES approach, but going beyond energy efficiency –climate change transition - Results feeding other project, e.g. One Click Reno-Building renovation passports - Exploiting the platform by pieces, for example creating API for some functionalities - An overarching project connecting OSS projects with DATA driven projects and building renovation passports - Presenting the platform in national events on boosting renovation rates in the EU - EU LIFE for implementation projects: focus on uptake of heat pumps, local district heating and cooling etc.
- Consulting REMODULEES umbrella of companies to define the starting points of a next call - New LIFE project in connecting Energy communities with OSS: establishing citizen driven organizations empowered by municipalities. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 11 TABLE OF CONTENTS HISTORY OF CHANGES 3 Executive summary 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS 11 1. Introduction 13 1.1. re-MODULEES main aim 13 1.2. The re-MODULEES objectives 14 1.3. The re-MODULEES concept 16 1.4. The re-MODULEES methodology 19 1.5. The necessity for a further definition of terms within re-MODULEES 20 2. Towards a people centred approach for a market activation platform for deep renovation 23 2.1. Activation of re-LABs 23 2.2. Defining Value Propositions 24 2.3. Collection of Success stories 25 2.4. The value of people-centred approach in re-MODULEES 26 3. Resources and tools capitalized by re-MODULEES 27 3.1. Introduction 27 3.2. Clustering of market features and TT/AA/SS capilatization 27 4. The development and implementation of the re-MODULEES platform 32 4.1. Introduction 32 4.2. Data & processes collection & analysis 32 4.3. Design of the logics & interfaces 33 4.4. Implementation & Deployment of the platform 36 4.5. Documentation & user guidelines 37 5. The activation of the seven re-MODULEES pilot markets 39 5.1. Introduction 39 5.2. From Vision to Reality: Strategies for Concretely Impacting Renovation Processes in the Pilot Markets 39 5.2.1 The Standard Action Plan (SAP) and Local Development Plan (LDP): strategic tools for renovation market activation 40 5.2.2. The Evolution from re-LABs to re-HUBs: a cornerstone for sustained market activation and renovation 41 6. Exploitation and further market uptake 59 6.1. Introduction 59 6.2. re-MODULEES plan for exploitation 59 6.3.
Exploitation routes 62 6.3.1 re-MODULEES Platform 62 6.3.2 Bulgarian re-HUB 62 6.3.3 French re-HUB 63 6.3.4 Greek re-HUB 63 re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 12 6.3.5 Italian re-HUB 64 6.3.6 Slovenian re-HUB 64 6.3.7 Spanish re-HUB 65 6.3.8 The Netherlands re-HUB 65 7. Guidelines for One-stop shops in Europe: analysis and recommendations for candidate OSS 66 7.1. A synthetic report for OSS-related communities 66 7.2. A novel OSS context in Europe 66 7.3. Designing a Business Model for a candidate OSS 67 7.4. Leveraging on the re-Modulees platform 68 7.5. Each OSS case (public, private, hybrid) offers privileged pathways determined by its status and governance 69 8. Policy recommendations 70 8.1. Introduction 70 8.2. Key considerations for formulating the Policy Recommendations 70 8.3. The Policy Recommendations 71 8.4. The way forward – post re-MODULEES considerations 74 9. re-MODULEES key take aways 75 10. Lessons learned and recommendations for a re-MODULEES 2.0 79 ANNEX I | LESSONS LEARNED THANKS TO THE INTERACTION WITH LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS 81 re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 13 1. Introduction 1.1. re-MODULEES main aim The main aim of re-MODULEES is the creation of the EU-wide retrofit market activation framework in the residential building sector, supported by digital and physical Renovation Hubs at the member state and EU level. Modularity is to be understood as: - multi-level: regarding the “breakdown” of the overall retrofit process, as a renovation journey, into standardized segments, energy efficiency and clean energy solutions, to isolate the most effective tools and approaches; - multi-target: regarding the “customization” of retrofit solutions according to regional climatic, building, socio- economic and market conditions, to maximize cost-reduction, business spill overs and local impact.
To reach the 2050 decarbonisation targets, most European buildings require renovation. 1 Yet, many supply and demand side barriers prevent building renovation from reaching the necessary scale in the residential sector. A wealth of solutions has been developed in a large number of European projects both on technical solutions, innovative business models and financing schemes for renovation practices in EU. Many of these solutions are generally holistic, involving the entire value chain, and can be regarded as people-centred. However, one of the main barriers remains the absence of market uptake strategies able to capitalize the results of technical and non-technical solutions developed in the framework of numerous EU-funded projects on deep renovation over the last decade and to "translate" them to be understandable to various user groups. This specific barrier is critical both on policy side and on market side, and it is often considered the missed opportunity of EU funded projects. Cause and Motive: Already around 2018 several European projects on deep renovation took the initiative to work together as the so called ‘H2020 Deep Renovation Cluster Projects’. re-MODULEES represents a spin-off from these cluster activities, with the strategic collaborative objective of capitalizing lesson learned and key exploitable results, to make the step from exploitation to a real market uptake of innovative renovation practices in Europe.
Why: re-MODULEES aims to contribute to the decarbonization of the EU building stock and to accelerate deep renovation processes by fostering a market uptake of valuable key results of recent European projects on deep renovation, enhancing a people-centred renovation process at a local and pan-EU level, in order to make deep renovation more attractive for consumers and investors (from the public and private sectors), environmentally friendly and cost effective. How: Re-MODULEES will develop and implement digital and physical Retrofitting Market Activation Platforms, and will validate them on a national MS level in seven Pilot Markets: - Spain - Bulgaria - France - Greece - Italy - Slovenia - The Netherlands The selected pilot markets are representative of singular social-geographical-economical-policy ecosystems in Europe with the objective for a further roll out in other Member States and at the European level to support Public and Private Partnership (PPP), as endorsed by relevant EU umbrella associations in the private (UIPI - International Union of Property Owners) and public (HE – Housing Europe) residential sectors. What: re-MODULEES will achieve this by four key pillars: 5. Clustering of efforts and evidence capitalizing key outputs from relevant EU projects; 6. Digitalizing these key outputs to make them attractive to end-users and easily accessible in virtual Renovation Hub, an on-line, GIS-based, open source platform; 7.
Enhancing the impact of current EU projects key exploitable results (KERs) by a) offering evidences on existing locally-relevant renovation business models, and developing new ones, b) supporting scalability and uptake of 1 BPIE factsheet on buildings energy performance analysis: http://bpie.eu/publication/97-of-buildings-in-the-eu-need-to-be-upgraded/ re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 14 innovative renovation practices through tailored go-to-market strategies, c) giving easy access to affordable financing and d) shaping cross-regional market uptake enabling policies; 8. Fostering the implementation of renovation practices by establishing 2 physical Renovation Hubs and 7 Local Advisory Boards (LABs) in EU-relevant pilot markets, leading to a further roll out in other Member States. 1.2. The re-MODULEES objectives To achieve the aims, as described section 1.1, re-MODULEES has worked on following five objectives: Objective 1: To make deep renovations easier, faster and more attractive for stakeholders by fostering market uptake and giving access to key results of relevant European projects This objective aims to foster a market uptake of relevant technical and non-technical renovation solutions by the disclosure of outcomes of relevant European projects to feed into the re-MODULEES Retrofitting Market Activation Platform. This has following three steps: 1. Market profiling: Seven building retrofit markets (Italy, Spain, Greece, France, Bulgaria, Netherlands, Slovenia) will be analysed to highlight MS relevant, state-of-the-art features, such as: built environment structure, supply chain organization, technical mainstream solutions, renovation costs structure, business models, financial instruments. 2.
Capitalization of solutions: A large set of European projects and relevant initiatives at national levels were analysed and filtered, to evaluate the uptake potential of innovative solutions, tools and approaches of the retrofit processes, in each market profiled. This “sourcing scenario” will be analysed to understand possible synergies and overlaps between selected solutions, and to fill eventual gaps that prevent their full market exploitation, including: - the Building Passport concept, with special reference to the Renovation Roadmap, which will be assumed as the leading document for the integration of different modules (such as EPC, protocols); - Holistic analysis, (pre-and post-intervention) of building performances (e.g. environmental performance, health and well-being, states of deterioration, architectural constraints, occupants’ needs); - Beyond building solutions, including district-scale approaches, as well as community centred approaches, the latter ones with special reference to the enhancement of the exploitation in retrofitting interventions. 3. Digitalization and further development: A turning point for the market uptake of the energy retrofitting of existing residential buildings is the possibility of connecting and unlocking proven concepts, tools, building data and stakeholders digitally. The concept of digitalization refers to the systematic arrangement of set of heterogeneous input data to sophisticated customized outputs, that are transparent, easily accessible and meaningful to the final users. The process of digitalization has the following steps: 1. Establishing the re-MODULEES methodological framework aimed at harmonizing calculation and standards at EU level, i.e. relying on EPBD requirements. 2.
Developing the digital architecture of the platform, including the overall system architecture and logic, the layouts and interfaces of the services offered on it, including existing libraries and databases to be connected. intraoperative protocols to be followed, external existing modules and/or services to be linked (e.g. building management systems, smart grids integrators etc.) 3. Developing the “calculus engine” of the platform, that is, the cost-optimal procedures to be followed for delivering customized, pre-sized solutions for individual renovation cases, according to the different customer journeys adapted to each actor needs and expectations and each market maturity. Objective 2: To nudge relevant stakeholders to renovation by fostering holistic consumer-centred business models and decision tools, supported by evidence-based performances This objective aims to foster user orientated business models for energy efficiency and clean energy solution via the re-MODULEES retrofitting market activation platform. In this sense, the re-MODULEES platform represents a digital Renovation Hub that that helps bringing together consumers’ and suppliers’ needs and expectations in the local renovation markets (concepts, technologies, products) based on three key elements: - Trust: providing transparency, track-records and reputation; re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 15 - Matching: the building of a solution that has the potential to negotiate with all the suppliers on behalf of the consumer; - Nudging: to encourage behaviour of consumers and supporting decision making.
The re-MODULEES platform will be used to provide a user-friendly access for several types of stakeholders including the Local Advisory Boards to all needed and relevant (GIS-based) knowledge and tools to: - facilitate decision making on deep renovation before the renovation; - launch Best Practices Cases according to local specific market characteristics; - follow up the real performances with personalized information after the renovation; - monitoring of the acceleration of the renovation rate in the pilot markets. The aim of the re-MODULEES platform is: - To translate valuable project results for practical applications and by involving relevant stakeholders in the platform and for community building of these stakeholders; - To improve performances of deep renovation by enhanced quality control, supported by targeted CPD and training, addressing the entire value chain in a cross-trade multidisciplinary approach; - To make renovation concepts both more attractive and more reliable to consumer/end-users and stakeholders involved in the renovation process, providing attractive and understandable information. Objective 3: Facilitate decision making on deep renovation by tackling demand and supply sided social, financial and legal barriers This objective aims to give guidance on how to engage several non-technical barriers: 1. Offering easy access to affordable financing for deep renovation: When it comes to home renovation financing, the issue is not about the lack of investment capital, but rather about connecting capital markets with building owners as well as individual homeowners undertaking the renovations. The requirements of investors (security, stability, and returns) must be matched with owners’ needs (affordable, easy to access financing).
Therefore, activities are planned such as: - Mapping relevant financial instruments given the national and local context, stakeholders needs; - Mapping financing alternatives (bank, financial institutions etc.) at a local/regional/national level; - Mapping relevant fiscal incentives and subsidies in place at to support energy efficiency renovation; - Establishing a Financial Work Group of the Local Advisory Boards (LABs) which consists of banks and other financial institutions that offer loans, green mortgages etc. within the local/regional/national levels; - Continuously research new trends in green financing with the aim of offering financial products customized to the citizens’ needs and make specific recommendations. 2. Providing solutions for overcoming legal and regulatory barriers by developing blueprints for solutions to be implemented on a national scale. This action entails the isolation of locally available renovation practices, the specific national requirements (in terms of both energy performance targets and share of renewable installed), and the compliance to legal viability criteria, while considering the case-specific operational constraints. 3. Tackling social barriers by involving consumers, end-users by applying an ethnographic and anthropology-based approach, supported by the anthropology experts of IRI UL. Objective 4: Fostering the implementation of the re-MODULEES actions in seven demonstration pilot markets This objective aims to demonstrate that re-MODULEES actions are financially viable and attractive at the local level, by testing the re-MODULEES platform, tools and services with the consumer-members and relevant regional stakeholders of the seven Demonstration Pilot Markets (Italy, Spain, Greece, France, Bulgaria, Netherlands and Slovenia).
Data sources availability, granularity and maintenance is to be studied and ensured, and actual performances of retrofitted buildings and other data are to be collected, defining standardized monitoring protocols and post-occupancy evaluation schemes, etc. in order to fine-tuning diagnosis, modules and overall methodology. Pilot Markets are a key feature of re-MODULEES: they are intended as geographical areas on which a wide scale market impact could be reached, by involving all the most relevant actors which structure the retrofitting value chain, from owners, to associations, consultancies, service providers and policy makers. The LAB that will be activated in each pilot market will be composed of stakeholders coming from the most relevant categories connected to the retrofitting process including 1) demand side 2) supply side 3) institutional bodies and 4) financial bodies. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 16 Objective 5: To roll out the re-MODULEES concept on a European level, supported by a go-to-market exploitation at MS-level This objective aims to exploit and promote the re-MODULEES concept on a wider European scale. Project partners, as well as supporting partners, which have committed themselves trough a Letter of Support, have promoted and implemented the digital tools and business models to their peers, clients, member and network, i.e. via targeted workshops. This objective will be supported by an exploitation plan, aiming to: 1 Facilitate structural changes into local markets aimed at boosting the uptake of deep retrofitting, thanks to an active engagement of private and public relevant subjects (e.g.
regional authorities); 2 Accelerate the on-boarding of possible adopters, partners and sponsors (demand and supply side) of the re- MODULEES platform; 3 Incubate ready-to-go market concepts in locally based Competence Centres and OSS offices; 4 Validate platform-based and consumer-centred business models for triggering and activating investment opportunities on the local markets. Such exploitation actions will be thoroughly performed in each pilot market to maximize the uptake of the re- MODULEES solutions and platform; such actions are conceived according to a general market exploitation strategy, defined and coordinated at consortium level, but will be carried out according to local situations and backgrounds, in order to prove adequate flexibility and sensitivity to different needs and exigencies. 1.3. The re-MODULEES concept a. Introduction: Why introducing the re-MODULEES Retrofitting market activation concept During the last years numerous European projects have developed wealth of solutions to accelerate and support large scale deep renovation of the European housing stocks, both on technologies, innovative business models as on financing. These outcomes were already mapped for example in H2020 Pro GETon E 2 and during several sessions during Sustainable Places 2018 and 2019, and several other occasions, initiated and organised by the H2020 cluster projects on deep renovation 3 . Yet, there still are many supply and demand side barriers preventing building renovation from reaching the necessary scale, especially in the residential sector. One of the reasons that these barriers still need to be overcome is that it often lacks a real market uptake of these outcomes. Therefore, re-MODULEES aims to take the next step, i.e. from solid exploitation plans to market uptake.
To make this step three transition paths are envisaged: Transition path 1: Towards capitalizing available outcomes, both technical and non-technical from recent EU projects on deep renovation In order to avoid possible NINO or GIGO-like lock-ins (nothing in-nothing out / garbage in-garbage out), reliable standard data will be gathered, target groups will be detected accurately, in order to auditing both the supply and demand sides through structured engagement procedures (including, for instance, professionals and building companies well representative of market complexities). Customer journey approaches will be leveraged. This work will help to understand “how many different retrofitting markets” do exist in at Member State (MS) level, establishing baselines for each of them and highlighting similarities, differences and integration potentials among each other. Basing on such preliminary market profiling, a market clustering task will be then carried out, aimed at defining on one side a standard modular architecture of deep energy retrofitting process at EU level, and on the other, at clustering markets according to common challenges, barriers, bottlenecks, needs and opportunities. Such modularization will be reflected in the definition of the overall platform architecture. A large set of EU projects were analysed, to evaluate the uptake potential of innovative solutions, tools and approaches there contained with respect to each module of the retrofit process architecture developed, in each market profiled. Such a “sourcing scenario” is also analysed to understand possible synergies and overlaps between selected solutions, as well as possible directions of further developments aimed at filling eventual gaps that prevent their full market exploitation.
Transition path 2: Towards a digitalized access to these outcomes and relevant Key Exploitable Results 2 Pro GETon E, D2.1 ‘Report on the state of the art of deep renovation to n ZEB and pre-fab system in EU’ 3 The H2020 cluster projects is an joint initiative of a number of H2020 projects on deep renovation such as MORE-CONNECT, 4Rin EU, Pro GETon E, P2Endure, Triple A-reno, Abracadabra, DRIVE 0, STUNNING, HAPPEN re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 17 Digitalization must be understood as realisation of a decision support system to clients, professionals and entrepreneurs, and not as a set of automated routines. According to a flexible approach, all conditions (technical institutional, public services related. etc.) within the variegated landscape of EU retrofitting markets will be addressed; in particular, customization of solutions will be pursued, according to each market maturity and actor concrete needs and expertise, with the aim of enhancing the added value of professional work, empowering competences, raising and homogenizing the overall quality level of professional services, standardizing features, and increasing productivity and reliability by cutting on time-costs connected to inessential manual operations. The construction of the platform will follow the resulting steps: A. Establishing the re-MODULEES methodological frameworks aimed at harmonizing calculation at EU level, i.e. relying on EPDB requirements; this will be done by evolving the state-of-the art of existing solutions or approaches. In particular, starting from Tabula 4 , a number of relevant reference buildings could be taken into account, and be matched to other relevant data, abacus and libraries that could be capitalized from other existing sources, and be extended “across EU regions and climates” (e.g.
costs, micro-climatic data, technical solutions, LCA or LCC analysis, holistic performances, step-by-step approaches etc.). B. Developing the digital architecture of the platform, that is the general structure and overall system logic, the layouts and interfaces of the services offered on it, including libraries and databases to be connected, intraoperative protocols to be followed, external existing modules or services to be linked (e.g. building management systems, smart grids integrators, community based actions), etc. Services should aim at generating an assisted one-stop-shop, where input data related to individual renovation cases (real buildings in real conditions), are turned into outputs such as pre-sized solutions, tailored financial instruments, streamlined certifications, individual renovation roadmaps, or building passports. Furthermore, a library of “cornerstones” will be implemented, that is reference retrofitting interventions already performed, which proved to be particularly successful in all their phases, from the design, to the works, to post-occupancy evaluation, and will be used as demonstrators of the effectiveness of the proposed solutions and tools. C. Developing the “calculus engine” of the platform, that is, the cost-optimal procedures to be followed for delivering customized, pre-sized solutions for individual renovation cases, according to the different customer journeys adapted to each actor needs and expectations and each market maturity. To this extent, a “multi path” will be followed: at end-user level, simplified pre-calculated solutions may be offered, to trigger interest and engagement of potential investors, with special reference to small owners; at professional level, fully customizable and holistic cost-optimal solutions generator will be offered, e.g. via live remote computing, basing on a semi-stationary analysis; etc.
Transition path 3: Towards credible and impactful implementation by establishing Renovation Hubs in seven selected pilot markets The third transition path focuses on demonstrating that the re-MODULEES capitalized modules (transition path 1) are financially, technically and socially viable and attractive at the national (and local) level, by involving consumer- members and relevant regional stakeholders in the co-creation process and testing the re-MODULEES automated decision support system tools and services (transition path 2). This will be implemented in seven selected Project Pilot Markets: Italy, Spain, Greece, France, Bulgaria, Netherlands, Slovenia, representing the variety of market structures and maturity scenarios to impact the EU-level context and accordingly exploit it, and to roll out the concept in other EU Member States. b. The re-MODULES concept: focusing on relevant stakeholders in the value chain Re-MODULEES will focus on renovation of residential buildings and will address relevant stakeholders in the value chain and particularly consumers and end-users. In following table an overview is given of the main involved stakeholders and target groups, their profiles, elements to include in the business cases and providers of services. Stakeholder types Specific profile and problems addressed Elements included in re- MODULEES How it is addressed and covered in re-MODULEES Stakeholders on demand side 4 https://episcope.eu/building-typology/ re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 18 Multifamily buildings owned by a social housing company or by a municipality Participation rules (collective and ‘over-ruling’). Ownership spread among individuals and organizations, how to start the communication, how to present data needed for decision making. 1) Involving individuals with a huge diversity in collective sense to ensure involvement and engagement.
2) Matching the power of the housing company or municipality with the collective of the tenants. 3) Creating community of residents This large group of social housing or municipalities is covered by associated partner Housing Europe (Lo S) Privately-owned single-family dwellings Each homeowner on its own (fragmentation) How to facilitate social neighbourhood /local community dialog. How to connect local SME’s to local demand One-stop-shop as a concept of customers journeys for house owners, represented by UIPI Condominiums Administrators of condominiums must manage different interests and contributions from the involved owners, making renovation decision-making and action slower. How to involve homeowners and tenants in collective sense to ensure engagement towards bottom-up based renovations decision-making process Condominiums are covered by partner UIPI Possible providers of services and propositions ESCO’s construction companies investors For investors (ESCO and end users as well) it is difficult to find easily accessible information on a large set of existing buildings How to increase by a greater amount the number and the impact of candidate buildings for deep renovation This group is represented by partner R2M Architects How to guarantee the performance in use and close the performance gap, while raising the architectural value during the energy retrofit. Architects approach to a retrofit from a holistic point of view, not only EP and IEQ, but also looking at flexibility and adaptability. This large group of 600 000 EU architects is covered by ACE (Lo S) Concept developers For concept developers offering propositions to individual house owners it is difficult to convince and motivate these end-users to deep renovation Support to individual house owners with decision making tools.
Awareness campaigns by the renovation hubs One-stop-shop as a concept of customers journeys for house owners as developed by BHG UIPI (as consortium partners) will mobilize their national members, not only for collaboration in the seven market pilots but also in other MS’s. National members will be recruited (using i.e. the successful Triple A-reno roadshow concept) and engaged into workshops and trainings for mapping technical, financial, renovation barriers as well as defining renovation customer journeys of the private sector (homeowners, tenants, condominium, etc). c. The re-MODULEES concept: Key cornerstones for the Local Advisory Boards (LABs) re-MODULEES creates a context for a stakeholder environment, which forms the basis for creating the LABs (transition path 3).
Following key cornerstones are identified: Key cornerstones Involving Key target groups House owners and building owners, Housing companies, these are the re-MODULEES two main key target groups to nudge them to renovation, bringing them together in and for co-creation supported by the renovation hubs Key partners in the renovation labs Product/service supplier; Contractors; Local retail stores; Experts in building and energy, Financial institutions and advisories; Property Managers/Administrators as main contact point with individual owners in horizontal properties; Policy Decision Makers Key activities Marketing; Building inspection and energy audit; Recommendations and energy certificate; Project management; Legal assistance in filing of applications for subventions; Technical inspection; applicable Financial Schemes, Execution of renovation (by hired contractors); Service/after sales Key resources Project Managers; Administration and marketing personnel; Architects/Engineers; Energy auditors; Contractors re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 19 Value proposition Provide knowledge of holistic renovation; Personal visits; On site analysis; Technical analysis; Funding procurement; Energy certificate; Project management; Holistic renovation Customer relationship Dedicated personal assistance; Ubiquitous virtual platform Customer segments Owners in selected areas (per building/personal characteristics); Owners/consumers associations; Public Housing associations Channels On a very direct level like: Local newspaper; Houseowner Associations magazines; Local environmental plans; Mailing campaigns; Invitation to local information evenings; Neighbours’ Meetings, other Meeting points with for building and homeowners such as city events.
Costs Salaries; Travel; Marketing; Knowledge dissemination; Administration and support; ICT Revenue Analysis, energy audits and Energy Certificate; Renovation; Brokerage fee (coordinating the customers and suppliers); Subscription fee; Commission from product suppliers d. The re-MODULEES concept: LABs pro-actively engaging the market Because pilot markets are intended as geographical areas on which a wide scale market impact could be reached, the project will be involving all the most relevant actors which structure the retrofitting value chain, such as large owners, associations, consultancies, service providers, investors and policy makers. In this framework, Local Advisory Boards (LABs) will be activated in each country and will be composed of stakeholders coming from the most relevant categories connected to the retrofitting process including experts in the 1) financial, 2) technical, 3) social 4) legislative fields of the renovation market. The activities of 4 corresponding Working Groups will be planned as a harmonized set of tasks, locally adapted and implemented, and whose results will be clustered at EU-level and will act as feedback and inputs for further exploitation and replication. The LABs work as both activators and validators of the local renovation practices. Re-MODULEES used an ethnography-inspired people-centred approach to support the re-LABs activities. Anthropologists involved in the project supported project partners on their way to a deeper understanding of the various aspects of the renovation practices. They were encouraged to take into consideration the perspective of human experience, one that is often overlooked in otherwise techno-centric projects, as well as the role of complex social processes and ‘real-life’ settings.
The tailored people-centred approach, using elements of ethnographic research (participant observation, interviews, focus groups, etc.), therefore provided tools for deeper understanding of people and their habits as well as a source of rich (qualitative) data for impact monitoring. The results were used to steer the development of re-MODULEES renovation hubs and better informed management of KER’s. 1.4. The re-MODULEES methodology re-MODULEES has developed a market activation platform based on the modularization of an array of innovative renovation tools, solutions and approaches selected according to local market conditions and needs, to be extended across EU regions and climates. Core theme of the re-MODULEES methodology is the activation of the seven pilot markets in as many EU MS (Italy, Spain, Greece, France, Bulgaria, Slovenia and the Netherlands), representing the variety of social-geographical-economical-policy ecosystems in Europe, of renovation market structures and their maturity scenarios. All pilot markets had especially a focus territory, where a complete renovation supply chain is settled, spanning from local public bodies to higher level institutions and from individual actors to well-structured networks and associations; from this focus, pilot activities and outcomes will be then progressively scaled-up to national and EU levels.
Pilot market activation will be pursued by fostering an integration among three fundamental market domains: re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 20 - the “physical realm”, meant as the concrete conditions of local EU retrofitting markets; this will be addressed by carrying out a market profiling activity on the field of seven EU pilot markets and by scouting, analysing and assessing innovative solutions from relevant EU projects as well as from local best practices; - the “virtual realm”, meant as the domain of digital services aimed to foster and enhance the market uptake of deep retrofitting; this will be addressed by developing and testing the re-MODULEES Automated Decision Support System, aimed to offer innovative and tailored services to the retrofitting markets according to a GIS-based and modular approach; - the “people realm”, meant as the human component of retrofitting markets; this will be addressed by demonstrating in the 7 pilot markets the financial, technical and social viability and attractiveness of the re- MODULEES market activation platform, with the aim of establishing a “Renovation Hub” in each market, in which national and local drivers will be exploited and value chains will be involved in the application of tailored and endogenous renovation and business models, geared to end-users. The integration of these market domains was pursued through a iterative and circular approach, leading to systematic and mutual feeding, according to the scheme illustrated in the side figure. The “transmission chain” for this market integration will be entrusted to the creation, in each pilot market, of renovation Local Advisory Board (LABs), in which relevant regional and national stakeholders as well as consumer members will be engaged within cooperation, co-creation and expert steering activities.
LABs, though located in WP4, will be involved directly in many project activities related to the scouting, assessment, testing and validation of solutions; furthermore they will be the fly-wheel for the incubation and roll-out, during the project lifetime, of the re-MODULEES Renovation Hubs in the pilot countries; finally, they will bridge the project’s core activities with Exploitation, Communication, Dissemination and Training activities. This approach completed the core re-MODULEES actions into a more comprehensive methodology, aimed at capitalizing their output in view of the widest outreach across EU Regions and climates. re-MODULEES developed and supported tailored business models in each of the Pilot Markets, and further exploitation and market uptake of re-MODULEES renovation tools, and the services of the LABs via the adoption of a large variety of distribution channels at the local and EU level. The re-MODULEES services has disseminated and communicated through a) awareness raising events, b) marketing campaigns, and c) training and capacity buildings throughout Europe. These three distinct types of actions will be tailored to different stakeholder types and rely on the national member associations and the national stakeholder network of re-MODULEES partners at different levels: 1) Pilot Market level (regional and national): Marketing elements to ensure the attractive roll-out of the communication towards member of the LABs and the digital and virtual Renovation Hubs; 2) EU level: To support communication towards identified target key groups (consumers, consumer associations, associations of property owners, landlord, portfolio managers, regional governments of housing and/or city councils); and 3) Project level: Project results and outputs communication EU wide to broader audience, different stakeholders’ groups as scientific communities. 1.5.
The necessity for a further definition of terms within re-MODULEES Already at the beginning of the project, when the first steps and activities for the activation of the pilot markets, it became clear that it was necessary to come to a more specific definition of a number of terms. This clarification and definition was needed to set a common, shared ground for the future activities of re-MODULEES. The most important clarification is needed for making clear the differences/diversities among “re-LAB” and “re-HUB” in terms of role, activities and governance. re-LAB(s) – They are operational during the project life and have a local/regional focus (the 7 pilot markets). They provide assistance, support, and advice based on the specific needs of the relevant re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 21 stakeholders at local level. They are the testing beds to validate and seed the activities after the end of re MODULEES and will make quarter for the re-HUBs re-HUB will be operational by the end after the end of re-MODULEES and will have an international breath. It will guarantee the continuation of the building renovation process (delivery of modular services). The re-HUB is a structured entity through formal agreements within partners/stakeholders. It can be seen as an internationally governed hub with local nodes (for example regional formalised networks of relevant stakeholders, a possible evolution - after the end of the project - of the re-LABs). re-MODULEES platform – Web portal/digital platform owned by the re-MODULEES partners that allow access to modules, services and communities and acts as showcase/promotion channel. This is in fact the implementation of the outcomes of WP3 Integration & Digitalization. This first distinction introduces another important aspect to start reflecting on: what will be the future of a re-LAB after re-MODULEES?
There appeared a number of options that were discussed: Option 1: The re-LAB will become one of the local nodes of the re-HUB. Option 2: The re-LAB decides not to be part of the re-HUB network and operates at local level as a point of presence for meeting and advising using its own modules. Option 3: If local stakeholders – who were forming the re-LAB during re-MODULEES - decide to be not involved in the re-HUB system (option 2), they (the local re-LAB) can decide to access modules and services from the re-MODULEES Platform at agreed/discounted prices. There are also some additional points for clarifications and discussion among the Consortium to guarantee the use of the results and achieving an impact: The local nodes of the Re-HUB can be physical (a place with staff and equipment) or virtual (an organised a group of people working together thanks to the digital platform). As it is today, there will be 2 physical nodes, the others will be digitally based. For what concerns the Digital ones an agreement among partners will be needed, to ensure both local operations and interaction with other nodes and use of the Re-MODULEES Platform. For what concerns the Physical point the management and governance should be further discussed. The Governance (relationship between local nodes and international hub) is still to be discussed and set up. In the discussion for the governance set up the following elements should be considered: re-LABs created local communities, they are supposed to be self-funded by the local stakeholders they represent an asset to be considered when formalising what will happen after the end re-MODULEES. Where applicable and possible, the re-LABs will connect with similar ongoing local activities, rather than starting as a new activity, thus avoiding unnecessary competition and confusion.
In the case of connecting with existing activities re-MODULEES offers extra services and tools to these existing activities. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 22 The re-MODULEES platform will need to be maintained/promoted/operated and this will mean future costs. This requires agreements on the ownership of the platform after the end of the project on its use and on how to cover costs. An option can be licensing agreements to use the platform. If value (reputation/visibility) will be generated before the end of the project, it should be preserved with a brand, a re-MODULEES brand that can be used in the different markets. Of course it should be agreed and formalised how to use it. The Re-MODULEES platform (see section 4) also needed further reflections. If there will be a system with a central hub and local nodes, each local node will have a subset of services for its own local market. At the start of the project each re-HUB has an its own platform/web page which are now linked to a Central re-MODULEES Platform (at the re-Hub level). The Central Platform creates a value to regional node adding the international dimension/visibility. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 23 2. Towards a people centred approach for a market activation platform for deep renovation For re-MODULEES project to pursue its ambitions effectively and meaningfully, the consortium needed to improve its understanding of the renovation markets in participating countries. Most significantly, this required a good understanding of the people who drive the market activities and influence the building renovation and/or retrofitting processes in various roles, with consideration of communities and ecosystems of which they are part of.
Our working assumption was that re-MODULEES tools and processes can only be effective and impactful if they are valuable and meaningful to the people they serve, be it directly or indirectly. Moreover, such an approach is appropriate from the standpoint of Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI; see Chen et al. 2022; 5 Owen et al. 2013 6 ), not simply to comply with minimal ethical standards required or expected by the funding authority but to provide ground for conscious practice of RRI principles, making the project more transparent, inclusive, sensible, and ultimately credible. Re-MODULEES people-centred approach, based on the ethnography-inspired People Centred Development 7 model, was horizontal, spanning throughout the project. It consisted of three main activities – (1) activation of and engagement with the Local Advisory Boards (re-LABs), (2) definition of User-Centred Value Propositions, and (3) collection of Success stories and best practices. Activation and engagement of the re-LABs, done as Task 4.1, was the main activity, combined with other iterative investigative activities at different stages of the project development. Below we provide a summary of the three main activities followed by a concluding note of the value of a people- centred approach in re-MODULEES. 2.1. Activation of re-LABs Re-MODULEES Local Advisory Boards or re-LABs are composed of representatives from four main areas that make up the building renovation markets – supply, private demand, public demand, and financial side. The idea behind the activation of re-LABs was to facilitate access to knowledge and expertise, networking opportunities, and the ability to influence policy and decision-making.
This materialized through re-MODULEES activities, and today re-LABs provide a platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration among key market actors, which leads to increase in rates of building renovation, uptake of innovative energy solutions, and the creation of new business opportunities in the building renovation market. The first step in re-LAB activation process was to identify key market actors and stakeholders – the public and private demand, supply and financial side. Second step was to reach out to the identified stakeholders and invite them to participate in the project activities. Finally, once a core group of engaged stakeholders was formed, the re-LAB members periodically gathered to support the development of re-MODULEES solutions and search for pathways for further advancement of their local building renovation markets. Among other things, the purpose of re-LAB interactions was to: Study stakeholder groups (private and public demand, suppliers, and financial institutions), Define challenges in the existing pilot market contexts, Analyse and optimize Customer Journeys for identified key market profiles, and 5 Chen, Jiahong, Elena Nichele, Zack Ellerby, and Christian Wagner 2022 “Responsible Research and Innovation in Practice: Driving Both the ‘How’ and the ‘What’ to Research.” Journal of Responsible Technology 11 (October 2022): 100042. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrt.2022.100042. 6 Owen, Richard, Jack Stilgoe, Phil Macnaghten, Mike Gorman, Erik Fisher, and Dave Guston. 2013 “A Framework for Responsible Innovation.” Responsible Innovation, April 2, 2013, 27–50. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118551424.ch2 7 People-Centred Development (PCD) is a framework for R&D activities that bridge the gap between the qualitative and the quantitative worldviews.
Traditionally, technical aspects were at the heart of development efforts in the area of EPCs, while qualitative aspects, concerning different people and the roles they play in the context of EPC schemes, were often neglecting. PCD is application-oriented and prioritizes involvement of people in the core R&D processes, specifically the representatives of user groups and communities targeted by the activities. The approach gives special attention to production of qualitative insights and interdisciplinary knowledge. More specifically, it integrates ethical principles and qualitative methods of ethnographic research into spheres that are typically dominated by techno-centred disciplines and associated STEM sciences. As such, PCD approach continuously proves to be a successful model for development of robust interdisciplinary projects and innovation opportunities with an accentuated qualitative dimension. (see Cerinšek et al. 2021) re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 24 Search for new insights and refine existing knowledge, particularly with regard to the existing local market profile. Overview of the re-LAB activation process, including the definition of their purpose, structure, and member benefits, was provided by CERTIMAC, the leader of WP4. In practice, the re-MODULEES people-centred engagement methodology was first tested in Slovenia by IRI UL, the leaders of Task 4.1 which was dedicated to the activation of re-LABs, and a re-LAB activation guideline was created based on their experiences. Online training was provided to other six pilot markets to transfer the framework into their contexts. The guideline, both in textual and video format, covered interview guidelines, analysis and interpretation templates for engagement, re-LAB interaction, value proposition validation, notes for notetaking and keeping track of activities and best practices collection template.
Partners tailored the methods to their local pilot markets’ contexts, searching for answers to the universal re- MODULEES research questions, such as: Which are the truly valuable results of relevant European projects with regard to re-MODULEES aspirations? How are we going to provide access to the key results of relevant European projects for different actors in the building and renovation market? How are we going to foster wide market uptake of the individual technical and non-technical renovation solutions created in EU projects? If we plan to do this primarily through the re-MODULEES Retrofitting Market Activation Platform, how are we going to foster wide market uptake of the platform. Due to the COVID-19 pandemics, the activation and engagement methodology was adjusted to fit the current national health guidelines and regulations, meaning a lot of the work had to be done remotely and on-line. A large part of the process was therefore conducted in the form of interviews and video conferences, only in later stages also in the form of in-person group meetings. A more detailed account of re-LAB activation is provided in Deliverable 4.1 – Activation of Local Advisory Boards (Bančič and Vetršek 2023 8 ), describing re-LAB engagement methodology and the re-LAB activation timeline in further detail. In summary, re-LABs are small action groups of key actors and stakeholders relevant for the functioning and development of markets at the local or regional levels. The re-LABs are specifically focused on activity-in and development-of the building renovation markets, or otherwise, aim to facilitate the adoption of re-MODULESS solutions for activating the building renovation markets across the EU.
That said, the concept of re-LABs as established within re-MODULEES project, following the methods of activation and engagement, is transferable and replicable for use in other types of market activation & development efforts, also those entirely unrelated to building renovation or anything building-related. 2.2. Defining Value Propositions To inform and steer the development of re-MODULEES solutions, project partners dedicated significant effort towards identifying user needs and expectations in relation to re-MODULEES Value Propositions (VP). A large part of this work was done in context of Task 5.2, dedicated specifically to the exercise of collecting and defining the re- MODULEES user-centred VPs. This was part of intelligence gathering to understand the local building renovation ecosystem and gain insights into the challenges and opportunities associated with process implied in the functioning of these ecosystems. A specific template was prepared by the task leader, IRI UL, along with a guideline for the re-MODULEES Customer Journey validation (related closely to Task 3.2, dedicated to the architecture of the re-MODULEES platform). The 1 st iteration of Value Proposition (VP) research (D5.1) was focused on pains and constraints in the framework of the activation and development of retrofitting markets. The 2 nd (D5.2) was focused on business model canvas categories such as “jobs to be done”, “gain creators” and “pain relievers”. Final iteration (D5.3) was focused on identifying the actual and already existing benefits (values) that re-MODULEES creates in the seven building renovation & retrofitting 8 Bančič, Domen and Jure Vetršek 2023 ‘Activation of Local Advisory Boards. D4.1- Report on the activation of Local Advisory Boards.’ re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 25 pilot markets.
Specific definitions of re-MODULEES VP were distilled by our partners using the following formula for VP definition: “Our [INSERT RE-MODULEES SOLUTION] helps [INSERT BENEFICIARY] who want to [INSERT NEED/ PAIN/ CONSTRAINT/ REQUIRED ACTION] by [INSERT PAIN RELIEVER] and/or [INSERT GAIN CREATOR] unlike [INSERT COMPETITION/CURRENT CONDITION].” Figure 1: Value proposition canvas explained in D5.3. Based on these VP definitions, collected in the final report, Deliverable 5.3 – User-Centred Value Propositions (Vetršek and Bančič 2023 9 ), we conclude that re-MODULEES project generates real positive impact in all seven observed pilot markets. Several pains & constraints that hamper the renovation market uptake were identified and validated by all seven partners and therefore present relevant reference points to address collectively (at the European level), while other identified issues identified for individual countries or regions can be addressed individually (at the national level). Outcomes of Task 5.2 once again stressed the importance of collaboration among key market actors in the effort to activate or enhance the building renovation market. 2.3. Collection of Success stories The third activity in the framework of the people-centred re-MODULEES approach was the collection of Success stories, done in the context of Task 2.2. The stories were collected through a combination of desktop research and use of ethnographic approaches, such as focus groups or interviews, and later used to populate the re-MODULEES digital platform database developed in WP3. In practice, direct interactions with key informants were done in the context of re-LAB engagements, meaning that the same interviews and meetings of re-LABs were used to collect success stories and good practices which were then recorded in a dedicated Success stories collection template and finally delivered to WP3 leaders
To complete the task of stories collection, partners were provided with a Stories collection template and a corresponding protocol, jointly prepared by IVE (WP3 leaders) and IRI UL (T2.2 leader). It was required that each partner should fill out the Story Library template following the accompanying instructions and examples of the 9 Vetršek, Jure and Domen Bančič 2023 ‘User-Centred Value Propositions: D5.3 - Final report (3/3).’ re-MODULEES project Deliverable 5.3, October 2023. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 26 Slovenian Story Library prepared by IRI UL. The partners were free to choose which cases (renovation stories or building types) they wanted to contribute, covering various typologies. Results from this process were reported in Deliverable 2.2 - Local costumer journeys and success stories library (Zavrl et al. 2022 10 ) and a selection of success stories is already available on the re-MODULEES digital platform (See https://re-modulees.five.es/#/bestpractices, last accessed 19. 06. 2024). Figure 2: The stories collection template from D2.2. 2.4. The value of people-centred approach in re-MODULEES In summary, the activities described above enabled re-MODULEES project to meet the project ambitions associated with producing meaningful people-centred outcomes in an ethical way. The project consortium kept in touch with their relevant stakeholders throughout the project duration, making the project more transparent, inclusive, sensible, and ultimately credible. Engagement activities were intentionally designed to create space for interaction and exchange of knowledge and ideas, creating opportunities for development of concrete actionable solutions through collaboration of local market actors. The value of people-centred research in re-MODULEES is therefore twofold.
On the one hand it enabled better understanding of the needs, problems, and preferences of stakeholders, which helped the consortium to optimize project efforts in development of re-MODULEES solutions. This allowed for the validation and definition of research findings, leading to both concrete universal and country-specific findings. These helped the project address the most pronounced stakeholders' ‘pains and constraints’, ultimately leading to useful outcomes and valuable gains for the stakeholders. On the other hand, these activities created space for peripheral interactions between the participant of the activities which enabled spontaneous interaction between key market actors. This is beneficial for the advancement of the building renovation markets which, in large part at least, is dependent on good relations and connections between key market stakeholders. In more general terms, re-MODULEES people centred approach also contributed to raising awareness, providing access to information for the wide scope of stakeholders, which presents important grounds for future advancements of the retrofitting markets across Europe. 10 Zavrl, Eva, Domen Bančič and Jure Vetršek 2022 ‘Local customer journeys and success stories library.’ re-MODULEES project Deliverable 2.2, October 2022 re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 27 3. Resources and tools capitalized by re-MODULEES 3.1. Introduction To achieve the first objective of the project (see section 1.2) it is necessary to generate the input knowledge base for the re-MODULEES platform business model by deep market profiling regarding the seven re-MODULEES pilot markets aimed to setting the baselines for the further project tasks; solutions scouting aimed to prepare their capitalization phase.
A thorough market profiling has investigated on one hand technical and operational characters of pilot markets as well as social aspects related to supply side and to acceptance modes. This included a comprehensive and thorough investigation of innovative available tools, services and applications (TT/SS/AA) on the local retrofitting market will be then carried out, aimed to set the ground for their successive market exploitation. TT/SS/AA selected will be matched with market profiles generated, in a way to create sourcing scenarios aimed at nurturing the re- MODULEES platform (see section 4) activities. TT/SS/AA selected will be matched with market profiles generated, in a way to create sourcing scenarios aimed at nurturing WP3 activities. A clustering work will be carried out with reference both to market profiles produced as well as to TT/SS/AA, leading to the generation of an opportunity matrix of market untapped potentials, and vice versa, of market limits and barriers. Finally, a standard modular architecture (SMA) will was produced of the deep energy retrofitting process, viable at EU level; this works as a guidance for the actions connected to all the actions in the project. Local Advisory Boards (LABs) were engaged in the activities. The workflow of the LAB engagement was as follows: - EU projects and other programmes will be reviewed at consortium level, TT/SS/AA detected; - the results of the analysis will be transferred at MS level, where proposed TT/SS/AA will be reviewed and enriched by LABs according to local market background knowledge; - reviewed TT/SS/AA will be returned at consortium level for a proof-of-concept of the SMA; - final validation at MS of the WP results. 3.2.
Clustering of market features and TT/AA/SS capilatization To capitalize the tools developed in previous EU project, it is crucial to analyses the renovation market in the seven countries renovation markets for energy efficiency of buildings. Therefore, after a deep scouting of pilot market features through a specific people-centered analysis and the involvement of the re-LAB members and project partners, a clustering process were conducted to identify the characteristics, peculiarities, barriers, and potential of each market. This clustering focused on: Actors of the renovation process, with special reference to the main target groups addressed by the project in the demand, supply, financial and institutional side profilers Renovation Process Structure (RPS), the connections and the networks established among actors according to the clustered list of the actors. This flow-chart is organized according to the phases of the renovation process, where different actors play a role. Constraints, acting on the actors, on their activities, connections and networks in the different side. After the collection of the most relevant information concerning the main constraints acting on the deep energy retrofit in each pilot market, a hierarchical clustering is carried out by summarizing the information collected in the previous phase through a process of data cleaning and transformation. The partners with the involvement of Re-LAB members in each pilot market have been involved to express a vote of relevance about each selected constraint. A vote analysis at pilot and European level aimed at producing a classification of the most important constraints. Innovation trends detected for each pilot markets, intended as potential drivers and catalysts for future market innovation.
Special Topics intended as heterogeneous but peculiar and crucial issues for each single pilot markets. Then, the capitalizations of the best practices for market renovation in the European Union are achieved by carrying out the following activities: Scouting of TT/SS/AA by survey template organized in three steps Analysis of collected data and sourcing scenario through the analysis of TT/SS/AA. In order to scout TT/SS/AA available and useful for the renovation markets, three steps of survey were carried out with also the consultation of the members of the re-LABs established in the 7 countries renovation pilot markets.: re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 28 The first step collects all the most relevant elements required for a preliminary and quick understanding of the proposed TT/SS/AA, and for starting the capitalization in the pilot markets through the re-LABs involvement. The second step deals with the collection of deeper information, necessary to better understand the capitalization and integration conditions of the TT/SS/AA proposed through the re-MODULEES platform. The third step focuses on matching each selected T/S/A with all the clustered constraints for each side (Demand, Supply, Financial and Institutional). The outcomes of the survey were necessary to launch the exploitation activities of the most promising TT/SS/AA through direct interactions at pilot market level by re-LAB activities, as well as through their possible integration within the re-MODULEES market activation platform. To this aim, 45 TT/SS/AA were selected and analyzed in relation to the applicability, the customer journey and to the addressed constraints at EU level and at pilot level.
# Tool name Tool abbreviation Applicability (Geographical scope) 1 BIPV - Building Integrated Photovoltaic BIPV Europe 2 BUILD UP Skills advisor-app BUILD UP Ireland, EU (as region) and the Netherlands. Implementation in progress for Spain, Austria, North Macedonia, France and Hungaria. 3 BUS League - Microtraining Microtraining Austria, Bulgaria, Spain, France, Netherlands, Slovenia. 4 BUSLeague - CHC Register CHC Register Austria, Bulgaria, France, Netherlands, Spain and Slovenia. Available currently in Spain. 5 CAP RENOV+ (additional modules CAP RENOV AIDES) CAP RENOV+ France 6 CERPLAN CERPLAN Italy 7 Coach Copro Coach Copro France re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 29 8 DOCET V3.7 DOCET Italy 9 DRIVE-0 Circular Homes DRIVE-0 Belgium, Estonia, Spain, Italy, Ireland, Netherlands, Slovenia. 10 e-LIBRARY e-LIBRARY Greece 11 ELIH-MED experience ELIH-MED Italy, France, Spain, Greece, Malta, Cyprus, Slovenia. 12 ENERFUND tool ENERFUND Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, UK 13 EPISCOPE EPISCOPE Europe (16 countires) 14 FIT-TO-NZEB trainings FIT-TO-NZEB Ireland, Czech republic, Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Austria, Ukraine, Turkey. 15 Heating system calculator replacement HS REPLACE Austria, Germany, Bosnia ed Erzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia, Slovenia, Spain 16 HEERO HEERO France 17 Home Energy Check (HEC) HEC Austria, Belgium, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Netherlands, UK 18 Home/Building Energy Renovation Tool Qual De EPC Greece, German, Bulgaria, Latvia, Hungary, Belgium, Spain, Sweden 19 i Broad - Roadmap Assistant & Logbook i Broad Bulgaria, Poland, Portugal.
20 Informative resources on the renovation ENSVET Slovenia 21 KLIMAKIT KLIMAKIT Italy (Province of Bozen) 22 Med ZEBProtocol Med ZEB EU Med Countries 23 OPERENE OPERENE France (Region Auvergne Rhone Alpes) 24 Packages of Optimal technical Solutions (POS) POS Europe 25 Pan-European Thermal Atlas PETA Europe 26 PHOTOVOLTAIC GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM PVGIS Europe, Africa, Asia, America. 27 PROCasa Clima2022 CASACLIM A Italy (Province of Bozen) 28 Renewable Energy Community ec ONomic simulator RECON Italy 29 REFURB REFURB Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Slovenia, Estonia, Germany. 30 REHVA calculator to estimate the effect of ventilation on COVID-19 airborne transmition REHVA Europe 31 Save the Homes - renov EU renov EU Spain, Netherlands, Slovenia. Available currently in Spain. 32 Save the Homes - XALOC network XALOC Spain, Netherlands, Slovenia. Available currently in Spain. 33 SISMA SET TOOL SISMA SET Italy, Greece, Slovenia, France, Spain, Bosnia and Herzegovina 34 Smart Energy Performance Assessment Platform (SEPAP) SEPAP Austria, Belgium, Finland, Germany, Greece, Spain 35 SOLAR TIROL SOLAR- TIROL Italy (Tirol and Province of Bozen) 36 The Living EPC Tool e CENTRAL Europe re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 30 37 Training for maintenance staff TRAP-EE Slovenia, Austria, Croatia 38 Train-to-NZEB: The Building Knowledge Hubs of Europe TRAIN-TO- NZEB Bulgarian, Romania, Czech republic, Ukraine, Turkey. 39 Tripe A-reno Energy Transition boardgame Energy Tran sition Game Europe (available in Dutch, Hungarian, Slovenian, Spanish and English) 40 Triple A-Reno Sensi Sensor Tool SENSI TOOL Netherlands, currently testing in Spain. 41 Triple-A-Reno"pro design" renovation wizard RENOWIZ EU27 and Norway 42 Triple A-reno Combined Labeling Tool CLT Europe (tested in the Netherlands, Spain, Slovenia, Italy, Greece, Hungary).
43 Versatile Energy Loan financial solution (VEL) VEL EU Med (validate in Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Greece and Cyprus) 44 X-tendo toolbox X-TENDO Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, UK 45 Ikwoon Ikwoon Netherlands 27 TT/SS/AA can be applied in Europe or can be used only in some specific European countries or with the implementation for other countries in progress. The remaining TT/SS/AA (18) are currently available for a specific European country, often only in the local language: 3 for Spain; 4 for France; 1 for Greece; 6 for Italy; 2 for Netherlands; 2 for Slovenia while Bulgaria has no local TT/SS/AA. In the Customer Journey, a list of five STOPs and the respective STEPs and Needs/Functionalities for each side were generated and the most appropriate ones for each T/S/A were selected. In Task 2.3 TT/SS/AA were divided into three scope groups in relation to CJ: Wide Scope (WS): TT/SS/AA which have the number of the addressed STPEs ≥ 9 distributed among the STOPs from the beginning to the end of CJ; Medium Scope (MS): TT/SS/AA which have a medium number of addressed STEPs; Specific Scope (SS): TT/SS/AA which have a low number of addressed STEPs (≤3) but which could be useful in a specific STEP of the CJ. Data relating the matching between the selected TT/SS/AA and constraints for each side were collected. All seven pilot markets were asked to fulfill constraints information tool in the survey excel sheets and later during the third survey step also directly in the online platform.
Firstly, the tools available in more European countries were analyzed to give a European scenario in which not only the seven pilot markets could draw useful information, but also other member State markets could find interesting guidelines concerning available TT/SS/AA, real constraints of the renovation market and how they interface with each other. The analysis consisted in the verification of how many addressed constraints the 27 European tools have and how many of these constraints belong to the most important European constraints list. Finally, an analysis of tools available and useful for each pilot market is made up. For each Pilot market and for each side, two analyses were carried out: Analysis 1: number of addressed constraints by each available TT/SS/AA and number of these constraints also included in the most important pilot market constraints list. Analysis 2: percentage of the most important addressed constraints with respect to the total of the most important constraints for each pilot. This second analysis is useful to understand which tools could better solve problems concerning the renovation process contextualized for each side in each pilot market. These outputs have populated an opportunity matrix carried out mixing data related to the steps and the needs/functionalities of the Customer Journey addressed by each TT/SS/AA, the number of constraints addressed by each TT/SS/AA. The analysis of the collected data and features of TT/SS/AA versus different criteria allowed the integration of the TT/SS/AA into the re-MODULEES platform through the definition of a Standard Modular Architecture (SMA) of the deep energy retrofitting process at EU level with the validations of re-LABS members. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 31 Filters in the re-MODULEES Platform based on the outcomes of the TT/SS/AA survey re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 32 4.
The development and implementation of the re-MODULEES platform 4.1. Introduction According to Objective 1 (see section 1.2), a turning point for the market uptake of the energy retrofitting of existing residential building is connected to the possibility of accessing automated resources in support of the retrofitting process. This automation is intended as a support to clients (tenants, property owners, professionals and entrepreneurs, or public sector), and customization of solutions will be pursued, according to each profile concrete needs and expertise. Therefore, re-MODULEES deals with the automation of the multi-target solutions, regarding their adaptation to regional climatic, building, socio-economic and market conditions and the multi-level processes, regarding the “breakdown” of the overall retrofit process into standardized segments, and will join and combine knowledge, approaches and tools already available within its clear modular framework, to optimize their uptake on local markets. This will be done through the implementation of a GIS based ICT platform (available in the native languages of the consortium) acting as entry point to the different modules according to a building location and a user profile. The re-MODULESS platform aims to be a scalable tool to display, compare and diagnose, based on several data sources and services, presenting attractive and analytical reports through a webtool.
For the sake of effectiveness of the whole project development and maximize the potential results delivered by the end of the project duration, we adopted AGILE and Scrum development methodologies (iterative and incremental development, adaptive planning, and direct and continued involvement of the consortium’s members in the development process), considering the leaders of each work packages as the scrum leaders to keep the integrity and the success of each deliverable Therefore, following tasks are to be regarded not as a list, but a loop that will be progressively updated and reviewed to take into account the results and suggestions that will come from the other project activities. 4.2. Data & processes collection & analysis First step for developing the platform is two-fold: on the one hand, the platform ‘core’ functionality regarding energy diagnosis of buildings as an entry point to the other resources is analysed and the structure of the data (data model) is stablished accordingly. Then ,the data sources that feed this data model (database) and the availability and readiness of the real data are collected and analysed in order to define the matching of specific real buildings with the re-MODULEES archetypes database and get energy performance information. Regarding the re-MODULEES data model, TABULA data model is used as baseline data model since it is a harmonized structure of European building’s typology that has been implemented in 21 EU members and has been used extensively and successfully in different projects, tools, research, and energy policy. TABULA data model is analysed and compared to other relevant data models and the conclusion is that it is a good baseline, but it requires real data parameters from specific buildings. For this reason, TABULA data model is extended using geolocation data and building’s morphology data.
With this information, it can be obtained automatically the building’s typology and match a specific building with re-MODULEES database and get the building’s energy performance estimation. The analysis shows as well that the energy performance certificate data were also interesting to get the specific building’s energy performance. For this reason, the EPC data were also introduced in the re-MODULEES data model. Regarding the databases that feed the re-MODULEES data model, TABULA database is used as starting point and it is analysed if it fulfils the pilot market’s needs. The result is that in some cases, it is necessary to adapt or extend TABULA database, and in other cases, it is needed to employ different database than TABULA. Therefore, the conclusion is that TABULA database can be based on re-REMODULEES database, but re-REMODULEES platform requires to be adaptable and flexible to allow the edition, update, and extension of TABULA database and to allow the introduction of new databases to fully meet the requirements of all pilot markets. These new parameters added to TABULA, can be, or not, available and automated for each pilot market. We call this readiness of the data, and four scenarios are defined to cover all the cases: Scenario 1: where there is no availability of the data from external web-services Scenario 2: with partial availability of attributes from external web-services re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 33 Scenario 3: with complete availability of attributes from external web-services Scenario 4: where the data available but from external data sources (no web-service). These four scenarios are implemented in the re-MODULEES platform ‘core’ functionality, named ‘one click diagnosis’ to adapt it to all pilot markets cases.
Second block is devoted to the ‘extensions’, and specifically, to their characterization and presentation for discovery and access, and interaction with the re-MODULLEES platform as a whole. This set of functionalities has been finally renamed as ‘Solution Store’, and involves a clustering and intersection with the customer journey, a structured description and an interaction analysis, from which four integration scenarios are defined: Scenario a: functionality belongs to re-MODULES platform Scenario b: functionality connects and work together with re-MODULEES platform Scenario c: functionality is seen inside re-MODULEES platform, but works independently Scenario d: functionality is and works outside re-MODULEES platform. There’s a fifth scenario when functionality is not an on-line resource which in fact closes the circle and means that all that re-MODULEES wants to show about it lays in scenario a. Finally, this step is focused on the residential buildings’ energy renovation data and resources (TTSSAA) available on the different pilot markets and EU levels, and their possibility for discovery, access and interaction automation. Outputs from other activities have though shown that many markets and/or user profiles would better relay/have available examples, peers’ experiences and subjective perceptions than hard data and figures, and that human interactions and self- management functionalities can be preferrable than machine facilitations.
In this context, the whole re-MODULEES platform design considers not only this data and automations available, but also those re- MODULEES outputs, decentering the focus from buildings to people, from data to stories, and thus moving the ‘one click core’ and ‘extensions’ to a ‘solution store’ representing one corner of a triangle where personal managing space and marketplace occupy the other two, and relations between them enable the enhancement of the renovation process value chain. 4.3. Design of the logics & interfaces Based on previous step conclusions, the logics behind the re-MODULEES platform are designed, and interfaces mocked-up to address the whole customer journey based on the different user profiles. To ensure that the re- MODULEES application meets its goals, the three-layer architecture is adapted to handle specific geospatial data processing and visualization requirements. Its architecture is designed to be a robust, scalable, and efficient platform for handling and visualizing geospatial data. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 34 The data layer is the most important part of modern-day technological innovation as it is the one that makes the integration and management of different data sources possible. The architecture of re-MODULEES is carefully structured to be scalable, hence, new data connections can be added through a service-oriented approach. This flexibility is the key for the incorporation of new databases and the linkage of the existing datasets as the platform grows. Besides, the data layer of re-MODULEES not only coordinates the data integration but also underlines the security and the compliance with the existing standards, thus making it possible to keep the data handling processes both intact and confidential. The re-MODULEES project employs two distinct data schemas.
The first schema is dedicated to building diagnostics and integrates geographic information, supporting comprehensive spatial analysis. The second schema underpins the functionality of the portal, facilitating the dissemination and management of applications, users, and articles. The re-MODULEES project adopts a service layer architecture that is prone to ease the communication between the different parts of the system. This architecture allows the services to be combined at different levels of the platform, thus, it is this way that the communication and the data exchange becomes efficient. The service layer is the key to the data management complexities abstraction; therefore, it is easy and simple to use for both the developers and the end-users. Besides, the architecture of this system involves the usage of standardized protocols and APIs as well to facilitate scalability and maintainability of the system. The re-MODULEES architecture is expertly configured to utilize external data sources and datasets for real-time analysis, specifically to enhance energy efficiency scenarios without the need to store this data locally. This approach allows re-MODULEES to access up-to-date and authoritative data directly from external servers, enabling dynamic and on-the-fly processing. Accessing and Utilizing External Cadastral Data Utilizing INSPIRE Data for Energy Efficiency Analysis Efficient Scenario Analysis without Data Storage The application layer architecture of the re-MODULEES project is carefully crafted to guarantee web interactions that are stable and responsive. The UX/UI process in the re-MODULEES project is structured to improve the user interaction and the interface design.
This procedure starts with the analysis of user needs and behaviors that results into the development of the intuitive interfaces that will be easy to navigate and will be useful in the efficiency of operation of the re-MODULEES platform. The design team is aimed at the production of a smooth user experience by adding the feedback system and the iterative testing, which will make the interface user-friendly, and the interface will be able to meet the users’ needs correctly. This way, the system becomes more user friendly and at the same time, it is also kept up to date with the changing user expectations and the new technological developments. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 35 Landing: access to all workspaces, highlighted functionalities & language control One Click: exploring maps with relevant information about pilot markets, energy diagnosis and renovation options or success stories and best practices around Solutions Store: tools, solutions, approaches, documents, regulations, methodologies helping renovation process according to location and profile, with training and reviews. Activity Hub: publications, news and professional membership to configure the market stakeholders’ space. Personal Dashboard: managing work, experience and network. Admin panel: managing the content of a platform version related to a geographic area. All these workspaces allow for different actions (view, access, save, publish, manage) according to different user profiles: Visitor: not registered user that can access and view some sections of the platform. It is asked to be registered at several points of interaction and can change language and filter content manually. Citizen: registered user under a geographic level which receives a language adapted and automatically filtered version of the platform, offering more adapted content.
It can view more sections than the visitor and have access to a private personal space to manage its interaction with the platform. Professional: upgraded profile managed by the regional admin after uploading information and documents related to their professional activity. They get access to a public personal space available for consultation at the Activity Hub and can publish and propose news and solutions. Regional admin: granted by the platform owner and super-admin after signing an agreement, manages and accepts users, solutions, publications, maps and many other contents of its version of the platform. Finally, mockups served as a functional guide for implementation. The design team focused on creating an intuitive interface for the end user, streamlining the navigation by minimizing the number of clicks, buttons, and sections required for operation. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 36 4.4. Implementation & Deployment of the platform Utilizing a combination of powerful software components, previous design supports a broad range of functionalities from data storage and processing to web hosting and map integration: Apache2 serves is the fundamental web host for the application. Renowned for its stability and reliability, it is responsible for handling HTTP requests and serving web content to users and acts as the gatekeeper, ensuring that client requests are routed to the correct services, and static content is delivered efficiently. At the core of the re-MODULEES backend is Node JS, a highly performant Java Script runtime built on Chrome's V8 Java Script engine. This component is essential for executing the server-side code of the re-MODULEES application. The specific version used is 14.21.1, ensuring compatibility with modern Java Script features and stability in production environments. Alongside Node JS, PM2 is employed as a process manager.
This tool is crucial for deploying the backend into production, offering features such as load balancing, automatic restarts, and log management. By using PM2, the re-MODULEES application can achieve high availability and zero-downtime deployments. Postgre SQL provides the relational database framework for storing data within the re-MODULEES application. Known for its robustness and performance, Postgre SQL supports advanced data types and operations critical in geospatial and web applications. PGAdmin graphical user interface is used for managing the Postgre SQL databases. It allows for easier database administration and can handle everything from writing SQL queries to monitoring the database environment. A powerful extension for Postgre SQL, Post GIS adds support for geographic objects allowing the database to perform location queries and spatial data analysis. This is particularly essential for the re-MODULEES application as it deals extensively with geospatial data. Apache Tomcat is utilized as a servlet container that executes Java applications, including the Geo Server used in re-MODULEES. With version 9 in use, Tomcat supports the latest Java Servlet and JSP specifications, providing a secure and reliable environment for running our Java-based services. Operating on top of Java, and managed within the Tomcat server, Geo Server is an open-source server that facilitates the sharing and editing of geospatial data. With Geo Server, the re-MODULEES application can create, edit, and share geospatial data in a variety of output formats and standards. The latest version, 2.25.0, includes enhancements for better performance and compatibility with newer geospatial data formats. Platform is deployed with a secure connection at https://re-modulees.five.es/#/home re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 37 4.5.
Documentation & user guidelines Last step is the documentation of the process and outputs, which can be found in the different documents available at the project website, related to data, design and documentation; in the published videos; commented source code; and manuals and guidelines: Manuals: given that the platform serves different types of users, including visitors, registered and professional users, a tailored and detailed guide is provided for each, presented as independent guides describing all the actions that can be conducted by each user on the platform. Each manual fully describes all available features and services, along with step-by-step instructions to maximize their use. Installation instructions outline the necessary steps for deploying the technological infrastructure required to support re-MODULEES as an application. It is designed with the assumption that any partner may wish to deploy their own version of re-MODULEES, since all software components of re-MODULEES are open source. This document provides detailed technical instructions and commands that the IT administrator must follow. These instructions are specifically tailored for a Linux-based operating system. Access to the source code is restricted to ensure the protection and controlled distribution of proprietary information. Collaborators interested in obtaining the source code must adhere to a set process, which includes signing a confidentiality and usage agreement to establish a clear understanding of the terms of use. Requests for access must be submitted via email, confirming the agreement's acceptance. It is important to note that only project partners are eligible to access the source code, a measure that upholds the platform’s security and integrity. a series of video tutorials have been created to support future users of the re-MODULEES platform.
It includes the following video modules: Introduction; Residential buildings’ energy renovation; Solutions for energy renovation; People in energy renovation & OSS for energy renovation re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 38 re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 39 5. The activation of the seven re-MODULEES pilot markets 5.1. Introduction To fulfil the fourth Objective (section 1.2), re-MODULEES demonstrated that capitalized modules are financially, technically, and socially viable and attractive at (firstly) local and (further) national levels. The demonstration has been carried out by setting up 7 Pilot Markets where consumers and relevant regional stakeholders test the re- MODULEES platform, tools, and services. Such Markets are geographical areas which represent a variety of market structures and maturity scenarios. They were selected in order to impact the EU-level context and accordingly exploit it and roll out the re-MODULEES concept in other EU Member States. The Pilot markets are listed in Table 1: Country Pilot Market Partner Involved 1. Bulgaria Gabrovo Municipality ENEFFECT 2. France Departments FR-06 Alpes Maritimes, FR-69D Rhone, FR-69M Lyon Metropole R2M, DOWEL 3. Greece CRES Municipality of Vyronas CRES 4a. Italy (frontrunner) 4b. Italy (follower) 4c. Italy (follower) a. Emilia–Romagna Region b. Puglia Region c. Bolzano Province a. CERTIMAC b. ITC-CNR c. EURAC RESEARCH 5. Netherlands Noord Brabant, Rotterdam community HIA, ISSO, BOUWHULP 6. Slovenia Slovenia IRI-UL 7. Spain Valencia Community IVE Table 1. re-MODULEES Pilot Markets For the implementation of re-MODULEES tools, services, and solutions, digital and/or physical Renovation Hubs - 1 per each participating country – have been established to foster a deep retrofitting market by addressing relevant stakeholders in the value chain, consumers, and end users.
In this framework, Local Advisory Boards (LABs) were set up in each Pilot Market to make the Renovation Hubs concretely operational, based on specific market peculiarities. LABs include stakeholders from 4 most relevant categories (demand side, supply side, public side, and financial side) who will test & steer effectively the re-MODULEES concept and perform a wider stakeholder engagement, in the scope of forming Local Support Networks (LSNs) involving nearly a hundred actors who will guarantee thorough testing activities and wider Project impacts. LSNs are meant to be further enlarged at the MS and EU-level in pursuance of multiplying the Renovation Hubs effectiveness. LAB activities are planned as a harmonized locally adapted and implemented set of tasks that, during project implementation, will strategically: - Monitor market acceleration rate and project impacts - Act as feedback for fine-tuning the Capitalization of modularity - Contribute towards Digitalization and platform development/validation) - Launch a call for Best Practices specification - Install a mechanism leveraging engagement/participation, evaluation and data providing - Set up a business model based on building/dwelling monitoring as a renovation activator - Coordinate results for EU-wide representation and comparability - Give valuable input for further exploitation and replication. 5.2. From Vision to Reality: Strategies for Concretely Impacting Renovation Processes in the Pilot Markets re-MODULEES is a multifaceted initiative designed to drive tangible improvements in renovation processes within each pilot market. By fostering an innovative vision, re-MODULEES aims to transcend the traditional "user-platform- content" model, establishing a dynamic "community-usefulness-results" paradigm - Figure 3.
This innovative approach fosters a collaborative community-building process that empowers stakeholders. By cultivating a sense of shared purpose and collective action, re-MODULEES unlocks the full potential of each pilot market, driving sustainable and impactful renovation outcomes. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 40 Specifically, the re-MODULEES approach encompasses the following key elements: Market Activation: stimulates demand for renovation services and products through targeted awareness campaigns, comprehensive information dissemination, and facilitated access to resources already available to promote renovation interventions. This is viewed as an ongoing exploitation activity throughout the project's implementation, aiming to trigger both short-term and long-term impacts Impactful Renovation Processes: streamlines and optimises renovation processes by making accessible effective and pilot-market-oriented capitalisation of existing resources, ensuring efficient and tailored solutions Innovative Vision: challenges conventional thinking and encourages the adoption of forward-thinking, cutting-edge solutions that address the complex challenges of building renovation Community Building: facilitates the creation of vibrant, engaged communities of stakeholders who share a common interest in sustainable renovation, fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange Focus on Usefulness and Results: prioritises the development and delivery of practical, user-centric solutions that yield tangible benefits for building owners, occupants, and the broader community. Figure 3. The re-MODULEES Vision To achieve these objectives, the re-MODULEES Consortium has developed and adopted two main tools, The Standard Action Plan and Local Deployment Plans as described below.
The Standard Action Plan (SAP), provides a "reference project framework" to guide market activation efforts at the pilot level. The SAP ensures a structured and coordinated approach, maximising the potential for success and long-term impact. 5.2.1 The Standard Action Plan (SAP) and Local Development Plan (LDP): strategic tools for renovation market activation The development of the SAP required a co-creative, multi-level and circular co-creation approach, that combined the efforts of: the partner responsible for the Pilot market activation (ITC-CNR) the Partner responsible for the Demonstration in Pilot Markets & LABs Activation (Certimac) the Partner responsible for the exploitation (META) the Coordination Team (HIA) re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 41 The SAP serves as a shared methodological framework for the Pilot Leaders, acting as a roadmap that outlines the phases and timelines for community-building activities with stakeholders. Notably, the SAP conceptualises "market activation" as an integrated process within the pilot markets. This approach aims to enhance the coordination and effectiveness of exploitation activities across Work Packages (WPs). While the SAP provides a structured approach, it is not intended to be rigid. Rather, it is a flexible coordination tool that each pilot leader can adapt and refine into a Local Deployment Plan (LDP). The LDP is tailored to the specific conditions of each pilot market, incorporating insights from re-LAB experiences, and aligning with the unique expectations and objectives of local stakeholders. LDPs act as an ex-post narrative, detailing the modifications made at each stage of the engagement process to optimise the SAP's effectiveness as a guiding tool to effectively set-up the re-LAB and implement the transition from the re-LAB to re-HUB in each context.
The LDP aims to leverage all opportunities and potential synergies arising from interactions within the re-LABs and other relevant networks. The flexibility inherent in the LDP implementation is balanced by the SAP coordination framework. This framework establishes clear milestones to ensure synchronised implementation of the innovation process across pilot markets. The implementation of the LDPs is reported in the Project reports D4.2-D4.8 for each Pilot market. The SAP is conceptualised as a "qualitative template" for LDP creation. Tasks and objectives are defined at a high level, while techniques and approaches are suggested rather than prescribed. This approach empowers pilot partners to operate flexibly and adaptively. It fosters coherence and harmonisation between planned activities, while also capitalising on the diverse skills and expertise within the project consortium. 5.2.2. The Evolution from re-LABs to re-HUBs: a cornerstone for sustained market activation and renovation The transition from re-LABs to re-HUBs (Ref to Sect.1.5) represents a pivotal phase in the re-MODULEES project since it implements the pilot market activation in each context according to the SAP and relevant LDPs. This evolution is not merely a change in nomenclature, but a strategic shift aimed at solidifying market activation and ensuring the long-term continuation of renovation processes within each pilot market. re-LABs, as experimental and exploratory entities, have played a crucial role in initiating and testing innovative approaches to renovation. They have served as incubators for new ideas, technologies, and methodologies, generating valuable insights and knowledge. However, to truly catalyse widespread market transformation and embed sustainable renovation practices, a more robust and enduring structure is required. This is where re-HUBs come into play.
re-HUBs are envisioned as permanent, self-sustaining entities that build upon the foundations laid by re-LABs. The re-HUBs are digital in all the Pilot Countries and physical in Bulgaria, Slovenia, and Spain. By leveraging the comprehensive suite of outcomes from the re-MODULEES project, including the sophisticated digital platform and its diverse functionalities, the re-HUBs are equipped to drive impactful change on multiple fronts. They facilitate streamlined processes, enhance knowledge sharing, foster collaboration among stakeholders, and provide tailored support to building owners, professionals, and policymakers. They serve as central nodes for knowledge dissemination, resource sharing, and stakeholder collaboration. re-HUBs act as catalysts for market activation by: Consolidating and amplifying the impact of re-LAB findings: re-HUBs synthesise and disseminate the lessons learned from re-LAB experiments, ensuring that valuable knowledge is not lost and that successful practices are scaled up and replicated. Providing ongoing support and resources to stakeholders: re-HUBs offer a range of services, including technical assistance, training, financial guidance, and networking opportunities, empowering stakeholders to navigate the complexities of renovation projects. Fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation: re-HUBs create a collaborative environment where stakeholders can share experiences, exchange ideas, and collectively develop new solutions to emerging challenges. Acting as a bridge between research, policy, and practice: re-HUBs facilitate dialogue and collaboration between different sectors, ensuring that renovation policies and practices are informed by the latest research and evidence. By transitioning from re-LABs to re-HUBs, re-MODULEES is establishing a sustainable framework for market activation and long-term impact.
re-HUBs serve as enduring centres of excellence, driving innovation, and promoting a holistic approach to renovation that benefits building owners, occupants, and the wider community. This strategic re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 42 evolution is a critical step in realising the full potential of re-MODULEES and its vision for a more sustainable, efficient, and resilient built environment. The transition from the re-LAB(s) to the re-HUB(s) and the establishment of the re- HUB was developed on the basis of a six-phase approach which outlines the concrete actions taken to activate renovation markets. The transition from re-LAB to re-HUB is closely linked to the activation process of the re-LABs and includes several additional phases, namely, understanding local needs, co-creating solutions, building a rich ecosystem, fostering a community, and ensuring sustainability. These actions collectively reflect the SAP designed to foster market uptake of deep renovation practices. The six phases are the following: PHASE 1 | Activating the re-LABs: engaging stakeholders in each local context. The Partner responsible for the demonstration of the re-MODULEES viability in the Pilot markets – Certimac -, developed a standardised re-LAB set-up methodology, including relevant documentation, to streamline the engagement of re-LAB Members by Pilot Market Representatives (PMRs). The engagement strategy is designed to be adaptable to the specific characteristics of each Pilot Market and its stakeholders belonging to the demand, supply, financial, and institutional sides of the renovation value chain. PMRs were encouraged to employ a balanced mix of engagement methods, such as desk analysis, interviews, and field tests while creating documents that clearly articulate the benefits of re-LAB membership. The re-LAB set-up methodology comprises three key steps: A.
Target Analysis: utilising the Value Proposition Canvas (VPC) methodology - Figure 4, Certimac mapped four target groups involved in the re-LABs. This analysis identified the unique characteristics, needs, and expectations of each group, facilitating the development of targeted messaging that highlights the advantages of re-LAB participation. B. Board Member Invitation: Certimac created invitation documents for each target group, with 90% standardised content emphasising the value, context, and activities of the re-LABs, and 10% customisable to the specific role, pilot market, and stakeholder setting - Figure 5. PMRs are responsible for translating and tailoring these documents as needed. C. Cover Letter: the final step involves drafting a concise cover letter to accompany the invitation letter via email. This cover letter summarises the key points outlined in the invitation, reinforcing the benefits of re- LAB membership. By following this structured methodology, PMRs effectively engaged stakeholders and facilitated their participation in the re-LABs, contributing to the overall success of the initiative. The re-LAB composition in each Pilot Market is reported in Table 1. Figure 4. Target analysis re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 43 Figure 5.
Board Member Invitation Pilot Market Number of re-LAB Members engaged until M42 ITALY-Emilia Romagna 15- TG1 - Demand Side: 4; TG2 - Offer Side: 6; TG3 - Financial Side: 2; TG4 - Public Institutions and Public Housing Stock management: 3 ITALY-Puglia Region 10 – TG1- Demand Side 2; TG2- Offer Side: 4; TG3- Financial Side: 2 TG4- Public Institution and Public Housing Stock management: 2 ITALY- Autonomous Province of Bolzano 8- TG1- Demand Side: 0 TG2- Offer Side: 3 TG3-Financial Side: 3 TG4- Public Institution and Public Housing Stock management: 2 Bulgaria 18- TG1- Demand Side: 6; TG2- Offer Side: 4; TG3 Financial Side: 2; TG4- Public Institution and Public Housing Stock management: 6 France 13- TG1- Demand-side: 4; TG2- Supply-side: 8; TG3- Financial Side: 3 TG4- Institutional-side: 7; Some of them belong to two different TGs Greece 8- TG1-Demand Side 0; TG2- Offer Side: 5; TG3- Financial Side:1; TG4- Public / Institutional Side: 2 Slovenia 17 – TG1- Demand Side 4; TG2- Supply Side: 3; TG3- Financial Side: 2; TG4- Public Institution and Public Housing Stock management: 3 Spain 23 participants (only 14 signed the Adhesion Letter due to internal bureaucratic issues): re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 44 TG1- Demand Side: 7 TG2- Offer Side: 5 TG3 - Financial Side: 8 TG4 - Public Institution and Public Housing Stock management: 3 The Netherlands TG1 & TG2: 28 + 20 TG3: 4 TG4: 24 Table 1. Composition of the re-LABs in the Pilot Countries PHASE 2 | Listening to needs: the re-MODULEES Consortium, spearheaded by Pilot Market Leaders, engaged in direct dialogue with re-LAB stakeholders to gain a deep understanding of existing challenges, needs, constraints, and innovation drivers in the building energy retrofitting process by relying on the ethnography-inspired people- centred approach.
To this end, Pilot leaders, with the support of guidelines - provided by the Partner responsible for the implementation of this people-centred approach (see also Sect.2), IRI-UL, and specific questions tailored to each target group, conducted interviews with local stakeholders. Figure 6. Guidelines for interviews of local stakeholders The interviews were instrumental not only in profiling the market and collecting successful renovation stories but also in validating the renovation process identified by the Consortium partners across all its phases and subphases. The re-MODULEES Customer Journey 11 capitalises on the valuable experience and outcomes of other EU Projects on deep renovation, in particular, the HAPPEN H2020 Med ZEB Protocol 12 and the Save the Homes H2020 EU Project 13 . By assigning physical and digital needs, drivers, and innovation trends to each stage and for each target group, a comprehensive understanding and validation of the customer journey within each context was achieved. This granular analysis allowed for a detailed mapping of the customer experience throughout the renovation process. Therefore, interviews with stakeholders, who traditionally experience their customer journeys in a disaggregated way, allowed establishing a fruitful interaction and turning the “disaggregated data and experiences” into “aggregate data and experiences” in the framework of the retrofitting process. 11 The Customer Journey is defined as “sequence of interactions between a homeowner and all the stakeholders involved in the renovation, from the homeowner's point of view” from Milin C., Bullier A.
Towards large-scale roll out of "integrated home renovation services" in Europe, available at https://www.turnkey-retrofit.eu/wp-content/uploads/Integrated-home-renovation- services_MILIN-BULLIER_ECEEE-2021.pdf 12 https://www.cetjournal.it/cet/21/88/053.pdf 13 https://savethehomes.net/renovation/ re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 45 Figure 7. Validation of the Customer Journey with local stakeholders- Example of the Slovenian re-LAB PHASE 3 | Co-creating solutions: following a comprehensive assessment of the physical and digital needs within each pilot market, a critical phase involved defining the precise functionalities required for the re-MODULEES digital platform (Figure 9). Pilot Leaders, in collaboration with re-LAB Members, identified and selected relevant resources (tools, solutions, and approaches) from previous European projects for integration into the platform. This strategic integration is aimed at meeting identified needs and delivering the functionalities specified by re-LAB members- Figure 8. Figure 8. The process aimed at strategic integration to meet identified needs and deliver the functionalities specified by re-LAB members This process encompassed the identification of both digital tools and physical resources essential for optimising operational efficiency, while concurrently raising stakeholder awareness regarding the advantages of deep renovation. The selected tools were subsequently presented to local stakeholders, who received comprehensive instruction and training (Figure 10) on their functionalities and practical applications. The involvement of local stakeholders also enabled the identification and testing of potential opportunities for real use of resources, assessing their actual effectiveness in various operational scenarios.
Therefore, the interaction between re-MODULEES Pilot Market Leaders and re-LAB Members allowed for collaboratively co-designing the re-MODULEES digital platform with relevant tools, functionalities, and a collection of success stories to show the benefits of renovation in each ecosystem. Recognising that the platform's true value lies re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 46 not in its technology alone, but in its ability to foster a community of engaged users, re-LAB members were positioned as early adopters - Figure 11. This community-driven approach ensures that the platform, combined with relevant content and user interaction, empowers users to enhance their work and achieve superior outcomes. Figure 9. Functionalities to be integrated into the re-MODULEES Platform - Outcomes of the Italian re-LAB Figure 10. Presentation of the Triple A-reno digital tool for combined energy labeling. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 47 Figure 11. Screenshot during the specific Spanish re-LAB session. Functionalities and actions integrated into the platform The productive engagement with local stakeholders (re-LAB members) in phases 2 and 3 yielded invaluable insights into the complex challenges and opportunities inherent in deep energy renovation. These lessons learned from the re-MODULEES project are crucial for fostering and implementing successful deep energy retrofitting processes. This knowledge provides a robust foundation for establishing and strengthening support and consulting entities, the re- HUBs. These entities can effectively address the specific needs and challenges of each local market in a tailored way. By integrating this strategic knowledge, the Consortium can overcome the traditional barriers and obstacles that have hindered the widespread adoption of deep renovation interventions, thereby paving the way for a more sustainable and resilient building stock.
Synthesising these lessons learned can forge a pathway toward more effective and impactful renovation strategies, accelerating the transition to a low-carbon and energy-efficient built environment. The key insights and contributions are divided into two main sections A. RESULTS AND OUTCOMES ● Relevant issues for deep energy renovation: through extensive stakeholder engagement and analysis, the project has identified critical issues impacting deep renovation, including technical complexities, financial barriers, regulatory frameworks, and social acceptance. These insights inform targeted interventions and policy recommendations. ● Strategic capitalisation process: the re-MODULEES project has initiated a strategic capitalisation process, capturing and disseminating knowledge, best practices, and tools developed throughout the project. This ensures that valuable lessons are not lost but rather integrated into future renovation initiatives. ● re-LAB inputs for platform development: the re-LABs, as experimental environments, have provided crucial feedback and insights that have directly shaped the development of the re-MODULEES digital platform. This iterative process has enhanced the platform's user-friendliness, functionality, and relevance to stakeholders. ● Strengthening engagement: the project has emphasised the importance of continuous and meaningful stakeholder engagement throughout the renovation process. By involving building owners, occupants, professionals, and policymakers, we can foster greater ownership, collaboration, and support for deep renovation projects. B. BARRIERS AND BOTTLENECKS ● Analysis of barriers and bottlenecks: the re-MODULEES project has systematically identified and analysed barriers and bottlenecks hindering the widespread adoption of deep renovation.
These include financial constraints, lack of information and awareness, fragmented supply chains, and regulatory complexities. ● Mitigation measures and results: in response to identified barriers, the project has implemented various mitigation measures. These efforts have yielded tangible results, demonstrating the feasibility and effectiveness of overcoming challenges. The complete contribution of all lessons learned is shown in ANNEX I for each Country. By integrating these lessons learned, the re-MODULEES Consortium was able to refine and strengthen its approach to deep energy renovation. This includes: re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 48 ● developing tailored solutions that address the specific needs and constraints of different stakeholders and building typologies. ● creating comprehensive re-HUBs which act as support systems and service providers to facilitate deep renovation projects. ● fostering a culture of collaboration and knowledge sharing among all stakeholders, including building owners, occupants, professionals, and policymakers. ● continuously monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of interventions, adapting strategies as needed to ensure optimal outcome PHASE 4 | Building a rich ecosystem: re-LABs have fostered a thriving ecosystem by involving stakeholders across the entire renovation value chain: demand, supply, finance, and institutions. These re-LABs have served as a powerful platform within the re-MODULEES project to disseminate advancements and drive innovation in the renovation sector, ultimately enhancing the retrofitting process. Through re-LABs, the project's results are sustained and amplified, while fostering vital networking, cooperation, and knowledge transfer among participants.
To further extend the reach and impact of these outcomes, Local Support Networks (LSNs) and the National Support Network (NSNs) have played a crucial role. This network encompasses a diverse range of professionals working in the construction sector, including financing associations (e.g., SERAFIN in France), municipalities and regional authorities (e.g., Rotterdam, Helmond, and Arnhem in the Netherlands, the Attica region in Greece), existing one-stop shops (ATES Parma and AESS in Italy), and similar initiatives (e.g., Energyloketten - Figure 12 and Energy Coaches in the Netherlands). By mobilising these diverse networks, the re-MODULEES project not only maximised its impact through effective dissemination of results - Figure 13 - but also was essential to building the vibrant community formed by the re-HUB and stakeholders accessing the re-HUB. Figure 12. Energyloket in the Netherlands re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 49 Figure 13. DOWEL and R2M presenting the re-LAB activities at “Assises Azuréenne de la transition Energétique” – An event aimed at introducing the re-LAB France initiative to new stakeholders PHASE 5 | The re-HUB Community emerges: through the progressively improved synergistic combination of the platform, resources, and ongoing knowledge exchange, a dynamic community emerged. The community is based on the re-HUB i.e. the relevant re-HUB main developers and exploiters and the stakeholders accessing the re-HUB (e.g. re-LAB Members, LSNs and NSNs). The re-HUBs will pursue a higher impact than the initial re-LABs, possibly targeting the national scale level. In order to enhance the establishment of the re-HUBs, it is expected that the LSN will be enlarged both at MS and EU levels, with the aim of multiplying the effectiveness of the re-HUBs.
These “National Support Networks” (NSNs) resulting from the LSNs expansion are to be intended as the main vehicle for planning the exploitation of the project results through the re-HUBs after the project lifetime. This community actively leverages re-MODULEES resources, such as the digital platform, to drive more effective and efficient building renovations within their respective markets - from Figure 14 to Figure 17. Figure 14. The process to create the community that benefits from the re-MODULEES outcomes re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 50 Figure 15. Participation of Certimac in the R2B event aimed at building new partnerships between researchers and companies Figure 16. re-MODULEES presentation by CRES and its potential in various initiatives to facilitate the energy renovation customer journey Figure 17. Feedback on the final version re-MODULEES platform which supports the local stakeholders in their renovation customer journey PHASE 6 | Ensuring sustainability: the re-MODULEES project implemented a rigorous testing and validation protocol to monitor the acceleration of renovation rates and the benefits of renovation in pilot markets - Figure 18. Specific impact KPIs, such as energy and CO 2 savings, were meticulously tracked to assess the project's "yeast" effect on the renovation process, focusing on projects implemented or initiated by re-LAB members. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 51 Figure 18. re-MODULEES performance monitoring principles A tailored framework for best practices in renovation has also been developed and integrated into the re-MODULEES platform to show the benefits of renovation. The platform collects success (and unsuccess) stories from various countries through user-submitted questionnaires, providing a comprehensive overview of diverse experiences in the renovation field.
These stories are displayed on an interactive map with customizable filters, enabling users to easily find relevant cases. A standardized format ensures easy comparison of before and after-renovation data, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative aspects for a holistic understanding of renovation benefits. Figure 19. Success story on the re-MODULEES platform. 3 sections: renovation, experience and data re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 52 Figure 20. Comprehensive approach of renovation The platform serves as a repository of best practices, a valuable resource for initiating renovation projects, and a self-assessment tool for stakeholders. By offering resources and detailed reports, the platform encourages stakeholder participation in renovation projects while simultaneously enriching its database. This approach effectively demonstrates the impact of renovations, predicts potential co-benefits, and inspires stakeholders through validated post-renovation results. On the other hand, the performance monitoring dealing with the monitoring of the acceleration of the renovation rate in the pilot markets produced detailed activity reports based on pilot activities according to a common protocol defining indicators and methodologies for measuring the project's impact on renovation rate variability, aiming to demonstrate success through both hard impacts (e.g., number of dwellings renovated, energy savings) and soft impacts (e.g., stakeholder engagement, training). Measurement methods include bottom-up and top-down approaches, with baselines established through measured data or estimations. Additionally, calculations for re-MODULEES impacts involve several levels.
Level 1 focuses on individual buildings involved in the project during its duration, level 2 measures the replication of these findings in similar buildings in the next years, and level 3 involves inspiring other entities through dissemination activities. The aim of the methodology is to be able to compare these results with the expected impacts during the project, which are to activate the renovation market and boost the renovation rate, therefore, the primary KPI is the growth in renovation rate (i.e., the number of dwellings renovated in each pilot market compared with the renovated buildings in previous years). Then, secondary indicators are set, as shown in next Table 2. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 53 Number of homes Total net floor area for renovation Energy use in existing situation Energy saving Renewable energy production Amount of primary saving Amount of CO2 emissions saving Investment s triggered m 2 k Wh/m 2 y % GWh/y GWh/y t/y M€ Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Table 2. Project KPIs For monitoring it is also used the “action*points" system, that tracks and evaluates the impact of various re- MODULEES project activities on decision-making for renovation, each with different degrees of influence. This system quantifies renovations triggered across several pilot markets using a formula that multiplies the count of project actions by their success rate, demonstrating their effective contribution to the renovations completed ( ∑ ( project action count i * success rate j) if this value is greater than or equal to the objective number of triggered renovations in each pilot market, P).
Re-MODULEES action Count Success rate dwellings A n % a N B m % b M C o % c O ∑ P Table 3.- Quantification of pilot market renovations triggered Project activities are therefore categorized with pre-assigned success rates based on previous experiences: Activity Success rate Previous experience Informing 10% Awareness campaigns result from MOBISTYLE project showed a 10% of adoption rate Training 100% 50% of the Save the Homes trainees registered to renovation platform and were responsible for an average of 2 dwellings each, therefore counting as 100% Visiting platform 1% 10% of the conversion demonstrated in other projects for awareness campaigns (10% from MOBISTYLE) Using platform 10% Save the Homes project diagnosis tool users developed real renovation projects at around 10% rate Populating platform 100% Success stories and professional experience represent renovated buildings shared in the platform with the intention to inspire other users Using re-HUB 100% Persons and/or entities already using/ contracting with the re-HUB count at 100% Disseminating results 1% Awareness campaigns result from MOBYSTILE project showed a 10% of adoption rate, we apply another 10% since participants are indirect agents Aggregators interested 1% In Triple A-reno project, building stock representatives committed to replicate process in 10% of their stock, lacking the signature, we estimate a 10% of it Letter of commitment 100% In Triple A-reno project, building stock representatives committed to replicate process in 10% of their stock Table 4.- Predefined success rates Finally, it is important to consider that for the application of success rates, the average number of dwellings renovated per building needs to be defined, as impact monitoring is conducted based on the number of dwellings, not the number of buildings.
A value called "Average dwellings renovated per building renovated" (Ad p ) is defined, which will depend on the pilot country. E.g., in Spain, according to the analysis of renovations triggered in the Save the Homes project, an average of 8.35 dwellings per building are renovated per renovated building (Ad ES = 8,35 dwellings/building). re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 54 To ensure coordination and standardization in data reporting across different pilot markets, the IVE has provided a specific template to monitor the soft impacts (Table 5). This structured approach allows for a more accurate measurement of the project's real impact on activating the renovation market. Date of action Action type Description Participants Stock/ Associates Commitment Success rate Dwellings Timestamp String (list) Text Integer Integer (number of dwellings represented) % (of dwellings committed) % (Automatic value according to action) Integer (Automatic value = Count * Success rate) level i Triggered renovations Integer (Automatic value) Objective Integer (According to pilot) Achieved? YES/NO (Automatic value) Table 5. Reporting template soft impacts This template requires specifying the type of action (some predefined ones included in the template), which automatically associates a success rate. The "Participants" field must be specified for all actions, while "Stock/Associates" should be indicated for actions like "Aggregators interested" and "Letters of commitment", and "Commitment" will only be specified for "Letter of Commitment" actions. At the bottom of the table, for each of the Levels (1, 2, and 3), the sum of "Dwellings" is compared with the forecast for each of the pilot markets. The spreadsheet automatically indicates whether the reported actions have achieved the set objectives. If the objectives are not met, this must be justified.
ADDING VALUE AS re-HUBs Additionally, Pilot Leaders engaged in ongoing dialogue with local stakeholders to identify the ideal, contextually relevant business model, service offerings, and governance framework for each re-HUB (see the following section for further details). This iterative approach ensured the development of self-sustaining, impactful entities tailored to the specific needs and market dynamics of their respective ecosystems. The re-HUBs are strategically designed to address the unique renovation challenges and barriers prevalent in each region, providing targeted services, tools, solutions, and approaches to facilitate the retrofitting process and drive sustainable renovation initiatives. The re-HUB model showcases remarkable adaptability. In certain national contexts (Bulgaria, Spain, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, and Slovenia), re-HUBs function as comprehensive One-Stop-Shops (OSS), streamlining access to energy renovation services. In other contexts, such as France, re-HUBs seamlessly integrate with and enhance existing local OSS, optimising service delivery and maximising regional impact. Some examples of re-HUBs are shown in Figure 21 and Figure 22. Figure 21. Screenshot of the website of the Bulgarian re-HUB re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 55 Figure 22. Climate Office - Slovenian re-HUB in Ljubljana Collaboration with local stakeholders was pivotal in identifying and appointing re-HUB managers, and in selecting and implementing self-sustaining business models tailored to each unique context (see the following section). Through active dialogue, key roles and responsibilities were clearly defined, communication channels established, and strategies aligned to meet the specific needs of each region. This collaborative approach also extended to securing the requisite physical and digital infrastructure for the Renovation Hubs.
In this framework, strategic partnerships were established with key stakeholders, including municipal authorities, funding agencies, and industry experts. These collaborations aim to provide comprehensive support to citizens seeking renovation assistance, ensuring seamless coordination with local entities. To illustrate the effectiveness of this approach, it is crucial to highlight specific actions and collaborations undertaken in the various pilot countries, which have collectively contributed and will promote the re-HUB's sustainable and efficient management: BULGARIA Digital and Physical re-HUB | The re-HUB is characterised by a division of responsibilities and roles among its founding partners, each bringing valuable capabilities and contributions to the table. Gabrovo municipality plays a pivotal role in providing essential services such as information provision, administrative assistance, and procurement services, leveraging its local knowledge and infrastructure to support the operational needs of the re-HUB. FRANCE - Digital re-HUB | The French re-HUB has been designed as a complementary activity that generates value for an established actor, such as an existing One-Stop-Shop (OSS) or institutional organisation, which will take on the role of animating and managing this re-HUB. It acts as an accelerator, enhancing the activities of the established actor who manages it. GREECE - Digital re-HUB | The Greek re-HUB is digital and leverages the services provided by CRES as the national energy agency. Specifically, the Greek re-HUB will enhance the existing services offered by CRES by integrating the re-MODULEES platform and its functionalities.
ITALY - Digital re-HUB | The fruitful internal collaboration of the three Italian partners - Certimac, Eurac Research, and ITC-CNR Apulia - allowed identifying the partner best positioned to offer energy renovation services to the market, based on their capabilities and existing collaborations. Certimac, with its strong local ties and expertise in building energy renovation, can provide market services (e.g. energy audits, energy consultancy, training) to both building owners, managers of building portfolios, and service providers. Certimac can operate either independently or collaborate with other stakeholders in a flexible way – acting as a central hub for the initiative. This strategic move, with Certimac taking the lead and supported by Eurac and ITC-CNR, ensures the long-term viability and impact of re-HUB. It ultimately contributes to a significant increase in building renovations within the Italian market, paving the way for a more sustainable future. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 56 SLOVENIA - Digital and Physical re-HUB | Partnerships were established with banks and public funds to streamline access to renovation funds/incentives, simplifying procedures for citizens. This is the case of the Slovenian re-HUB. The Slovenian re-HUB is set as a “Climate office” where ENSVET energy advisors give free advice on measures and available subsidies of national subsidy provider Eco fund. Due to the strong involvement of Eco fund personnel managing the ENSVET energy advisory network, spillover to other advisors is ensured (e.g. by training provided by IRI UL to other advisors). The Eco fund (ENSVET network) actively cooperates with the City of Ljubljana. Therefore, in re-HUB has been located in the Ljubljana Climate office that acts as OSS for RES (managed by Borsen, electrical market operator) and as energy advisors office En Svet (managed by Eco fund).
SPAIN - Digital and Physical re-HUB | The Spanish re-HUB is designed to address the identified challenges within the ecosystem and operate as a One-Stop-Shop (OSS), creating a physical and digital environment that unites all stakeholders across the entire renovation value chain. By providing integrated yet tailored services, the re-HUB caters to the specific needs of each actor, while also bolstering the region's existing Housing OSS. At the heart of the re-HUB is the Valencian Institute of Building (IVE), led by a multidisciplinary team comprising architects, engineers, economists, sociologists, and philosophers. Crucially, the IVE board is strategically composed of diverse professionals, including developers, building contractors, and end- users. This diverse composition not only ensures comprehensive expertise but also positions the re-HUB as a dynamic platform for fostering collaboration, innovation, and knowledge exchange across the built environment sectors, thereby ensuring its effective management and long-term success. THE NETHERLANDS - Digital re-HUB | The Dutch re-HUB is connected digital services, which support municipalities and citizens as well as to the OSS devised and launched within the Save the Homes H2020 Project and to existing digital initiatives i.e Mobile Neighbourhood Factory and IKOWOON. The mobile Neighbourhood Factory is a reference to the industrial production of solutions for a neighbourhood. The supply side is facilitated by the customer journey and the sustainable offer, with renovation teams, renovation specialists and a continuous learning curve, the quality of the offer is stimulated and optimized. In re-MODULLES the approach of the Mobile Neighbourhood Factory offers an opportunity for municipalities and other parties. Ikwoon is an existing platform that was developed by Bouwhulp Groep.
Ikwoon initially lets people discover for themselves what the possibilities are for their own home. Because it is a digital tool, many people can see what suits them at the same time, but at their own pace. Once people have found suitable measures, Ikwoon still plays a role: You can choose to work everything out yourself, or you choose to do this together with others. By registering via the app, groups of residents are formed who all want to do something. These groups can be helped (professionally) to further develop their choices and can discuss the options with each other so that they feel not alone. Finally, Table 2 provides a comprehensive overview of the unique added values that each re-HUB brings to its respective pilot context. By addressing specific regional challenges and leveraging local expertise, these re-HUBs serve as catalysts for innovation and sustainable renovation practices across diverse European landscapes. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 57 re-HUB ADDED VALUE(S) COUNTRY ADDED VALUE(S) BULGARIA Streamlined Access to Services: by offering a one-stop-shop model, the re-HUB simplifies the process for homeowners and businesses to access essential services related to building renovation and renewable energy deployment. Instead of navigating multiple providers and agencies, clients can find all the necessary expertise and support under one roof, saving time, effort, and resources. Expert Consultation and Guidance: the re-HUB provides expert consultation and guidance throughout the entire project lifecycle, from initial assessment and planning to implementation and monitoring in the near future. Its team of technical and business experts offers tailored advice, technical assistance, and strategic insights to help clients make informed decisions and achieve optimal outcomes for their projects.
Capacity Building and Knowledge Transfer: through training programs, workshops, and educational initiatives, the re-HUB fosters capacity building and knowledge transfer within the local community. By equipping stakeholders with the necessary skills, tools, and information, it empowers them to take proactive steps towards sustainable building renovation and renewable energy adoption, driving long-term impact and resilience. Collaboration and Networking Opportunities: the re-HUB serves as a focal point for collaboration and networking among diverse stakeholders, including homeowners, contractors, suppliers, local authorities, and academic institutions. Facilitating partnerships and knowledge exchange, creates synergies and opportunities for innovation, collective problem-solving, and shared learning, thereby fostering a culture of collaboration and mutual support within the city of Gabrovo. Market Transformation and Economic Growth: through its activities and initiatives, the re-HUB catalyses market transformation and economic growth in the region. By promoting sustainable building practices, renewable energy technologies, and energy-efficient solutions, it stimulates demand, creates new business opportunities, and drives innovation in the green economy, leading to job creation, economic diversification, and overall prosperity. Overall, the re-HUB serves as a catalyst for positive change, driving sustainable development in the local community. Its holistic approach, collaborative nature, and commitment to excellence position it as a trusted partner and valuable resource for achieving shared goals and aspirations related to building renovation and renewable energy transition.
FRANCE The re-HUB offers a comprehensive value proposition to established or emerging One-Stop-Shops (OSSs) who are seeking to develop the necessary skills and tools to conquer the French energy renovation market. This is achieved through three key levers: Reducing R&D Investments in IT Development: ● The re-HUB provides access to a curated suite of digital tools and platforms that can be readily integrated into the OSSs' existing offerings. ● This allows the OSSs to leverage cutting-edge technologies without the need for significant in-house development, thereby optimizing their resources and time-to-market. Improving Efficiency and Quality of Service: ● The re-HUB offers tailored training, coaching, and knowledge-sharing programs to enhance the OSSs' operational capabilities and service delivery. ● This includes best practices in areas such as customer engagement, technical assessments, project management, and post-renovation support. Enhancing Visibility and Networking: The re-HUB facilitates benchmarking and peer-to-peer learning opportunities, enabling the OSSs to compare their performance and identify areas for improvement. It also serves as a platform for the OSSs to showcase their services and connect with a wider network of institutional intermediaries, financial providers, and other key stakeholders in the renovation ecosystem. GREECE The following benefits are expected compared to the current situation: Improved energy awareness of homeowners regarding the multiple benefits (financial, environmental, comfort etc.) of energy efficiency interventions in their dwellings. Increased motivation of citizens to participate to the new rounds of the national funding program for residential energy retrofits.
Increased capacities of public officers (at local Municipal level, but also at regional and national) who are involved in the design and implementation of energy efficiency projects and programs for citizens. Better focus of financial programs (national/regional/local funds, banks’ programs etc.) towards targeted home energy retrofit actions. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 58 Activation of the whole building retrofits local market and of building industry professionals (engineers, product manufacturers, financial institutions etc.). ITALY Building a Network of Trust: re-HUB operates as a central hub, connecting a diverse range of stakeholders in order to fosters trust and transparency throughout the renovation journey. Supporting Demand-Driven Solutions: through the re-HUB, the demand side can access tools and guidance to design and develop solutions tailored to their specific requirements and budget. the re-HUB Italian platform connects the demand for renovation interventions with qualified local renovation service providers. A Network of Expertise: the re-HUB Italian platform gathers qualified professionals. Moreover, they will ensure renovation processes carried out in due time, on budget and according to methodologies to achieve high-quality standards. Investing in Knowledge and Collaboration: the re-HUB Italian platform offers training for professionals participating within the re-HUB network. This fosters knowledge sharing between professionals, leading to the adoption of innovative practices and improved renovation outcomes. SLOVENIA Most significant added value is being present in the elite location in the heart of the city. ENSVET is operating for 30 years and they give about 8000 advise yearly, but it is still not widely recognized by the people doing the building renovations.
Relevant added value is the integration of renovations advice and RES deployment both supported by organizations providing financial support (Eco fund and Borzen). By integrating re-MODULEES results, the link is established for continuous skill and competencies upgrade supported by IRI UL. SPAIN Easy to access meeting point: the re-HUB enables direct communication among stakeholders involved in renovation activities, with centralized necessary procedures for retrofitting actions, it streamlines processes and facilitates collaboration among participants. Up-to-Date Information: users of the re-HUB have access to up-to-date information that is curated and pre-filtered, ensuring the quality, validity, and timeliness of the contents. This feature enables stakeholders to stay informed about the latest developments, regulations, best practices, among others. Certified Professional Experts: the re-HUB provides access to professional construction renovation schemes to ensure quality in the execution of renovation works. For example, it includes the Registry for Quality in the Built Habitat (CHC) where professionals, products, or examples of good practices in the field of construction are gathered. It is not only useful for the supply side to promote their services but also for generating trust and technical guidance for the demand side in the renovation processes. Enhanced Networking Opportunities: the re-HUB fosters networking opportunities among stakeholders involved in renovation activities. By providing a centralized platform for communication and collaboration, it facilitates the exchange of ideas, experiences, and expertise among professionals, developers, contractors, and end-users.
This networking aspect not only enriches the renovation process but also encourages the sharing of innovative solutions and best practices, with the final aim to increase the number of renovations. THE NETHERLANDS For NL the added value of the re-HUB is low, because of many activities already ongoing in the Netherlands; in particular the strong market consolidation of energy corners. As this market is consolidating we also see that businesswise they focus on quick wins.... Single measure improvements instead of integrated OSS approaches. The general consent on deep renovation has to change before entities like municipalities or housing associations will look for the kind of integrated solutions we are offering. So, for the short term, the added value of the re-HUB is mostly in ‘advertising’ good practices and as an inspiration center for municipalities with ambitions to realise more integrated approaches. Table 2. Added value of the re-HUB(s) in each Pilot market re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 59 6. Exploitation and further market uptake 6.1. Introduction One of the re-MODULEES objectives (Objective 2) is to support business modelling and market uptake of re- MODULEES tools and the services. To achieve this, Local Advisory Boards (re-LABs) are being established in the seven re-MODULEES pilot markets for housing renovation and retrofitting (Bulgaria, France, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and Slovenia). The re-MODULEES replication and exploitation strategy contains deliberate efforts to increase the impact of the re-MODULEES results across different European countries, regions and industries.
Re-MODULEES addresses these aims by: Identification and categorization of end-users needs for the re-MODULEES business models, development of user stories and value propositions; Elaboration and incubation of re-MODULEES business models and Exploitation strategy at national level; Providing policy recommendations for current and future alignment; Collaboration and connection with European umbrella associations; Contributing to a strategy for a full coverage of the project results and supporting optimal conditions and solutions for the exploitation of the project outcomes by consolidating the project visibility among stakeholders at national and EU level. 6.2. re-MODULEES plan for exploitation To achieve this objective, an exploitation strategy was developed that supports effective planning and coordination and defines the path for the sustainability of each Key Exploitable Result (KER). The plan for exploitation defines the use model for each KER, its unique value proposition, the early adopters, and the business model to pave the way towards use and impact. Exploitation activities carried out during re- MODULEES life were crucial for mobilizing outcomes, during and soon after the end of the project, enabling long- term impact. A Business Plan Structure for each Key Exploitable Result is given, as well as the Exploitation Strategy and Recommendations for improving the actions to be undertaken after re-MODULEES end. re-MODULEES proposes effective solutions to the faced challenges, and is committed to ensuring the sustainability of the results beyond the granted period. The focus of the project has been on the following points: re-MODULEES Platform - that consolidates relevant information and possibilities for renovation. It provides access to modules, services and communities and serves as a showcase/promotion channel.
Transition from re-LABs to re-HUBs: the project transitions from re-LABs, which are active only during re- MODULEES lifetime, to re-HUBs, which will remain operational after the end of the project. This transition ensures the continuity of the market uptake process through the delivery of modular services. o The re-LABs are Renovation Local Advisory Boards formed by a core group of stakeholders from four different categories (demand, supply, public and financial sides) representing the renovation value chain. They provide assistance, support and tailored advice to various stakeholders. They represent the opportunity to validate the use model and the services set-up to be provided after re-MODULEES. o The re-HUBs are digital and/or physical ecosystems promoting renovation, that will be operational after the end of re-MODULEES. The re-HUBs will guarantee the continuation of the activities related to the building renovation process (delivery of modular services) after the end of the project. They are regional nodes (branches regional formalized networks of relevant stakeholders) that can be linked to the re-LABs. During the project lifetime the Consortium discussed the exploitation pathway in dedicated Exploitation Workshops. The Exploitation intentions below describe how partners intend to use the results after the end of the project. This involves obtaining a clear understanding of how each partner intends to use the results. By capturing these exploitation intentions, the strategy can be effectively tailored. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 60 Exploitable Results (Potential KERs)* Main Developer Main Exploiter Exploitation Intentions Early Adopters Time to Market/Use re-MODULEES Platform IVE, UBIK IVE, UBIK Commercial (direct): the platform customized to provide services in regional/national contexts. Licensing of the platform’s code (indirect).
re-HUBs To be defined Bulgaria re-HUB En Effect En Effect Direct use: Provision of services. Local homeowners who have demonstrated interest by actively applying for or considering financing through national energy efficiency programs. Property owners and SMEs in Gabrovo seeking comprehensive information and consultations on available financing schemes and energy efficiency initiatives. 6 months after re-MODULEES end France re-HUB DOWEL, R2M DOWEL, R2M Indirect use: Transfer of the re-HUB knowledge to an organisation anchored in the French renovation ecosystem Candidate adopters considered during the final year of project deployment include: Lyon Confluence, Sonergia, the SERAFIN Association network, Capenergies, CCI Nice Côte d’Azur. According to the identification of such organisation willing to animate it. Greece re-HUB CRES CRES Direct use: Provision of services – enhancement of existing offered services as part of institutional role (not for profit). Public/Institutional Side: Municipality of Vyronas; Technical Chamber of Greece; EGTC Efxini Poli; Association for Sustainable Development of Cities (21 local agenda). Supply side: Associations of building industry professionals; Associations of building industry manufacturers/suppliers.
6 months after re-MODULEES end Italy re-HUB CERTIMAC, CNR, EURAC CERTIMAC Direct use: Provision of services DEMAND SIDE: ACER Bologna (Social Housing) ASPPI Modena (Small landlords) Fiaip (Building Manager Association) Legambiente (NGO Confabitare (property owners' association) Arca (Puglia Regional Agency for House) SUPPLY SIDE CNA Ravenna (Confederation of craftsmen) Fed Ing ER (Federation of Engineers Associations) Lega Coop E-R (Association of Cooperatives) Conf Cooperative E-R (Association of Cooperatives) Clust ER Greentech and Build (associations of public and private companies, research centres and training institutions) ANCE (protects the interests of the building contractors at the provincial level) 6 months after re-MODULEES end re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 61 Ordine degli Architetti della Provincia di Bari (Professional Order) Ordine degli Ingegneri della Provincia di Bari ( Professional Order) Energy Manager Association Agenzia per l’energia e lo sviluppo sostenibile Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development (ASvi S) Energy Agency Casa Clima (Autonomous Province of Bozen) Engineers Inewa (energy consulting) Pohl Immobilien (design and construction company) Builders college of the Autonomous Province of Bozen FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS ICCREA banca Nomisma ARTICOLO 47- non-profit organization that assists and protects users Asset - Regional Strategic Agency for the Sustainable Development of the Territory Euregio Plus (management company, owned by the Autonomous Provinces of Bolzano and Trento and by the public company Pensplan Centrum) Volksbank (South Tyrolian People's Bank, Italian bank with headquartered in Bolzano) Provincial agency for the environment and climate protection of the Autonomous Province of Bozen INSTITUTIONAL SIDE Emilia-Romagna Regional Authority Art ER (E-R Joint Stock Consortium for sustainable growth) ANCI E-R (Association of
the E-R Municipalities Lecce Province University of Salento Autonomous Province of Bozen Local Energy Agency - Casaclima Slovenia re-HUB IRI-UL IRI-UL Direct use: Provision of services En Svet network of energy advisors via Eko Sklad – initially those working in Ljubljana climate office. Housing managers who are part of re-LAB. 6 months after re-MODULEES end Spain re-HUB IVE IVE Direct use: Provision of services, enhancement of existing offered services Valencia region government and other levels of the public administration. Public housing associations. EE professionals: architects, engineers 6 months after re-MODULEES end re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 62 The Netherlands re-HUB BHG, ISSO, HIA BHG, ISSO, HIA Direct use: Provision of services. Regionaal Energieloket. Arnhem Spijkerkwartier Energy Fixer / Buurtklusbedrijf Rotterdam Alex Energie Prinsenland Helmond Energiehuis 6 months after re-MODULEES end Exploitation takes place mainly after the end of the project. Partners responsible for KERs will concentrate on the actions to be planned after the 1 st of May 2024. They will identify activities, the timing, the responsibilities, monitoring process, costs and sources of coverage. The most important elements to address will be Keep the business plan flexible to be as much as possible in line with the continuously changing economic, environmental, societal and legal context in which the result has been set up. Focus on the first six months after the end of the project; looking at activities, responsibilities, KPIs and milestones. Negotiate resources needed for implementing the next steps; note that most of the procedures for implementing the exploitation route require time. Monitor the consistency among the chosen route to market, the early adopters, and the planned proposed dissemination actions. 6.3.
Exploitation routes 6.3.1 re-MODULEES Platform Direct use (IVE and UBIK): Owning a special public profile offering services (paying service). Offering the service (with pilot country versions, administrated by regional administrators) with maintenance fee, then a subscription fee to add a new country/region. Indirect use: Offering the free code or the service to develop parallel versions. Actions (1 st May until 1 st November 2024) Direct use - public profile offering services: o Define the product-service packets, the list of services to be provided, and the related prices. o Prepare the contractual and legal framework. o Finalise the team who will be responsible for managing the platform and offering services. o Activate sales channels and prepare marketing and communication plans. o Establish clear performance metrics and KPIs to track the success of the platform. Direct use - pilot country versions, administrated by regional administrators: o Define the legal asset, the maintenance fee amount and the service pack to be offered, along with the related prices. o Finalise the team who will be responsible for managing the platform and offering services. o Prepare and sign an agreement with the interested partners to have a formal agreement for using the platform after the end of the project. o Activate sales channels and prepare marketing and communication plans. o For new country/region, sign an agreement defining the terms of use and pricing. Indirect use: o Prepare Open Access licensing agreements and terms of use. o Prepare comprehensive documentation and support to use the free code. o Explore the opportunities for monetization through premium support, consulting services, etc. o Identify to whom to license the free code or services.
o 6.3.2 Bulgarian re-HUB Direct use (Gabrovo Municipality, the Technical University, En Effect): Provision of services for building renovation including: re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 63 o Integrated Service Delivery: Gabrovo Municipality's experts stationed at the re-HUB will offer complete renovation services, renewable energy system information, and support for energy efficiency projects in local SMEs. o Technical Expertise and Support: The University and En Effect will provide technical expertise, training, and resources to enhance municipal staff's capabilities and support clients with industry insights. o Training and Education: Regular training sessions conducted by the University and En Effect will empower stakeholders with knowledge and skills essential for successful renovation projects. o Online Resource Hub: The re-HUB's website will host an online resource hub curated by En Effect, offering information on renovation practices, funding opportunities, and regulatory updates. Actions (1 st May until 1 st November 2024): (Considering that the Bulgarian re-HUB is already operational): Update the business plan with financial projections (revenues generated from the service provision, contribution in cash or kind from Municipality). Finalise the contractual framework to ensure service provision. Define the services’ fees, taking into consideration that they are tailored to different customers. This should be agreed with the sales department. Launch a promotional campaign to raise awareness about the services offered in the re-HUB. By increasing awareness and engagement of potential adopters, will be maximized the impact of the re-HUB’s services. Take into consideration replicability actions in other municipalities in Bulgaria.
6.3.3 French re-HUB Indirect use (DOWEL and R2M): License the know-how to an organisation anchored in the French renovation ecosystem. The French re-HUB will act as facilitator for the adoption of the service suite. Actions (1 st May until 1 st November 2024): DOWEL and R2M already have initiated face-to-face discussions with several potential adopters scenarios to take over the governance of the re-HUB and to combine their own activity with the ‘package of service’ designed for the French re-HUB. A follow-up of these discussions will be made during the next months after formal project end. Three main actions which could be organised in a post-project exploitation plan are proposed: The building of an offer to a potential candidate to the re-HUB governance. The key argument being clearly articulate the value proposition of the re-HUB with the existing ‘business as usual’ activity in building renovation (either as a private or public or hybrid entity). The preparation of the legal framework for licensing the use of the platform with the support of IVE and UBIK. The preparation of a portfolio of funding options at the European/national levels or in collaboration with local municipalities to explore funding opportunities. 6.3.4 Greek re-HUB Direct use (CRES): Provision of services including: o Support and consultancy services to public authorities, for designing, planning, and implementing energy renovation programs both for public buildings and for homeowners. o Training for building industry professionals. Actions (1 st May until 1 st November 2024): CRES identified the following actions: Negotiate internal resources for the coordination and provision of services. Identify key personnel and prepare them to deliver consultancy services.
Participate to events on energy renovation of buildings, to disseminate the re-MODULEES outcomes (CRES may participate to such events in the framework of other projects, or in the framework of its own marketing/ communication activities). Enhance a marketing plan to reach a wider market and raise awareness of the re-HUB’s services and maximize outreach and impact. Explore opportunities for long-term funding, grants and partnerships to support ongoing operation and growth of the re-HUB. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 64 Outline a clear plan for ensuring the sustainability of Greek re-HUB, included the strategies for securing funding, fostering partnership and engaging new adopters. 6.3.5 Italian re-HUB Direct use (CERTIMAC): Service provision: Services demand side: o Technical support (Consulting and design). o Incentive Management (Advice and tips for the management of funding schemes for renovation interventions). o Access to financial networks (Meeting with the stakeholders of the financial network). o Administrative support (Support to draw up paperwork). Services supply side: o Training on Regulatory framework, trends and scenarios. Any specific and customized training & advisory needs may be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. o "One-to-One” Digital Showcase opportunities service. CERTIMAC will be responsible for the re-HUB management. The Italian re-HUB is based on a “Multi-sided FREEMIUM” model, it addresses supply and demand from a win-win perspective. The model is freemium because it offers a basic set of features for free, attracting a large user base. This core offering provides value and - at the same time - creates an incentive for users to upgrade to premium features that unlock additional benefits.
Actions (1 st May until 1 st November 2024): CERTIMAC identified the following potential actions: Designing and fine-tuning the “service package” to be offered to the Demand Side and Supply Side. Setting up a digital helpdesk for both the Demand and the Supply Sides. The re-HUB could offer premium services or subscription-based services to exclusive resources and tools. This should be agreed with the sales department. Develop a marketing and promotion strategy with the marketing department to raise awareness about the Italian re-HUB services and attract new potential customers. Organizing workshops, networking events could be useful to foster collaboration and innovation in the energy renovation sector, and open the opportunity to reach also other regions/municipalities in Italy. 6.3.6 Slovenian re-HUB Direct use (IRI-UL): Service provision through re-MODULEES platform. Services will include: o re-HUB in the climate office (and latter in other En Svet offices across the country) will support citizens and advisors to developed specific retrofit scenarios also with the use of the platform. o IRI UL will support the deployment by executing training for advisors. o Support for network of En Svet energy advisors. o Enhanced energy advice within the Ljubljana Climate office and latter throughout the En Svet network of 60 offices. A new OSS project – Renov Aid. Actions (1 st May until 1 st November 2024): Direct use – Service Provision Expand on the actions for the six months after re-MODULEES end. Develop a marketing and promotion strategy with the marketing department to raise awareness about the Slovenian re-HUB services and attract new potential customers. For tracking the advancements in the implementation of exploitation actions, it is important to add timing to milestones and KPI in order to monitor the milestones achievement.
The more the milestones are detailed, the easier is check if everything is going smoothly. Define the services’ fees, taking into consideration that they are tailored to different customers. Provide details costs associated with the re-HUB i.e. intermediaries’ prospections, training costs, maintenance costs. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 65 Develop a robust revenue generation strategy for the re-HUB by the revenues gained through training programs. Consider pricing models, market demand to maximize the revenue potential. Direct use – New project In Q4 2024 IRI UL as coordinator is starting Life OSS project Renov-Aid (Renovation Enhancement Network towards optimized Vitality and Adaptation Integration in Dwellings) with consortium composed by only Slovenian partners. Consortium is direct result of re-MOUDLEES and in composed of Cities of Ljubljana, Kranj and Velenje, Eco fund, communications firm Prosperia, Civil engineering institute (ZRMK) and construction industry cluster (SGG). This will ensure longevity and deployment of project results. Using the re-MODULEES know-how in a new project requires ensuring the protection of re-MODULEES knowledge. This can be achieved through signing a Know-How License Agreement or a Memorandum of Understanding between IRI UL and re-MODULEES consortium. The best type of agreement depends on several factors, including: The nature and value of the re-MODULEES consortium's know-how; The intended use of the know-how in the Renov-Aid project. 6.3.7 Spanish re-HUB Direct use (IVE): Service provision, training. Actions (1 st May until 1 st November 2024): Prepare a service pack tailored to each target market and define the associated costs. Define the revenues model for the services offered, whether it’s a subscription-fee model, or on demand service model.
Develop a comprehensive marketing and outreach strategy to promote the services, trainings, and digital tools offered by the re-HUB/IVE. Define a clear timeline when the Spanish re-HUB will be ready to provide services and trainings, and who will be responsible for each service. For tracking the advancements in the implementation of exploitation actions, it is important to add timing to milestones and KPI in order to monitor the milestones achievement. Develop a robust financial sustainability plan, by including revenue streams. 6.3.8 The Netherlands re-HUB Direct use (ISSO, HIA, BHG): Provision of services for building renovation including: o advice, on adding new services to energy corner services; o support, to improve existing services; o training of staff members, on the importance of upskilling and quality assurance. The re-MODULEES Platform will be used to deliver services, acting as a gateway towards the market. Actions (1 st May until 1 st November 2024): ISSO, HIA and BHG identified the following actions: Setting up of a digital helpdesk, for the BUS-app and services (ISSO). Involving Experts to provide services, based on market request. Delivering trainings to professionals/municipalities, based on market request. Further developing the trajectory of the ‘mobile neighbourhood factory’ with Ikwoon as tool (BHG). Promoting the use of Sensi mainly in the utility market. ISSO, HIA and BBHG should define the revenues for the services offered (each one by itself). If they go for a subscription-fee model, or on demand service model. Enhance a marketing plan to reach a wider market and raise awareness of the services offered. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 66 7. Guidelines for One-stop shops in Europe: analysis and recommendations for candidate OSS 7.1.
A synthetic report for OSS-related communities The work deployed to build guidelines for One-stop shops (OSS) and based on diverse re-MODULEES assets (the re- Modulees platform, the feedback from the national pilots) constitutes a capitalisation stone to be used by OSS- related communities 14 , viz. : candidate organisations as OSS (‘new comers’ with different profiles) academics and institutions working on One-Stop shops Existing OSS using self-made or ‘scattered tools’ or without adequate tooling. It was developed as an enabler in the form of guidelines for OSS entities and OSS communities with the purpose of providing guidelines and recommendations on how to set up one OSS while considering different perspectives related to the legal form of the entity. The reader gets theoretical and practical insights on two enabling poles faced by an entity either candidate or already active as an OSS, focusing on two main points: How to build a sustainable business model? Through a use case approach inspired from literature and EU-funded R&I results. The nature of such an entity matters. A case-by-case approach was adopted to address very different configurations. Which tooling could support these ‘candidate OSS’ to gain efficiency when providing such services? Here the connection is made with the re-MODULEES platform and its ability to be tuned to the local demand, offer and legal context in the energy renovation. The three use cases considered for the design of the service offer leverage on their particularities: - The public OSS model, a privileged position for triggering confident onboarding and engagement of homeowners - The Private OSS Model for support and implementation of renovation works. - The mixed-ownership OSS Model, a role-centered configuration to further push deep renovation rates.
The guidelines takes the form of a public report including an introduction (chapter 1) and three chapters: - Chapter 2 is knowledge-oriented and targets the research and academia community. - Chapter 3 is recommendation-oriented and targets public or private stakeholders aiming at activating an and includes guidance based on best practices - Chapter 4 introduces a set of video tutorials recorded to present the actual features of the re-MODULEES platform. 7.2. A novel OSS context in Europe A solid legislative framework rules the current and emerging One-Stop shops, with some further transcription of EPBD into the national laws. Indeed, OSS are clearly recognised as a concept relevant to accelerate the energy refurbishment of buildings. It is institutionalised in the final version of the EPBD approved by the Council (12th April 2024) in its Article 18: One- stop shops for the energy performance of building with invitations of the Member-States to implement measures (e.g. population-based placement: 1 OSS per 80,000 inhabitants among other strategic location criteria). 14 Deliverable D3.6: The re-MODULEES One-Stop Shops guidelines, 2024. Athanase Vafeas, DOWEL Innovation, with support from IVE, HI&A, BHG, Eurac, R2M, CNR. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 67 The mission of OSS as a facility is formally written in Alinea 4, as well as the 3 main services, with other activities to be developed when appropriate. The concept of One-Strop Shops has been widely studied by academics, institutions and by multiple EU funded R&I projects, but also was explored or experimented by competent authorities over a territory. One should note a high diversity of local configurations, requiring some simplification. The guidelines proposed a limited number archetypal types, inspired by literature, and impacting the design of the OSS Business Model.
Three factors have been retained as discriminant for such a design: The historic activity of a candidate OSS: Wich nature (private, public, hybrid)? Which shareholders? The pure-OSS offer of service as recommended by the EPBD, Art. 18 (provision of technical, administrative and financial advice for energy efficiency) Other peripheral activity of the entity to enhance its financial sustainability. An important factor impacting the preparation of the Business Model is the role of public authority. They should have a decisive role in preparing the legal environment in which OSS will operate as well as easing the setting-up of OSS in a local market. Positive incentivisation measures could facilitate such preparation. In order to help organisations willing to take the role of an One-stop Shop operating as intermediate party in the energy renovation of building in the sense of the EPBD (Art.18), three type of enabling factors have been identified: Tooling of OSS matters : value of ‘integrated environments or suites’ vs multiplicity of tooling Knowledge sharing between OSS for favoring replication of OSS models , e.g. by pushing further what was experienced in re-Modulees pilot re-HUBs Supporting ‘interfaces’ between heterogeneous populations, establishing spaces of dialogue and intermediations between homeowners, intermediates, institutions, and authorities. 7.3.
Designing a Business Model for a candidate OSS Generic features require the project initiator answering first to structural questions such as - The boundary conditions (e.g., understanding of the legal conditions ruling the activity) - The local market conditions and their possible evolutions: analysis of existing suppliers and of market barriers, analysis of the factors influencing the business model and the OSS value proposition, analysis of the target groups and their ability to pay, analysis of the core groups which will secure core regular revenues and peripheral ones - The activable assets and all the means to execute the value proposition: team of activable providers and understanding of their activation conditions (their costs, their ability to contract and execute works in quality and reasonable due time, insurance conditions, etc.). The answers will help building the Value proposition, the Cost / revenue model for each target group, and to set-up the Launching phase to initiate the service. Typical triggers include modular design and co-building workshops for fast prototyping of a service offer, iterative drafting of the value proposition, customer centric design, freemium services, multi-layers streams of revenues, multi-sided business models. This is not sufficient for finalizing the business model, and we need to deep dive in the specificity of each local configuration. Three cases were proposed to fine tune the design of the service offer: - The public OSS model, a privileged position for triggering confident onboarding and engagement of homeowners - The Private OSS Model for support and implementation of renovation works Excerpts from Article 18-Alinea 4, EPBD The OSS shall provide “technical, administrative and financial advice for energy efficiency”.
It has to be established “by Member-State [...] in cooperation with competent authorities, and, where appropriate, private stakeholders”. The 3 service offers: “a) advise with streamlined information on technical and financial possibilities and solutions to households, SMEs, microenterprises, public bodies; (b) provide holistic support to all households, with a particular focus on households affected by energy poverty and on worst performing buildings, as well as to accredited companies and installers providing retrofit services, adapted to different housing typologies and geographical scope, and provide support covering the different stages of the retrofit project, including to facilitate the implementation of a minimum energy performance standard where such standard is provided for in a Union legislative act; (c) advise on energy consumption behaviour” re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 68 - The mixed-ownership OSS Model, a role-centered configuration to push deep renovation rates. The specific features of the public OSS model are illustrated in the figure below. Figure 23: Recommendations for building a business model of a ‘public One-Stop shop’ 7.4. Leveraging on the re-Modulees platform The tooling constitutes the 2 nd determinant factor to help emerging and future OSS and the main message of the project is that more integration in tooling bring more benefits. Indeed, tooling of OSS is a necessary brick to deploy activity. However, a wide spectrum of configurations coexists: OSS with no or using ad hoc self-developed tool on one side, OSS using an integrated tool, suite or platform offering a full environment. Most often, OSS are using several solutions, each dedicated to one domain: ‘OSS using scattered tooling’. The debate ‘scattered tools’ vs ‘integrated tool’ has a solution driven by legacy and past habits of people having set up the OSS.
We believe that more integration in tooling helps efficiency gains by the OSS, provided that the solution has a reasonable cost. We also have proposed the term of One-Stop tool (OST), mirror to OSS, as an “integrated platform covering the whole customer journey and all stakeholders in their local energy renovation ecosystem, e.g., the re- MODULEES platform”. The high flexibility in adapting the re-MODULEES platform 15 to the local needs identified by a regional administrator constitute an important legacy of the project to help existing or new OSS to move forward to the bottom right corner of the figure below. 15 Practical guidance and introduction to the re-MODULEES platform through video tutorials re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 69 Figure 24: Market and tooling challenges for One-Stop Shops for building energy renovation 7.5. Each OSS case (public, private, hybrid) offers privileged pathways determined by its status and governance In conclusion the work carried out in elaborating these guidelines enable to retain the following messages. ❶ Strong ability to tune the service offer in relation with energy efficiency features: the nature of the candidate OSS and its degree of freedom greatly influences a customer-following, service-based approach or a more standardised one-size fits all offer.
❷ A multi-sided perspective enables to solve the tricky point in the Business Model design - the ability to combine complementary modes offering solutions adapted to very different needs : - for the demand side homeowners facing the bureaucratic process for obtaining subsidies, - for the supply side to maintain and encourage the interest of craftsmen and very small suppliers in renovation work, - from the public authority side to put in place the means to building blocks in education, capacity building to ensure more personnel - in volume but also in specialised skills – in the building / renovating sector, - from the finance side, the ability to overcome the risk issue from guarantees, - from other energy intermediates point of view, already active in the domain such as energy ambassadors, energy corners or other intermediate specialised in energy related topics (e.g., District Heating, Heat Pump integrations, implementation other energy efficient actions). ❸ Three gaps of different natures have always to be bridged: - To bridge the funding gap: sustainability of business model of OSS remains a tricky part requiring public support and involvement of local authorities - To bridge the tooling and complexity gap thanks to a neutral, modular, tunable platform - To bridge the trust gap between suppliers and the demand side by putting the owner at the centre. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 70 8. Policy recommendations 8.1. Introduction The purpose of preparing policy recommendations is to provide actionable solutions to overcome specific regulatory, legislative, and practical barriers. These recommendations aim to facilitate strategic decision-making and promote the successful implementation of initiatives at various levels of governance, ensuring alignment with broader goals such as energy efficiency and climate resilience. The process involves several key steps.
Initially, challenges are identified, including both normative barriers (such as legislative and regulatory hurdles) and operational barriers (like market fragmentation and skilled labor shortages). Data collection and analysis follow, utilizing research, stakeholder interviews, and practical experiences to understand the broader context and specific issues. Tailored solutions are then developed to address these barriers at European, national, and local levels. Stakeholder engagement is crucial throughout, involving policymakers, industry experts, and community representatives to gather insights and validate the recommendations. This collaborative and comprehensive approach ensures the recommendations are actionable and aligned with broader goals for energy efficiency and climate resilience. 8.2. Key considerations for formulating the Policy Recommendations Re-MODULEES project is set in a specific regulatory and policy framework surrounding the European Green Deal: the Renovation Wave Strategy and the Fit-for-55 package, including the recently adopted recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), as well as their subsequent implementation in Member States’ policy contexts that is yet to take place. The recommendations of re-MODULEES are therefore timely. Through its multiple initiatives (R&I actions), that can be either privately or institutionally led, the outcomes of project’s deliverables bring various benefits to stakeholders, whether they are directly involved or supporters, in the deep renovation value chain and the overall EU policy ambition.
Re-MODULEES project enabled the formalisation of blocks of knowledge useful for all types of stakeholders in the energy renovation of building, in particular: the re-MODULEES integrated platform, which is intended to be a portal that reference tools, knowledge and qualified actors for all stakeholders involved in the energy renovation of buildings; a series of re-HUB, a flexible organisation of renovation parties, sharing experience and knowledge on energy renovation issues or activities. The integrated platform has been designed to provide effective tools for One Stop Shops (OSS) for energy efficiency in buildings using a database of tools and applications that can be adapted to the context of the local renovation market. By OSS, we understand Integrated Home Renovation Services targeted at end-users. The re-HUB located in various EU regions showcase how a flexible organisation, tunable to local energy renovation contexts could pave the way for setting-up more OSS in Europe by gathering stakeholders, expertise and solutions. After the end of re-MODULEES, the re-HUB will guarantee the continuation of the building renovation process (delivery of the modular service) as an international governed hub (within a special purpose vehicle) with regional nodes (branches regional formalised networks of relevant stakeholders). These regional nodes are the evolution of the re-LABs. Throughout the project, One Stop Shops (OSS) for renovation also confirmed to be a decisive factor (without being the only one) to accelerate the local market in building renovation. This interlinkage became more and more obvious and relevant and generated an increased focus on the topic and how re-MODULEES solutions can better support the policy objectives of the new recast EPBD regarding OSS for energy efficiency in buildings, i.e.
OSS shall be independent public entities, cross-sectorial and interdisciplinary and shall provide their service free of charge for the users. They shall provide tailor made advice to different target groups on energy efficiency in buildings and may accompany integrated district renovation programs. One Stop Shops may cooperate with private actors that provide and promote services relevant for energy renovation, such as financing solutions and the execution of energy renovations, and, where appropriate, that connect potential projects, in particular smaller-scale projects, with market actors. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 71 Re-MODULEES project does not stand alone in its effort. Its sister EU-funded project Save The Homes (the European Union’s H2020 framework programme for research and innovation under grant agreement no 892749) also produced policy recommendations, that have been crafted to address the multifaceted challenges and barriers hindering the widespread deployment and effectiveness of OSS across Europe. Adequate policy frameworks, coordinated renovation market development, service based on local market needs, ensuring consumer trust, communication and raising awareness, as well as enabling financial ecosystem are key factors to unlock the full potential of OSS to ensure and accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable and resilient built environment. 8.3. The Policy Recommendations Targeted policy interventions to overcome the barriers identified during the project can help to streamline renovation processes, but also unlock significant potential for energy savings and sustainability. Policy actions at all levels should design and implement measures that address these multifaceted challenges, paving the way for a resilient and future-proof renovation ecosystem.
They should help to better harmonise regulatory frameworks, incentivise investments, support skill development, and raise awareness about the benefits of retrofitting. In addition, coordinated approach is needed to facilitate market's transition towards more efficient, sustainable building practices, aligning with broader EU goals for climate neutrality. Six general trends have been identified that guide the policy recommendations as an outcome of the re- MODULEES project: 1. Legislative Framework and Implementation: A consistent regulatory framework across the European Union is needed, and an emphasis needs to be placed on ensuring the timely implementation of existing objectives and recent legislative developments related to energy efficiency and building performance. This involves supporting the implementation of directives such as the Energy Performance of Building Directive (EPBD) at the EU national levels, but subsequently at all levels of authority required nationally. 2. Investment in Research, Innovation, and Education: The importance of research and innovation in retrofit technologies and methodologies is raising exponentially. Increased funding for research and educational programs aimed at upskilling the workforce is seen as crucial for promoting best practices and addressing knowledge gaps in the retrofitting market. 3. Deployment of Circular Value Chains through Construction & Supply-Chain Clusters and Living Labs: By establishing a cooperative platform, fragmented SMEs and solutions providers in the renovation sector can unite their resources and expertise. Through shared tools, knowledge exchange, and collaborative projects, these professionals can collectively address market needs with efficiency and quality assurance.
This cooperative model fosters a supportive ecosystem where SMEs benefit from pooled resources, enhanced market visibility, and access to comprehensive services. By leveraging collective strength, they can compete effectively, innovate, and expand market reach, ultimately driving growth and sustainability in the renovation sector. 4. Promotion and Support of One Stop Shops (OSS): The establishment and deployment of OSS need to be highlighted as a key trend across all levels of governance. These OSS are envisioned as central hubs that provide comprehensive support for building renovation projects, including technical, financial, and planning advice, as well as coordination and quality control services. 5. Local Empowerment and Tailored Interventions: Specific needs and conditions of communities need to be addressed. Local initiatives should focus on enhancing capacity building, streamlining permit processes, introducing incentives, and deploying OSS to facilitate retrofit projects and overcome operational barriers at the grassroots level, thus favorising the bottom-up approach of governance. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 72 6. Promoting Awareness and Outreach: Targeted awareness campaigns and outreach activities to raise awareness about only the benefits of renovations, but also the possibilities and incentives in place to stimulate the uptake of energy renovations. The following recommendations, also in line with the six general trends mentioned here above, address the three different levels of decision-making relevant in the building sector: European, national and local levels, and are addressed to individual and institutional policy-makers at these levels of decisions.
At European Level The recent legislative developments around the Green Deal and in particular the adoption of the Recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, the Construction Products Regulation as well as many other pieces of legislation that will impact the building sector, jointly these should contribute to the transformation of the retrofitting market. However, in order to surpass the challenges and barriers identified during this project, a special focus is needed on the following policy actions and measures: Legislative Harmonisation: Work towards further harmonising EU directives, in order to reduce the risk of silos, related to energy efficiency and building performance, as well as to reduce discrepancies between national laws and promote a consistent regulatory framework. Implementation and Compliance: Ensure the timely implementation of the existing objectives and recent Green Deal related legislative developments related to the building sector, in particular support the implementation of the 2024 Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. EU-wide Certification: Create a unified certification system for retrofit projects and professionals to ensure quality and facilitate cross-border recognition, instiling confidence in retrofit investments. Innovation and Research Funding: Increase EU funding for research and innovation in retrofit technologies and methodologies, in research related to adaptive climate strategies and circular retrofit solutions for the existing building stock (moving away from merely energy efficient retrofit approaches), in promoting best practices across Member States such as for instance industrialisation of prefabricates, as well as in supporting the deployment of OSS and construction and supply value chain.
At National Level At the national level, the building sector and retrofitting market are often governed by a complex web of regulations, standards, and practices that are uniquely tailored to the specific needs, challenges, and priorities of each country. This localised approach allows for greater sensitivity to regional architectural styles, construction methods, and climatic conditions, which significantly influence retrofitting strategies and outcomes. National Governments have the capacity to respond to the dynamic nature of the building sector, enacting policies and measures that directly address the unique barriers and opportunities within their jurisdictions. Among the policies and measures identified in the project, the following ones would need to be addressed at national level: Ensure the Timely Implementation of the Energy Performance of Building Directive (EPBD) Requirements: Support reaching the objectives requiring that average primary energy use of the whole residential building stock decreases by 16% by 2030 and by 20-22% by 2035 and that in 2030 all non- residential buildings are above the 16% worst performing and by 2033 above 26%. Standardisation of Regulations: Harmonise building codes and retrofit standards across regions to reduce complexity and promote compliance. Financial Support Programs: Establish national funds or guarantees to facilitate access to financing for retrofit projects, targeting both residential and commercial buildings. In addition, there is a need for policies that support commercial activities in the specific segment of building renovation and retrofitting (as opposed to newbuilds) as an incentive to industries and professionals working in construction. The latter may include specific tax reductions, subsidised training and education for building professionals or similar actions.
re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 73 Incentives for Holistic Renovation: While the focus is mainly on energy renovations, there should also be incentives’ programmes for other circular and holistic approaches that don’t necessarily bring primarily energy savings. Develop Post-Subsidies Monitoring Programmes: While the performance liability should remain on the side of the suppliers, it would be important that the means to performance monitoring at the national level are ensured through aggregated and anonymised data. Increased emphasis on Green Public Procurement (GPP) in public tenders: There is a need to strengthen Green Criteria in public tenders, particularly in construction and renovation projects. The objective is drive market demand for sustainable building practices and encourage the development of a skilled workforce in the private renovation sector. Upskilling the Workforce: Promote the development of new educational courses and professional programmes to bridge the knowledge gap among planners, designers, and installers. This should include activities that encourage workforce capacity building and streamlining (facilitating) collaboration of key stakeholders (cross-craft or interdisciplinary collaboration). Furthermore, housing associations and managers need both skills and structured support in their efforts to orchestrate diffused decision-making scenarios. Similarly, financial experts and building experts would benefit from training on how building renovations and retrofits relate to their specific fields of expertise.
Boost the Development of One Stop Shops to Support Building Renovation as required in the recast EPBD: Ensure a population-based deployment of at least one OSS per 80,000 inhabitants; Guarantee a strategic location reachable within a 90-minute travel distance and focus on regions with an above-average age of building stock and areas implementing integrated district renovation programmes; Put in place a holistic support, not only offering advice on technical and financial possibilities but also catering to vulnerable households, those affected by energy poverty, and individuals in low- income households. On a more general take, OSS should offer spaces, ideally physical, that serve, support, and grow communities that pursue living in healthy, safe, and energy-efficient built environments by improving existing buildings, both with investments towards building renovation as well as through practices of efficient energy use and building maintenance. Boost the Deployment of Construction and Supply Sector Value Chain National Clusters: Support the creation of a conducive environment for the development and growth of interconnected opportunities within these sectors in order to drive the economic progress, job creation and technological innovation. Public Awareness Campaigns: Launch national campaigns to raise awareness about the benefits of energy-efficient retrofits, emphasising long-term savings and environmental impact and promoting a positive public attitude towards building renovations and healthy indoor environment. Leading by example should be part of this mission by default, investing resources towards improving public infrastructure and practices associated with energy-efficient building use. At Local Level Local policies and initiatives can have a direct impact on the day-to-day execution of projects.
The local level is therefore a key level of governance that should be considered in particular to address the practical challenges encountered in the retrofitting market. Local authorities, being closer to the citizens and businesses, are uniquely positioned to tailor interventions that directly address the specific needs and conditions of their communities. This proximity allows for more agile and responsive governance, enabling the implementation of targeted measures to overcome operational barriers in the renovation ecosystem. Enhance Capacity Building: Increase training and certification programs for local contractors and workers to improve retrofit quality and reliability. Streamline Permit Processes: Simplify and expedite local permit processes to encourage more retrofit projects and reduce administrative burdens. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 74 Local Incentives: Develop local subsidy programs or tax rebates to make retrofit projects more financially viable for homeowners and businesses. This could also include providing incentives for single solutions (such as with moving forward with a recommended step in a Building Renovation Passport or if the solution is undertaken with required materials by a skilled certified technician etc.) Introduce a 'System Integrator': Create a role for a 'system integrator', technical units with expertise spanning retrofit techniques, financial aspects, and accountability for renovation outcomes. This can streamline the process, provide clear options, and help building owners navigate the complexities. These actors should be part of (or collaborate closely with) the OSS, which for such renovation and retrofitting project facilitators should function as a repository of tools and services.
Support the Creation of Local Clusters Bringing Together Constructors and Supply Value Chain in order to foster at local level knowledge sharing, collaboration and exchange of expertise between the construction professionals. Support the Deployment of One Stop Shops Throughout the Territory: as required in the EPBD to complement the top-down approach with a bottom-up reinforcement. OSS should support citizens and organisations (private investors) with planning and executing building renovations by streamlining the location-specific jobs implied in the process, such as gathering reliable information required for planning and execution of the specific project, offering unbiased expert advice (technical, financial, planning), crafting financial plans, support with coordination and negotiation with contractors & suppliers while ensuring a fair market, support with quality control and others. The OSS could potentially also function as a warrant for reliability of service providers implied in the project if customers would choose from a list of certified or otherwise qualified providers suggested by the OSS. As such a service, OSS could function as a gateway to turnkey projects, integrating the currently diffused renovation processes and uncoordinated service providers into a facilitated project management service. For suppliers and individual specialized service providers, OSS should function as a hub for networking with other reliable service providers from related segments of the market. Support the Durability of One Stop Shops: Local levels of governance need to ensure stable and sufficient funding sources for OSS operations and activities, also by fostering partnerships and collaborations. The OSS staff needs to be updated on recent policy developments and solutions in order to provide with quality services and maintaining the credibility of OSS.
Many OSS are mainly energy oriented still, while they need to be future resistant and aim to avoid silos approaches in building renovation. 8.4. The way forward – post re-MODULEES considerations In order to conclude these policy recommendations, it is also important to think outside of the outcomes of the project itself, and to reflect upon what the future holds in terms of lessons learned as EU climate policy moves forward towards the new EU legislative term (2024-2029). The re-MODULEES Consortium therefore calls the CINEA and the future policy makers to: Provide Policy and Financial Framework for Establishment of OSS for OSS: a single unit gathering knowledge and lessons learned of existing OSS, that could also further assist in other local initiatives. Create a Platform i.e. Open Access Online Hub (long-term and EU funded) as a Database of, and for, EU-Funded Projects that would act as a hub for collecting information and interlinking efforts and experiences. The goal would be to constitute a knowledge hub, a common space for sharing under CINEA. Ensure the Durability of the Solutions and Concepts Created within the EU Projects, particularly those that ensure synergies with the supply chain able to provide better information on innovative solutions. To link it with the previous point, this could be done through a live repository of information on the renovation process (literature) targeted at professionals e.g. catalogues of innovative solutions developed by EU projects. Validation of the Solutions through Monitored Data/Feedback from pilot sites should be collected and released. This is currently not the case and the data is not harmonised. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 75 9.
re-MODULEES key take aways On the re-MODULEES people centered approach: People centered approach was crucial for engagement of building renovation ecosystem participants so they work together in achieving higher rate of renovation. - Small contractors play a (role but usually not turnkey solutions, but dealing with them there is the stress for builder/owner. - People do not know how to start and set priorities and how to do time and task planning. - To get reliable data is a challenge; people get lost on the internet and are influenced by commercial solutions – the OSS should be independent for capital interest. - Need to cut fossil fuels is starting to come to awareness as also political decision to phase out fossil is in place On the Resources and tools capitalized by re-MODULEES: - the collection of the success renovation stories in the pilot markets - the deep knowledge of the renovation market in the 7 EU pilot markers - the identification of the common features through a clusterization process - the matching of the analyzed TT/SS/AA with the CJ and the clustered constraints useful as filters of the re-MODULEES platform. On the re-MODULEES platform: - When designing such a wide concept, communication is paramount: for months there was the feeling of not understanding requirements (by IT developers) or potential functionalities (by final users). Extra efforts organizing Rotterdam & Valencia Technical Workshops, Consortium Meeting workshops, developing Demos, videos & mock-ups, involving in Exploitation Tasks and Re-LABs activities were needed.
- Developing this ambitious tool relays on contributions from all partners, for successful IT result: IT outcomes do not depend only on IT developers, but on the participation and involvement of all the partners and pilot stakeholders, so we can develop the best fitted IT solution, but sometimes responsibilities are no taken or understood, or there is a lack of planned time or resources. To solve this, facilitating mechanisms were put in place, such as Feeding questionnaires, Administration panels, Excel templates... - A platform in not just a tool that makes many things, or a collection of many tools: it is not about One Click, nor about setting a toolkit, but about offering a service. Therefore, context, interaction & follow- up workspaces were included, and users and their objectives were very much considered: Whose problems were we addressing? Which solutions were we providing? What impacts we wanted to trigger? On the the re-MODULEES exploitation routes: The innovative elements of re-MODULEES are: o The re-MODULEES platform that acts as a central resource for renovation possibilities, modules, services, and stakeholder communities. It also serves as a valuable promotional channel. o The transition from re-LABs (active during the project) to re-HUBs (permanent) ensures long-term market uptake through the continued delivery of modular renovation services and the building renovation activities in each pilot market accordingly to the identified business models. As the sustainability of re-HUBs is different and demanding for each pilot market, it is necessary to be focused on the first six months after the project end on the activities that still need to be performed through a clear roadmap with the definition of timing and responsible parties, key performance indicators (KPIs), re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 76 milestones.
On the policy recommendations: The re-MODULEES considerations underscore the necessity for a forward-thinking approach towards shaping the future of EU climate policy. It is relevant to draw upon the lessons learned from past initiatives and embrace innovative strategies to address emerging challenges. The recommendations put forth by the re-MODULEES Consortium serve as a roadmap for policymakers, urging the establishment of robust frameworks to support open-source solutions, facilitate knowledge sharing, and ensure the durability of project outcomes. The policymakers can maximise the impact of EU-funded projects, urging the establishment of robust frameworks to support open-source solutions, facilitate knowledge sharing, and ensure the durability of project outcomes. Enhancing support mechanisms and promoting transparency through mandatory feedback reporting will enable continuous improvement and accountability within the policy landscape. Embracing these recommendations will not only enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of EU climate policy initiatives but also pave the way for a more resilient and impactful future. On the demonstration in Pilot Markets and LABs Activation: The experience gained in the re-MODULEES project and the direct contact with local stakeholders have been key elements in acquiring fundamental knowledge and implementing efficient renovation processes, as well as ad hoc tools to overcome the barriers that hinder their large-scale diffusion. In this regard, Annex I provides a collection of specific "key takeaways" and "lessons learned" for each pilot country, offering a valuable wealth of knowledge. In addition, the following is a list of general "key takeaways" and "vital learnings" to be taken into account whenever local ecosystems are to be supported in renovation processes.
BULGARIA Tangible Products Drive Activity: Bulgarian Energy Centers need to offer concrete services or products to actively engage consumers and businesses. Business Readiness: The Bulgaria business sector is relatively well-informed and prepared to take action on energy efficiency. Energy Centers should leverage this readiness. Citizen-Centric Focus: The primary focus of Energy Centers should be on providing information, support, and solutions to individual citizens to encourage widespread adoption of energy-saving measures. Municipal Technical Support: Municipalities require technical assistance to effectively implement energy efficiency projects and policies. Communication is Key: Successful implementation of energy efficiency initiatives requires strong communication campaigns to educate and engage citizens and local stakeholders. Overall: To maximize their impact, Bulgarian Energy Centers should prioritize developing tangible offerings, catering to the needs of citizens, and providing technical and communication support to municipalities.
FRANCE re-MODULEES platform and its acceptance Prudence of French players in energy renovation towards a new integrated platform: o A standalone repository is not enough to generate interest in the tools o The lifespan of the demonstration activities was not long enough to evaluate the tools and thus create trust Business as Usual of existing actors in France o The networking and sharing experience around the practice of OSS and its tools was appreciated by participants in such events o Need to be synchronized with the national institutions for designing OSS ecosystems and their facilitators: aligning financial schemes with the expectation of the re LAB members OSSs and local market activation They are necessary: To bridge the tooling and complexity gap thanks to a neutral, modular, tunable platform To bridge the funding gap: sustainability of the business model of OSS remains a tricky part requiring public support and the involvement of local authorities To bridge the trust gap between suppliers and the demand side by putting the owner at the centre. GREECE re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 77 The homeowners are willing to experience new energy-saving solutions and systems and are searching for user- friendly tools that will provide them with this knowledge. Stakeholders across the whole building renovation supply chain have shown a strong interest and willingness to actively participate and use the re-HUB (re-MODULEES digital platform). ITALY 1. Shifting from Fear to Trust: In the Italian context, a significant barrier to widespread renovation adoption is homeowners' fear of the process' complexity, fragmentation, costs, and potential disruptions. Trust can be built through: Transparent Communication: Providing clear, defragmented and accessible information about renovation benefits, costs, and processes.
Building Relationships: Establishing strong relationships between homeowners, advisors, and contractors based on mutual respect and open dialogue. Success Stories: Showcasing successful renovation projects to demonstrate the positive impact and potential of energy-efficient upgrades. 2. Scalability for Collective Impact: While individual building renovations are important, the true potential for impact lies in scaling up efforts to encompass multiple buildings, even entire neighborhoods. This requires a holistic approach that considers the needs of diverse stakeholders, including homeowners, tenants, businesses, and local authorities, while also ensuring equitable access to benefits for all citizens. Therefore, it is essential to: Invest in awareness campaigns: Develop targeted communication strategies to educate the public about the benefits of renovation, dispel common misconceptions, and showcase successful projects. Establish trust-building mechanisms: Create platforms for dialogue and collaboration between stakeholders, provide independent and unbiased advice and support, and implement robust quality assurance measures. Foster community-based initiatives: Encourage the formation of neighborhood renovation groups, facilitate collective decision-making, and leverage economies of scale to reduce costs and maximize impact. Develop policy frameworks: Implement supportive, long-lasting policies that incentivise energy-efficient renovations, streamline permitting processes, and prioritise the needs of vulnerable populations. SLOVENIA Renovation processes Complexity and Location Specificity: The renovation landscape in Slovenia varies significantly depending on the region, building type, and specific regulations. This complexity makes it difficult for individuals to navigate the process without expert guidance.
Need for Trustworthy Intermediaries: Homeowners and investors often lack the expertise to make informed decisions about renovation options, financing, and contractor selection. There is a clear need for trustworthy intermediaries (e.g., consultants, and energy agencies) to provide unbiased advice and support throughout the process. Contractor Selection: Finding reliable and qualified contractors can be a major hurdle. Issues such as varying quality standards, lack of transparency in pricing, and difficulties in assessing past performance contribute to this challenge. re-MODULEES Platform Adoption in Slovenia User-Friendliness is Paramount: The re-MODULEES platform must be designed to be intuitive and accessible for users with varying levels of technical knowledge. Complexity can deter potential users. Active Promotion is Essential: Relying on organic discovery is insufficient. A targeted promotional strategy is crucial to drive user engagement and adoption of the platform. Education and Training: Local Support Networks (LSNs) require comprehensive training and support to effectively utilize the platform's tools and functionalities. Functionality and Promotion Intertwined: While a well-designed platform with robust functionalities is important, its success hinges on active promotion to create awareness and drive market uptake SPAIN Trust and Transparency are Crucial: Establishing the re-HUB as a non-profit, transparent, and independent entity has been instrumental in gaining the trust of construction sector professionals. This trust is essential for fostering collaboration and driving participation in renovation initiatives.
Stakeholder Engagement Drives Customization: By actively involving all stakeholders throughout the entire renovation value chain, the re-HUB has been able to develop and deliver tailored services that address the specific needs of each actor. This customized approach ensures that the re-HUB remains relevant and responsive to the evolving demands of the market. THE NETHERLANDS Visibility in a Fragmented Market: Establishing a clear presence and brand recognition is crucial in the Netherlands' fragmented renovation market. Effective marketing and communication strategies are essential to stand out amongst competitors. Profitability through Market Connectivity: To achieve a profitable business model, investment in connecting market parties is vital. This involves facilitating collaboration and partnerships between various stakeholders involved in the renovation process, such as contractors, suppliers, and financiers. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 78 Regional Problem Ownership: Addressing capacity constraints requires the identification and empowerment of regional problem owners. These entities can take ownership of coordinating efforts to resolve capacity issues and streamline the renovation process at a local level. Public Value Recognition: It is important to secure recognition for the public value of renovation efforts, particularly concerning labour and financial support. This involves highlighting the social and environmental benefits of renovation projects to garner public backing and government incentives. Overall: Success in the Netherlands' renovation market hinges on overcoming fragmentation by building visibility, investing in market connectivity, establishing regional problem ownership, and gaining recognition for the public value of renovation initiatives. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 79 10.
Lessons learned and recommendations for a re-MODULEES 2.0 Positive outcomes The re-MODULEES project yielded several positive outcomes. It brought structure to the renovation ecosystems in the 5 countries involved in the project (Slovenia, Italy, France, Spain and Netherlands) and facilitated collaboration with key national stakeholders, fostering dialogue to address local challenges. Within this context, the use of the local language for communication in workshops, platform development and events organization was key in letting re-MODULEES objectives come across to the local, regional, national stakeholders. The involvement of financial entities, like banks in the ecosystem was essential to understand the economic feasibility and appeal of re-MODULEES solutions for the different scenarios of implementation. The ambitious and innovative multi-target approach of the re-MODULEES methodology proved effective in overcoming multiple barriers. It successfully identified needs and barriers in each local market and designed sustainability requirements for the RE-HUB beyond the project's life. This holistic approach has resulted in a flexible platform to engage local stakeholders and provide renovation services within the re-HUBs, addressing various needs which would have been not possible with a single-limited users model for implementation. Challenges re-MODULEES identified several market barriers, which posed significant challenges. Adapting the EU platform to local ecosystems was complex, as was the overall complexity of the re-MODULEES platform itself. The completion of the platform lagged behind the establishment of re-HUBs, creating delays in testing and validating the platform with the future predicted users. Updating building data in existing databases proved difficult, further complicating the process.
This process required significant coordination with the ecosystem leaders, exchange of information, collection of databases, which were difficult to be retrieved, further delaying the development of the platform functionalities and actual prototype creation. Moreover, each ecosystem relies on a set of national GIS data that differs in resolution and quality, leading to increase load on the platform development side to extrapolate and harmonize the right data for the implementation for the re-MODULEES platform. There was also uncertainty surrounding future incentive schemes, as some re-HUBS depended on municipal or governmental incentives to continue. This topic was discussed and addressed in multiple occasions during the project duration and in preparation of the sustainability strategy for each re-HUB. Defining strategies for the sustainability of the re-HUBs after the project ended was critical to ensure long-term success. Regarding the ecosystem re-HUB activation, early demonstrations were necessary to show stakeholders how to initiate renovation solutions effectively. Follow up actions for REMODULEES 2.0 The future of a re-MODULEES 2.0 project presents numerous opportunities for enhancing its impact and success. There is potential for monitoring real metered energy and comfort renovation data to inform other projects (e.g. Build UPSpeed, Giga Regio Factory, One Click Reno..), ensuring the platform data remains relevant and attractive by updating it regularly, and extending its use to other ecosystems.
New projects could adopt the re-MODULEES approach, broadening their focus beyond energy efficiency to address climate change transition aspects, such as climate adaptation for façade and roofs components towards heat mitigation and reducing flooding, circularity of architectural elements and components as well re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 80 as design for flexible and future proof layout. The results from these initiatives might contribute to efforts such as the One Click Reno-Building renovation passports. There is also the potential to exploit the platform in a modular manner, such as developing APIs for specific functionalities, which can improve user experience and platform integration. Furthermore in the real of new EU projects proposals, the results of re-MODULEES pave the way to new project concepts in line with the Renovation wave ambitions and goals. There is an opportunity to establish an overarching project that connects OSS projects with data-driven initiatives fostering a comprehensive approach to building renovation and the development of renovation passports. Presenting the platform at national events could boost renovation rates across the EU by increasing awareness and stakeholder engagement, especially in support to the establishment of OSS on different territorial contexts. The EU LIFE program offers further opportunities, focusing on the implementation of projects that enhance the uptake of heat pumps, local district heating, and cooling systems. Additionally, CINEA could consult the re-MODULEES umbrella of companies to define the starting points for future calls, ensuring alignment with broader strategic goals.
Finally, there is an opportunity to launch new LIFE projects that connect energy communities with OSS, establishing citizen-driven organizations empowered by municipalities, which could lead to more sustainable and community-centered energy solutions. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 81 ANNEX I | LESSONS LEARNED THANKS TO THE INTERACTION WITH LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS LESSONS LEARNED 1. RESULTS AND OUTCOMES Issues, themes and topics for deep energy renovation re-LAB inputs for the Platform development Lessons learnt for strengthening the engagement process BULGARIA - Lack of support/funding programs - Sharp rise in construction material prices - Validity and accuracy concerns in some energy audits - Collaboration on the selection and evaluation of innovative tools and solutions - Suggestions for further platform development - Feedback on website design and functionality - Importance of clear communication and education for citizens on available funding programs and application processes - Need for ongoing engagement and collaboration with local stakeholders to address emerging challenges and ensure alignment with national goals. FRANCE Many existing OSSs in France, OSSs are still not well known by private owners. lack of skilled workforce in the sector. This fragmentation has not yet led to a massive wave of renovations. Experience from existing French OSSs Importance of Existing Relationships, Tailored communication, co- creation and feedback.
GREECE - Energy poverty - Lack of financing - Insufficient awareness - Administrative / legal constraints Renovation stories Frequent communication and update on the progress keep the re- LAB members engaged ITALY Complexity of deep renovation processes Capitalization of best practices, communicated in a simple and effective way - Harnessing established trust - User-centered design approach through co-design and co- creation - Targeted messaging for greater impact SLOVENIA Bringing together national stakeholders in a novel forum to work on deep retrofit supporting ecosystem The need arose of integration cadastral data to have more specific advice (for En Svet advisors) and this was implemented in the platform. IRI UL coordinated proposal writing for OSS project just for Slovenian partner (re-LAB and LSN members) that was selected for funding (Renov-AID) starting in Q4 24 and will further exploit re MODULEES KERs. re-LAB members need to see some relevance in devoting time to project activities such as ours. Initial contacts can be done based on past relations, but they will keep engage only if they see some gains and/or if they feel good in the created interactions. Besides project related activities well described, we tried to keep good relations by several means; from providing food and drinks in physical meetings, to regularly informing re LAB members about relevant tenders for e.g. renovations of buildings, mechanical ventilation and events on the topic of building renovations; to supply them with useful information. Personal professional cooperation is needed to establish trust that results in cooperation. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 82 Some examples of recent relevant findings from SI renovation ecosystems: Self-building/retrofit (there are small contractors, but usually not turnkey solutions) is widely present, but it presents the stress for builder/owner
It is usually done step by step. Ideally coordinator of works would be needed, but even someone knowledgeable only to discuss issues that arise would help. Possible solution could be establishment of independent 3rd party in line with escrow model. People do not know how to start and set priorities and how to do time and task planning. ENSVET is still not widely recognized even though it is operational for 30 years. People still rely on word of mouth and peers (not associated with real competences). To get reliable data is a challenge; people get lost on the internet and are influenced by commercial solutions (e.g. widely marketed ventilation system produces is considered as the only solution, enve though it is not of the best performance) For houses where there are on or two pensioners, there is no option for retrofit, but now Eco fund has a tender for energy poverty with 100% subsidy Need to cut fossil fuels is starting to come to awareness as also political decision to phase out fossil is in place (no new fossil boilers, no subsidy for them, phase out of coal power plat is in place...) SPAIN - Tools and functionalities - Expectations and needs addressed by each stakeholder - Integration of existing and potential renovation tools - Content for different renovation stages (customer journey) and user profiles - Financial aspects of building renovation Other related projects/initiatives - User expectations, needs, and tools considered useful by each stakeholder for every stage of the renovation process. - Evaluation, selection, and proposals for improvement of renovation tools - Information on tools, functionalities, user profiles, and resources for renovation support. - Scheduling sessions with valuable technical content. - Including information on other relevant projects. - Encouraging feedback through questionnaires and discussions.
- Maintaining personalized communication with stakeholders. - Including discussion topics in session minutes. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 83 THE NETHERLANDS Skills, OSS-processes, integrated design awareness Expertise, Energy Transition Game, Task based upskilling (BUS-app), quality improvement (of learnings), OSS collaboration, processes and tools (such as Ik Woon) In order to strengthen and grow existing initiatives relationship and collaboration needs to be nurtured; while enriching the recipes and approaches with inputs from re-MODULEES. This as many initiatives are still in the pioneering (or storming) phase. Based on successful ‘forming’ and application applied re-MODULEES can be further improved and scaled. In general most re- MODULEES where applied at TRL 7 (first or second application in real market conditions). Table 3. Lessons learnt thanks to the interaction with local stakeholders LESSONS LEARNED 2. BARRIERS AND BOTTLENECKS Analysis of barriers and bottlenecks occurred Mitigation measures adopted and results achieved BULGARIA - Initial delays in accessing funding due to incomplete guidelines and conditions for the renovation program - Capacity and availability concerns regarding construction companies - Lack of communication campaigns and developed co-financing mechanisms for phase 2 of funding program - Providing free consultation services and training for municipal experts and citizens, leading to increased market stimulation - Partnering with large service providers from neighbouring regions to expand service offerings - Organizing seminars for citizens to educate them on funding program application processes FRANCE Business as Usual of existing actors in France Aligning incentives and expectations from the members of the Re LAB.
GREECE Technical capacity of the building industry professionals Close collaboration with public authorities and building industry ITALY Uncertainty and complexity of regulations and the consequent uncertainty in the incentive framework - One-stop shop for renovations: re-MODULEES provides unbiased information and best practices on the entire renovation process in a user-friendly format. This can encourage more people to undertake interventions and foster renovation market uptake - Tailored communication: re-MODULEES can deliver information in different ways specifically designed for each target group - Standardized and stable incentives: re-MODULEES members can advocate for a standardized and stable incentive system for renovations, with support from regional and national authorities. SLOVENIA - Epidemic and shift to remote working. - Level of knowledge and understanding is limited; re-MODULEES project is overarching and complex. We do not have a single entity, that would be Adaptation of ethnographic research means to remote work. Shift of re-HUB to a location with higher impact. re-MODULEES Final Report June 2024 84 interested in all topic, but there are many interested 16 in individual topic. SPAIN - Scheduling difficulties. - Time-consuming communication with stakeholders. - Difficulty specifying session content in advance. - Risk of participant disengagement due to infrequent sessions. - Lack of clarity about sessions and stakeholder roles. - Low attendee participation in discussions and activities. - Generic or unsuitable information for some participants. - Increased agility in communication for scheduling. - Organizing sessions with information on other initiatives. - Offering sessions in multiple time slots. - Providing session reviews, objectives, and project updates. - Distributing project news and achievements.
- Providing clear documentation, contact information, and session agendas. - Designing engaging questionnaires and activities. - Sharing session information with participants. THE NETHERLANDS Although many lessons are learned by application of the re-MODULEES in real life settings integration of them is still a too customized and time-consuming process. So a lot of time was required to build up relationships and proper capacity at application level. Agility is needed for sustainable application and growth. In order to be successful, we shifted from advertising to building strong implementation relationships. That leaded to better insights for future applications: - Ik Woon as part of consultancy - BUS-app exploited by a non-profit cooperation - Energy Transition Game as part of education and training settings SENSI with a dedicated approach and marketing channel for utility buildings Skills and upskilling as part of labor capacity building at local and regional level The bottleneck that still exists is the market fragmentation. 400 municipalities are independent and often without a lot of cross-municipality learning trying to find proper ways to scale the transition towards a sustainable built environment. Table 4. Lessons learnt thanks to the stakeholders 16 Value proposition for different groups presented in D5.3