Supporting progress towards deep energy retrofit in district, scaling up to fight energy poverty

Introduction

It is estimated that over 34 million people in the European Union are experiencing energy poverty both in individual and collective housing. The Energy Poverty Zero (EP-0) project's main objective is to support progress toward scaling up deep energy retrofits in vulnerable districts to fight energy poverty. This will be achieved by combining existing efforts on energy-poor people support, one-stop shops, deep-energy retrofit industrialization, and district-based dynamics.

Approach

We believe that it is key to develop an approach that connects efforts to diminish the cost of deep energy retrofits in social housing with industrialized prefabricated solutions in the private housing market.

Objectives

EP-0 aims at bridging and building on existing initiatives, including those of the EU transnational open-source movement “EnergieSprong,” which aims at supporting price decreases of deep energy retrofit solutions using prefab elements. The specific objectives of EP-0 include:

1. Developing “industrialized retrofit potential” assessment tools for cities to better assess their potential scaling and replicability district by district.
2. Deploying a district energy retrofit compass with inhabitants, transcribing for citizens what different actions would imply in terms of cost-benefit and comfort.
3. Assessing the relevance of collective buy-in schemes for citizens and housing organizations.

Team

To achieve EP-0 objectives, a multidisciplinary team has been assembled, involving:

• Public authorities
• Housing organizations
• Businesses (including SMEs)
• Foundations

This consortium's experience, expertise, and knowledge of what is happening on an everyday basis "for real" are key to addressing zero energy poverty and zero energy districts in the context of energy transition, energy efficiency, social inclusion, housing, and a sustainable district-led approach.