SHEERenov objective is to develop and test a model for the provision of integrated residential renovation services on the territory of Sofia in Bulgaria. The implementation of this project will support the Bulgarian Government's intended transition from the current multifamily buildings energy efficiency renovation model, financed fully from public resources and administered entirely by public institutions, to a market oriented model. Based on analysis of barriers and identified needs, enabling conditions will be created to attract and facilitate participation of relevant market stakeholders and players in the process of energy efficiency renovation in the residential sector: i.e.: homeowners, business, financial sector. The project will contribute to the achievement of multi-dimensional impacts in terms of creating a new system to provide integrated home renovation services with highly standardized and optimized procedures: (1) A “one stop shop” assistance to homeowners, allocated at the private business and their alliances sustainably ensured for the future through regulations and capacity building activities; (2) A three components sustainable financial mechanism to facilitate loans access, conditional subsidy receipt and targeted support to insolvents; (3) Municipal policies regarding newly assigned roles in the process of residential buildings renovation. The sustainability of SHEERenov results will be ensured through policy recommendations, communication, exploitation and dissemination activities and intended policy change regarding multifamily building renovation in Bulgaria.

European societies are confronted with an interlinked housing and energy crisis that is challenging social cohesion. As access to affordable housing becomes limited, inflation and accelerating energy prices pinpoint that energy poverty and housing inequalities mutually reinforce. Within this context, the deep renovation of the existing housing stock is promoted as key policy action. However, despite policy efforts from the EU to the local state, there are growing concerns that the transformation of housing markets may further aggravate the existing housing inequalities and energy poverty. To offer more equitable pathways to the green transition, PREFIGURE puts the spotlight on existing and emerging individual and collective efforts of policy, market, and social innovation. The project aims at identifying, tracing, analysing and networking emerging and active ‘prototypes of change’ with regard to the housing-energy efficiency/energy poverty nexus. Research objectives are to: (i) offer understanding of how practices of innovation contribute to affordable housing renovation schemes that disrupt existing housing inequalities and energy poverty; (ii) identify how housing policies trigger sustainable housing and energy transitions, how financial incentives for energy-efficient buildings are accessed by different types of owners and tenants, and how different user groups perceive sustainable housing and energy transitions, with a particular focus on income and wealth polarisation consequences on vulnerable groups; and (iii) mobilise knowledge about innovative practices for sustainable housing and energy transitions and co-create evidence-based policy solutions. Method innovation relies on fusing transformative qualitative and quantitative with technological and real-laboratory research to co-create and up-scale knowledge and practices that signal the green transition.

Housing policy in Europe is characterised by diversity; there is no single concept of ‘social housing’. In Spain, in the industrial development of the XX century, an extensive workers' housing policy was developed, and many social housing options appeared. The renovation of these districts and the refurbishment of this building typology (post-war privately-owned multifamily) requires heavy investment to alleviate situations of constructive pathologies, lack of energy efficiency and accessibility, and to adapt them to modern standards and the new requirements of their current users (often older people). The core ambition of the project is the development of an integrated renovation methodology aiming to transform social housing districts into inclusive smart neighbourhoods. It will guide constructive, energy and digital updates of neighbourhoods to improve urban space, accessibility and quality of life for all resident, and to guarantee connectivity of these neighbourhoods in physical, social and digital areas. The two drivers around which this project is structured are social innovation and local economic development both sharing the integration of innovative technologies as a guiding thread but with a human-centred approach and fit for purpose. The project will also explore the growth creation potential of cultural and creative industries (CCIs) in these processes of social neighbourhood renewal while strengthening social cohesion Based on an understanding of users’ needs, it will be validated through a use case in one social housing neighbourhood in Ermua (Spain). This process will be enriched by a peer learning method: Ermua will iterate with Elva (Estonia) as digitally advanced, and Matera (Italy), with their experience around the CCIs having been European Culture Capital 2019. This will also guarantee its replicability reinforced by Housing Europe, with the capacity to widely disseminate the IRM among its members as well as to foster and support its application

The main objective of POWERPOOR is to develop support programmes/schemes for energy poor citizens and encourage the use of alternative financing schemes (e.g. establishing energy communities / cooperatives, crowd funding). POWERPOOR will facilitate experience and knowledge sharing, as well as the implementation of small-scale energy efficiency interventions and the installation of renewable energy sources, increasing the active participation of citizens. Pilot energy poor support programmes/schemes will be designed, developed and implemented in eight countries across Europe, led by a network of certified Energy Supporters and Energy Communities Mentors. The Energy Supporters / Mentors will support (more than 22,000) energy poor households to plan and implement energy efficiency interventions, as well as participate in joint energy initiatives. Energy poor citizens will be engaged through various planned activities, such as Info Days, Local Energy Poverty Offices, and ICT-driven tools (Energy Poverty Mitigation Toolkit). The establishment of the Stakeholders Liaison Groups will also facilitate the engagement and the provision of support to energy poor households. Guidelines on how to tackle energy poverty in Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plans will also be developed. Based on the experience gained and the lessons learnt from implementing POWERPOOR, EU policy recommendations and 8 National Roadmaps will be elaborated, so that policy makers at all governance levels can learn from the project. The project results will be broadly disseminated, and synergies will be pursued with global and EU initiatives, such as the EU Energy Poverty Observatory and the (EU and Global) Covenant of Mayors on Energy and Climate. The participation of networks in the Consortium will strengthen the dissemination and exploitation of POWERPOOR outputs across Europe during and beyond the project implementation.

SIRCULAR intends to create digital tools, technological solutions and non-technical services for the decarbonisation of the built environment, as well as a ready-to-use methodology for assessing the circularity of a given building capable of evaluating the impact of the developed construction technologies in the demos. These features are intended to improve access to information on decarbonisation for end users who are not experts in these fields, as well as to provide professionals working in the construction sector with tools capable of easily evaluating and improving the circularity of this area. The SIRCULAR solutions will take a multidisciplinary approach, integrating technical, economic, and social approaches with a focus on social and policy innovation, delivering valuable information to policymakers and establishing a solid foundation for the promotion of developed decarbonisation methods. The project will also be distinguished by an overall people-centric approach that prioritizes the needs, ambitions, and well-being of individuals and communities as critical players in the decarbonization of the construction industry. SIRCULAR will prioritize active participation, inclusion, and ethical concerns to ensure that the project's achievements directly benefit society as a whole. The project will also make special efforts to engage the whole supply chain engaged in all phases of the building's life cycle, with the goal of increasing the circularity and sustainability of each of them. SIRCULAR plans to consider four national clusters to promote a circular and sustainable construction sector using a value chain approach. The clusters will focus on Estonia and Spain, followed by Germany and Greece. The clusters will involve construction companies, housing companies, universities, and local administrative entities, and will include buildings owned or occupied by fragile population groups, in line with the SIRCULAR just and affordable transition approach.