One-Stop-Shops - Integrated services for clean energy transition in private buildings

Expected Impact

Proposals should present the concrete results which will be delivered by the activities and demonstrate how these results will contribute to the topic-specific impacts. This demonstration should rely on a solid analysis of the current situation, realistic assumptions and baselines, and establish clear causality links between activities, results and impacts.

In terms of qualitative impact, proposals under this topic should demonstrate how they will contribute to the following outcomes:

• Integrated services fully implemented, operational and tested before the end of the project evidenced, for example, by established infrastructure, formalised partnerships, recruited staff, and launched outreach activities. During a pilot phase, proposals must trigger the first investments that validate the service concept, with the understanding that actual delivery at the worksites, comprehensive scaling of activities and subsequent investments will continue beyond the project’s completion.
• Strong and trustworthy partnerships with local actors, such as SMEs, architects, engineers, energy service companies (ESCOs), financial institutions, chambers of commerce, professional associations, local and regional authorities, energy agencies, and civil society organisations. Evidence may include, for example, signed commitment charters, collaboration agreements, or framework contracts.
• Increased awareness and trust among end-users, evidenced by clear accountability mechanisms such as, for example, comprehensive quality assurance mechanisms and/or dedicated consumer protection policies
• Clear prospects for economically viable business models that minimise reliance on public subsidies to cover operating costs evidenced, for example, by the identification of robust revenue streams and the clear definition of strategic actions to approach long-term financial independence
• Public availability of data and guidance to support replication by other market actors, including clear information on the type of data provided (e.g. average time required for support at each stage of the renovation journey, average conversion rates, typical profiles of the professionals involved, etc.), the intended users, and the conditions for access.

In terms of quantitative impact, proposals should quantify their results and impacts using the indicators provided for the topic, when they are relevant for the proposed activities. Proposals are not expected to address all the listed impacts and indicators. The results and impacts should be quantified for the end of the project and for 5 years after the end of the project. The quantitative indicators for this topic include:

• Number of building units credibly expected to benefit from OSS services, based on the territorial scope and justified service availability
• Amount of in-person support made available to building owners (realistically aligned with other quantified impacts), measured in full-time equivalent staff
• Number of initial contacts (in number of building owners) made by the One-Stop Shop
• Number of on-site visits conducted (in number of building units, differentiated by category where relevant)
• Number of investment projects effectively implemented (in number of building units, differentiated per categories if relevant)
• Average global conversion rate (in %) from initial contacts to completed investments, demonstrating the value of the services offered
• Average percentage of energy savings per investment project (in %, differentiated per categories if relevant).

Proposals should also provide indicators which are specific to their proposed activities.

All proposals must also quantify their contribution to the common indicators of the LIFE Clean Energy Transition sub-programme:

• Primary energy savings triggered by the project (in GWh/year)
• Final energy savings triggered by the project (in GWh/year)
• Renewable energy generation triggered by the project (in GWh/year)
• Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (in t CO2-eq/year)
• Investments in sustainable energy (energy efficiency and renewable energy) triggered by the project (cumulative, in million Euro).

Funding rate

Other Action Grants (OAGs) — 95%

Objective

Achieving the EU target of a climate-neutral, resource-efficient and prosperous economy by 2050 requires the rapid implementation of ambitious measures to reduce energy consumption and expand renewable-based heating and cooling systems. However, private building owners often lack the capacity and resources to implement complex sustainable energy improvements. At the same time, developers face fragmented demand, high delivery costs, and limited access to appropriate financing.

This topic supports the creation or replication of One-Stop Shops (OSS) for the clean energy transition in private buildings, in line with the Energy Efficiency Directive[1], the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive[2], and the Commission Recommendation on one-stop shops[3].

The EU is facing important increases in energy prices, driven by market volatility and exacerbated by its dependence on imported fossil fuels. A key priority for the EU is to strengthen the resilience of its energy system vis-a-vis geopolitical crises impacting the global energy market. Therefore, applicants under this topic are invited, where possible, to develop and implement long-term structural sustainable and energy efficiency measures to enhance EU energy system resilience against future crises, in coherence with short-term energy relief measures needed to respond to the current shock on the global energy markets.

Scope

The topic supports the establishment of One-Stop Shops delivering integrated services for clean energy transition in one of the three following market segments:

• residential buildings owned by a physical person (owner-occupied or rental housing)
• or residential buildings owned by a professional landlord
• or commercial tertiary buildings, in particular occupied by SMEs.

While cross-cutting interventions may be considered, for example addressing buildings combining owner-occupied and rented units, private and social housing, or residential and commercial premises (typically located on the ground floor), proposals are expected to focus primarily on only one of the three target market segments above, which must be clearly specified in the proposal introduction.

The OSS services to be developed should provide end-to-end support, covering the entire “customer journey” for the preparation and implementation of clean energy transition works[4]. Proposals should therefore ensure that proactive and comprehensive support is available across ALL of the following areas:

• technical assessment and renovation design;
• selection of qualified professionals and contractors;
• contracting and coordination of works;
• facilitation and/or provision of financing solutions (e.g. loans);
• supervision of works, performance verification and quality assurance.

Proposals are not considered relevant if they only provide generic information or diagnostics, if they fail to offer operational support for contracting and implementing renovation works, or if they rely mainly on online platforms without adequate on-site interaction.

To be considered relevant, proposals should convincingly address ALL of the following requirements:

• Proposals should establish OSS services that reduce complexity and simplify decision-making. Through an effective combination of online and in-person support, these services should trigger action and stimulate investment in sustainable energy. They should connect key actors across value chains, improve access to support measures, and build trust through clear accountability mechanisms, including robust quality assurance.
• Proposals should clearly explain how the proposed services will be implemented and tested through pilot activities, that will necessarily trigger first investments, strengthen organisational capacity, standardise processes, reduce costs and delivery times, and ensure price transparency. Applicants should clearly define and justify the targeted territories or sectors, including a well-structured segmentation and a quantified estimate of potential users.
• Proposals should explicitly provide a precise description of their starting point, and demonstrate a nuanced understanding of comparable initiatives, especially within their national context(s).
• In particular, proposals should explain the current national implementation status of the EED and EPBD articles relating to One-Stop Shops in the targeted Member State(s). They should also clarify how the proposed initiative fits within this framework and demonstrate clear added value beyond existing or planned legal compliance. Actions limited to compliance with national regulations resulting from the transposition of the EED and EPBD articles on OSS are not considered relevant.
• Proposals should articulate a clear and coherent service concept and show convincingly that the proposed approach meets the specific needs of the targeted territory(ies), and represents a meaningful improvement over current practice. Proposals should specify the conditions for accessing support (a permanent physical presence is not required, and support may also consider, for example, temporary counters, mobile services, or direct on-site consultations).
• Proposals should build upon, or establish, dedicated structures (either legal entities or organisational consortia) capable of delivering end-to-end renovation services, either directly or through complementary partnerships with different providers, with the explicit capacity to deliver some services which are of commercial nature. Services may be delivered by public or private entities, on either a not-for-profit or for-profit basis. Strategic partnerships, for example with construction companies or financial institutions, and careful attention to contractual liabilities and governance issues (e.g. in co-owned properties) are strongly encouraged.
• Proposals should clearly demonstrate how the integrated services will develop and ultimately operate on sustainable business models, that minimise reliance on public funding, thereby allowing large-scale deployment and facilitating possible replication.

Applicants are expected to draw on existing information and resources provided by the EU Directives, Commission Recommendation, and the EU-PEERS[5] project. Proposals focused on residential buildings must include plans to cooperate with the EU-PEERS community and to share relevant information and data, including practical challenges and good practices.

The Commission will prioritise proposals that demonstrate innovative approaches to effectively address the objectives, and/or that address regions where integrated home renovation services remain underdeveloped. The Commission will also prioritise proposals that convincingly demonstrate how the specifics of their approach will enable the delivery of ambitious energy renovations.

Proposals may be submitted by a single applicant or by applicants from a single eligible country.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 1.5 million would allow the specific objectives to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

For proposals addressing mostly the development of a financing offer for home renovation, please consider applying under the topic LIFE-2026-CET-PRIVAFIN.

For proposals primarily addressing energy poor households that require support beyond One-Stop Shop approaches, please consider applying under the topic LIFE-2026-CET-ENERPOV.

[1] Directive EU/2023/1791 art.22

[2] Directive EU/2024/1275 art.18

[3] Commission Recommendation (EU) 2026/536

[4] Clarification of the “customer journey” concept in housing refurbishment can be found in the annex to Commission Recommendation (EU) 2026/536

[5] The EU-PEERS project (see https://eu-peers.eu) provides a community platform for EU practitioners involved in integrated home renovation services. It offers operational guidance, best practice examples, strategic analysis, and capacity-building resources to support the establishment and development of such services.