What is the best way to help consumers make energy efficient home renovation a reality?

HORIS was created to address the barriers consumers face in identifying and contracting home renovation services. 

Trusted One Stop Shops (OSS) are becoming an essential tool to help households navigate renovation with independent, end-to-end support as they plan for renovations that maximise the energy efficiency of their homes. 

Euroconsumers’ OCU, DECO PROteste and Altroconsumo have each launched consumer-friendly digital platforms in Italy, Spain and Portugal to simplify the home renovation journey for consumers:

• https://horis.altroconsumo.it/it/nazionale/appartamento 
• https://horis.ocu.org/es/nacionales/vivienda-en-bloque 
• https://renovarcasa.deco.proteste.pt/pt/nacional/remodelar-apartamento 

Hosted on their own trusted websites, the platforms have been developed in collaboration with 10 organisations in four countries over the last three years as part of the HORIS project.  

HORIS was created to address the barriers consumers face in identifying and contracting home renovation services. 

What barriers do consumers face when deciding on the best energy efficient home renovations? 

Most people know they need to make their homes more energy‑efficient, to save carbon, cut bills and have a comfortable home as the climate changes. But choosing the best options for your home from solar panels, heat pumps, insulating glass or green roofs can be daunting.  

Here are some of the barriers faced by consumers: 

• Uncertainty about costs and savings: with projected figures designed to lure in buyers but which may not play out in real life.
• Difficulty identifying reliable professionals: in an unfamiliar market finding trustworthy providers can be tough.
• Uncertainty about what local planning or national regulatory rules apply.
• Confusing array of grants and financing options which might depend on factors like location, income, building type or housing tenure.

What solutions do One-Stop-Shops provide to address these barriers?

To break down some of these barriers to renovation, the HORIS One Stop Shop provides: 

• Personalized renovation guidance which helps households understand which renovation measures make the most sense for their building, based on the characteristics of the home, local climate, their budget and motivations. 
• Advice and guidance on the benefits they can expect once the renovations are complete, in terms of both comfort, energy savings and cost savings. 
• Easy access to a ‘self-scan’ tool which takes data about their home and presents information plus advice on quick and easy low-cost wins to improve home energy efficiency.
• Practical information on available grants and public and private financing options, which can vary from region to region or type of product. 
• Access to trusted, vetted professionals who can carry out the work.

What makes the HORIS One Stop Shops approach unique?

HORIS’ model stands out because its One Stop Shops platform is delivered by independent organizations, including Euroconsumers’ national consumer groups.

How do One Stop Shops connect consumers to trusted professionals?   

Energy efficient home renovations are a big investment for consumers in unfamiliar technology.  The OSS approach not only provides personalised information but also a selection of approved suppliers that consumers can trust. 

Once homeowners have identified the most appropriate renovation measures for their property, they can request quotations directly from trusted professionals through the platform.

To qualify for inclusion, each professional is audited and trained by the HORIS team before being allowed to register and offer services.

Professionals are linked to the specific types of interventions they are certified to deliver, which significantly simplifies things for consumers as they take the next stage of the renovation journey. 

By combining independent, impartial advice with easy access to vetted contractors, HORIS One-Stop-Shops enables homeowners to move from planning to implementation with greater confidence and far less effort.

What have HORIS One Stop Shops achieved for consumers looking for energy efficient home renovation?

The three HORIS One Stop Shops hosted on Altroconsumo, DECO PROteste and OCU’s websites have seen: 

• Over 470,000 visits across the three OSS platforms.
• Over 10,000 self-scans completed giving personalised information on the best options
• Over 1,700 quotations across the three countries by 470 consumers
• Over 140 professional registered service providers.

Three years into the project and one year since the platforms were launched, the first installations of home energy interventions are happening now.

What policy change is needed to support energy efficient home renovation One Stop Shops?

At the final HORIS event, participants discussed what policy changes might be needed to continue take up of energy efficient home renovation and meet Europe’s climate goals

HORIS stakeholders in discussion at the final event

The revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) charts an ambitious path for accelerating Europe’s home energy renovation wave. 

A cornerstone of this strategy is the expansion of One Stop Shops hubs, designed to offer homeowners, SMEs, and all stakeholders in the renovation value chain independent, end‑to‑end renovation guidance. 

At the final event of the HORIS project, the team presented the learning from three years of practical consumer-focused delivery. These lessons will be essential for any energy efficiency innovation wave, including policy changes that could boost success.

1. Firstly, bring trusted One Stop Shops to the centre of national renovation strategies. Their unique approach answers many of the challenges that consumers face in entering the market in one place by offering households a single and independent entry point for advice, financing information and ongoing support.
2. Secondly, incentives and finances really matter when consumers are encouraged to make investments in often costly products. Better connection of public incentives and financing schemes with One Stop Shops services can make it much easier for households to turn renovation plans into real action.

Energy renovation must be simple, trustworthy and easy to finance

If we want to accelerate energy efficient home renovation across Europe, the process must be made simpler, more trustworthy and easier to finance.

The HORIS One Stop Shops project has shown that by combining trusted  independent advice, digital tools and access to financing, renovation becomes much more accessible for ordinary households.