3. Overview of the Starting Point of the Proposed Action
Clear analysis of the starting point: clear red line from the current situation in the targeted countries/regions with its specific market barriers and needs to your proposed action and expected results.
Common important user needs and market barriers
- What is your overall motivation to start the action?
- What are the important user needs and market barriers to be tackled by this action? (Give a short overview.)
Current situation in the target countries/regions
- Why is this action needed in each target country/region? What exactly is the gap, barrier, problem, challenge that you would like to solve and overcome in the specific target countries/regions?
- Which market(s) will you address? (Describe the specific market e.g. size, actors, jobs, energy consumption, saving / renewable energy sources potential etc.)
- Which previous or ongoing national/regional/local initiatives and measures in the target countries/regions are important to your action? Are there any available tools which you can build on?
Note: Typically, your proposal will address barriers in different geographical markets in Europe. Be specific and describe, where appropriate, the different starting points/advancements/problem environment. Explanations should be provided for all barriers addressed, preferably supported by making reference to relevant studies. Avoid general statements.
In Europe by far the majority of energy used in buildings is consumed in the existing building stock. New buildings represent, on average, an annual increase of just 1% of the building stock and that the renovation cycle for existing buildings is not less than 25 years. Both new and existing buildings of all sizes. Existing buildings are critical for Europe if it is to achieve the ambitious target of reducing CO 2 emissions by 60–80% in 2050 compared to 1990 levels (source: OPEN LETTER TO THE 27 EU ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT MINISTERS, Brussels, 02 November 2009, Architects' Council of Europe (ACE), COGEN Europe, European Alliance of Companies for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (EuroAce), European Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ECEEE), European Insulation Manufacturers Association (Eurima), International Union of Tenants (IUT) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS))
Link to relevant actions beyond the target countries/regions
- What previous or ongoing initiatives, e.g. at EU level or other countries or regions not covered by your action, are important for this proposed action? What are their limitations?
- More specifically, what existing campaigns, tools, guidebooks etc. do you intend to use?
Note: Do not only list the initiatives - explain how your proposal builds on them and illustrate how you will use and take forward the results.
There are a lot of interesting previous and ongoing initiatives at European level that are relevant for RINNOVATE proposal. However, an in-depht search of IEE database projects and documents, revealed that the renovation issue is mainly referring to promote and facilitate the use of new models of cooperation, inspired by integrated design, for the energy renovation of social housing (RESHAPE, EISAV/EIE/05/045/2005, SHELTER, IEE/09/707/SI2.558240), to promote renovation through quality supply chains and energy performance certification standards (REQUEST, IEE/09/870/SI2.558308) or related to Energy Saving Contracting project (EUROCONTRACT, EIE/04/211/S07.38673) and Performance contracting (FRESH) IEE/08/668/SI2.528421 ).
Some projects are mainly oriented to training on renewable energy solutions and energy efficiency in retrofitting (REE_TROFIT, IEE/09/886/SI2.558310) or to provide information about good examples of energy efficient buildings in use, in order to reduce prejudices and lack of knowledge of many key actors of the building market (EULEB,: EIE-2003-172 EULEB)
Other interesting initiatives are in general more concerned to provide both the knowledge and the necessary tools for the efficient management of buildings (ENERBUILDING, EISAS/EIE/06/196/2006 ) or for energy saving (POWER HOUSE EUROPE, IEE/07/779/SI2.500397) both in new and renovated buildings or focused on applying the EPBD to improve the energy performance requirements to existining buildings (ENPER EXIST, EISAV/EIE/04/096/2004)
