The UIPI Renovation Tour this time in collaboration with the Syndicat National des Propriétaires et des Copropriétaires (SNPC) focused on homeowners in the Brussels region. It was held on 28 November 2023 at the Architect’s House in Brussels (Rue Ernest Allard 21, 1000 Bruxelles).
UIPI and SNPC were pleased to welcome a large set of speakers who provided insights into policy frameworks regarding energy performance and energy efficiency of buildings. They presented and debated challenges, barriers and benefits of renovation, as well as exposed different tools currently set up and/or under development when it comes to financial support, guidance and consultations, both at the EU level, but primarily at the local level in Brussels. The public, which was mainly constituted of property owners, both owner-occupiers and landlords, building managers, architects and representatives from various stakeholders in the building sector, was particularly curious about the Homegrade, Brussel’s One-Stop Shop, providing various forms of counselling and various financial aids when it comes to renovation.
The participants could further learn about approaches to renovation from the side of EU funded projects such as Condoreno, Remodules and SavetheHomes, where their representatives exposed the main takeways from their work focusing on the renovation path, while insisting on the importance of guidance that is needed for property owners.
During the final session, particular focus was set on energy communities, with informative presentations from Brugel highlighting the three models of energy sharing and the five steps to start your own project, secondly about Homeland with its practical example of Marius Renard, Anderlecht, multi-appartement building with 450 units and its energy savings, and finally the NRG2peers EU funded projects’s key tools such as Advisory App for energy communities.
The event was successful in providing concrete information about Brussel’s, rather advanced, wide-ranging action plan to decarbonise its building stock, and different measures that property owners should look into in the years to come. Throughout the day, the participants exposed barriers and challenges they are encountering in their renovation projects, notably the issues when it comes to the reliability of Energy Performance Certificates (EPC), as well as availability and trust in different service providers across the chain. Property owners highlighted the need for guarantees that their investments in energy efficiency would indeed result in better building performance, and consequently in better EPC score as this tool is used for benchmark. Also, property owners recognised the benefits of One Stop shop guidance, and overall called for further measures that will accompany them in the renovation of their properties, both financial and though raising awareness about the means at hand.
