Farewell EuroPACE
About the EuroPACE project
EuroPACE was a three-year European Commission-funded project, started in March 2018 and ending in August 2021. Since its inception, the EuroPACE project has been at the forefront of the innovation in sustainable home renovation. As a result of this EU-funded project, partners developed a commercially viable home renovation program model. The model is rooted in the concept of public-private partnership, where both sectors join forces to set up a customer-centric renovation service to boost the renovation wave across Europe. Such public-private partnership is realized by setting up program entities able to channel public and private funds, proactively seek renovation projects, verify contractors and ensure high quality of work. The innovation lies in setting up a scalable and economically self- sustainable home renovation service that is attractive and affordable to all European citizens.
Originally launched and tested in Olot, Spain, the program was adopted in the Basque Country, with the involvement of the Basque Country Energy Agency and its regional government. Subsequently, it is being developed on the Balearic Islands (Menorca, Ibiza and Mallorca) as part of the Horizon 2020-funded REGENERATE project. Furthermore, the program model served as an inspiration for the HolaDomus Barcelona, a sustainable building renovation program in the capital of Catalonia.
The EuroPACE project has inspired many replicator EU projects, such as Save the Homes, FITHOME, HIROSS4all and others. Moreover, EuroPACE became a brand at the EU level and extends beyond the project itself, denoting the commitment to innovative financing, home renovation program design and focus on the needs of cities and regions.
The origins of EuroPACE
- 93%+ of European citizens see climate change as a serious problem.2
- 300 + European cities3 have declared climate emergencies. The growing consensus among European cities dictates that we need actionable solutions to tackle climate change.
- Nearly 97 % of all buildings are inefficient.4
- Buildings also emit 40% of energy and are responsible for 36% of all CO2 emissions in the EU.5 This makes effective, eco-sustainable renovation indispensable for a healthy future.
- EUR 200 billion a year6 is needed for the next 30 years. In order to undertake the necessary EU-wide deep energy renovation, substantial funds need to be unlocked.
Sustainable building renovation plays a key role in the clean energy transition. According to the European Commission, ¾ of all buildings are not energy efficient and require a renovation7. With that in mind, the European Renovation Wave initiative intends to double the renovation rates across the EU over the course of the next decade. However, sustainable home renovation is a complex, stressful, expensive and often a multi-stakeholder process. Thus, homeowners are hesitant to initiate renovation projects due to concerns about the cost, lack of time, expertise and the need to coordinate with multiple contractors. This lack of trust is often a big factor in their decision making as well. The EuroPACE project was designed to make sustainable home and apartment building renovation simpler, faster and easier to pay for. Project partners recognized that the time was ripe to develop a radically different way to engage with homeowners that need support and technical assistance.
Project funding: The EuroPACE Project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020
research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 785057.
Project coordinator: CASE
Technical leader: Global New Energy Finance S.L
Project partners: CASE – Centrum Analiz Społeczno-Ekonomicznych – Fundacja Naukowa (Poland), Global New Energy Finance S.L (Spain), Joule Assets Europe (Finland), Climate Bonds Initiative (UK), Ajuntament d’Olot (Spain), Agencia Extremena de la Energia (Spain), Ente Vasco de la Energia (Spain), Social Innovation for Communities – UPSOCIAL SL (Spain).
