One-stop-shops, and rehabilitation and conservation areas. Are these compatible figures for the planning and management of residential energy rehabilitation?

Abstract

Europe's building stock is responsible for 36% of GHG emissions and 40% of energy consumption. Thirty-five percent of the buildings are pre-1970 and almost 75% are energy inefficient. In Spain, 50% predate the NBE-CT-79 standard on minimum thermal insulation criteria in dwellings. For this reason, the European Union enacted the Energy Performance Building Directive (EPBD) 2002/91/EC on energy performance of buildings, establishing that Member States must develop energy certification systems and an Energy Performance Certificate for buildings. Subsequently, its 2018 update, defined One-Stop Shops (OSS) as accessible and transparent advisory tools on EE renovations and financing instruments for consumers. In Europe they have operated with public funds, but when they lost them, they have ceased their activity. In Spain, only four have recently become operational. For its part, the Catalan Law 18/2007, on the right to housing, establishes that local councils can define Conservation and Rehabilitation Areas (ACRs) for the rehabilitation of housing in vulnerable neighborhoods, including protection measures. Successful RCA experiences have involved a lot of effort on the part of the municipalities to inform families and manage projects, works, financing and payments, having to act as SSOs. The objective of this work is to evaluate the possible fit of SSOs in the framework of RCA development, as a strategy to formalize the financing of these entities AND, in turn, free the municipalities from the management of actions in the RCAs. In order to elaborate guidelines for future action, an analysis of the legal framework and success stories of SSOs and RCAs is conducted. Currently, more measures have been introduced to encourage residential energy rehabilitation, such as building renovation passports. Despite all this, only 0.4% to 1.2% of the housing stock is refurbished, generally due to lack of knowledge and financial, legal, technical and administrative barriers faced by households to undertake residential EE improvement works.