REFURB

As stated by the EC, renovation by the private housing sector towards increased energy efficiency is seriously lagging behind. As more than sufficient technological solutions are available, focus must be on removing non-technological barriers. The main barriers relate to fragmentation of the renovation offers, resulting in inefficient or only partial solutions. In addition to financial restrictions and unclear benefits, house-owners do not have a structured way to obtain all the necessary information related to renovation measures.

One of the ways to solve this, is the use of ‘1-stop shop concept.’ Many initiatives have already been put into practice. Some of these projects were successful, but several were not. They often lack an understanding of the concerns and demands of the house-owners. REFURB 2.0 will tackle the complex interplay of these barriers through coordinated process organization, innovation and optimization.

REFURB 2.0 will bridge the gap between supply and demand side by:

• developing a holistic approach to the renovation process in which technology combinations trigger step-by-step deep energy renovation of existing, private residential buildings towards NZEB-standards.
• accommodating the technology solutions to the decision-making psychology and ‘language’ of residential house-owners; this will provide the drivers for empowerment and mobilization of house-owners for deep renovation.
• developing a quality and performance protocol to build trust on the demand side.

The above mentioned activities will result in dedicated renovation packages for different market segments and regions in Europe, starting with the private residential sector. A small scale pilot will be carried out in order to validate and demonstrate the REFURB 2.0 solution. This will be followed by a roll-out plan to stimulate EU wide uptake. In addition, a transferability plan will be established for other sectors, whereas the social housing sector will be the first ‘follower.

Partners:

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  Partners| REFURB project (HORIZON)

Duration: 01/04/2015 to 01/04/2018

Overall budget: 2,074,875 €

Website: http://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/194628_en.html