Blog, photos, digest from the LIFE HORIS final event – Empowering energy renovation in Europe: sharing lessons and insights from HORIS.
“No silver bullet to increase renovation rates, but the most efficient bullet we have is one-stop shops”, Thibault Roy, European Commission, Directorate-General for Energy, Policy Officer (Unit B3, Energy Efficiency: Buildings and Products).
Late May 2026, in Brussels, policymakers, energy agencies, research and academia, housing and building associations and sector representatives came together to celebrate three years of collaboration to advance the energy transition. The LIFE HORIS project launched 3 home renovation one-stop shops in Italy, Spain and Portugal to help guide consumers over the barriers experienced during the home renovation journey.
Proceedings kicked off with a keynote by Thibault Roy (European Commission, Directorate-General for Energy, Policy Officer), who emphasised the urgent need to address the European dependency on fossil fuels, especially in light of the ongoing Middle East crisis. With over half of the EU’s gas consumption linked to buildings for heating, electricity, and cooking, it is clear that structural solutions for energy independence are more critical than ever. In the building sector, key legislative measures, including the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), focus on increasing renovation rates and promoting competitiveness and local jobs. Thibault highlighted how crucial the establishment of one-stop shops such as HORIS are to address barriers and streamline the renovation process for all stakeholders, with special attention to vulnerable households.
Building the platform – the HORIS story
HORIS was built around a simple but ambitious idea: putting consumers at the centre of the home renovation journey. While many one-stop shops already exist across Europe, the project recognised that homeowners still struggle to navigate the complexity of renovation decisions. From financing and regulations to contractors and technical choices, the process can feel overwhelming. Inspired by a digital platform developed by De Groene Grachten in The Netherlands, HORIS partners set out to simplify this journey by translating practical knowledge and research into a digital platform that could guide citizens step by step through renovation.
The project revealed important lessons about the realities of the renovation market. Training programmes for professionals proved useful, but many experienced experts wanted deeper technical and regulatory content tailored to evolving market conditions. Engagement also emerged as a key challenge. Even with follow-ups and outreach efforts, professionals often lacked time or did not immediately see the value of participating.
Despite the challenges, a key insight shared was that the platform itself is not the final objective but that it serves as a means of connecting people, services, and expertise.
While HORIS initially aimed to support comprehensive home renovations, market demand often leaned toward smaller, more immediate interventions, highlighting the gap between ambitious long-term renovation goals and the practical realities homeowners face today.
The second panel zoomed out to discuss broader European policy – the revised EPBD, which is designed to drive large-scale transformation of the built environment. Throughout the panel discussion, the social and political aspects of this transformation were highlighted, with one-stop shops emerging as a promising solution, if they are designed for people. Participants emphasized that digital renovation tools cannot succeed on technology alone. Consumers need simple, trusted, and personalized guidance that connects financing, technical advice, contractors, and real-life support. Successful renovation journeys require a combination of digital platforms and physical assistance, especially for vulnerable groups, older citizens, rural communities, and people with low digital skills. Trust, continuous communication, affordability, and community engagement were identified as critical success factors.
Ultimately, the discussion concluded that Europe’s renovation future will depend less on isolated technologies and more on building long-term partnerships, integrated ecosystems, and people-focused services that can make renovation both accessible and desirable for all.
Beyond HORIS: the future of one-stop-shops and renovation
Europe’s push toward climate-neutral housing is revealing an important truth: people don’t just need information about renovation, they also need guidance they can trust. Across Europe, digital renovation platforms are attracting users, but actual renovation decisions still take time. Homeowners face complex choices involving finances, regulations, contractors, subsidies, and long-term planning. Experts involved in these initiatives stressed that success should not only be measured by immediate contracts, but by building long-term ecosystems of trust that survive beyond short-term project funding.
The discussion also highlighted a broader shift in how renovation should be approached. Instead of separating “online” and “offline” experiences, experts described a future built around interconnected systems where digital tools, human advisors, municipalities, financial services, and local communities work together. Renovation is no longer seen as a standalone transaction, but as part of a larger social and urban transformation. In that vision, trusted organizations and collaborative ecosystems become just as important as technology itself.
Access material from the event
- HORIS achievements – a flyer
- The event photos (see below) – Photos by Sam Glazier.
- Digest video:
- Full event recording:
The LIFE EU-funded HORIS project is at the forefront of this transition, having launched three digital OSS platforms integrated into national consumer organizations in Spain, Portugal, and Italy. By simplifying legal and financial barriers for citizens while aggregating projects into financeable packages, HORIS bridges the gap between policy and implementation, offering homeowners guidance about financial schemes and support on finding renovation professionals whose services are “quality-assured”. This citizen-focused approach was presented on May 20, 2026 by the actors behind the platforms. This event explored the project journey. Three panel of experts discussed how the HORIS model performed, how it was developed in 33 months and what business models are considered for when the EU funding stops. How are such tools embedded in the EU legislation? How can digitalisation, innovation and smart city data further personalize and make the renovation experience more robust, accelerating the path toward Positive Energy Districts? We thank our speakers of that day:
Thibault Roy, European Commission – Luisa Crisigiovanni, Euroconsumers – Elsa Agante, DECO Proteste – Inês Valente, NOVA – Isabel Azevedo, INEGI – Ana Rita Soares, Bureau Veritas – Miriam García Armesto, ANERR – Paula Ferrando Julià, GNE Finance- Mariangela Luceri, Fedarene and EU Peers – João Pedro Gouveia, NOVA – Dimitris Athanasiou, IEECP – Els Bruggeman, Euroconsumers – Adrian Joyce, Renovate EU and HORIS board member – Suze Gehem, De Groen Grachten – Patrick Maurelli, Federesco, SUN4U 2.0 – Dr. ir. Haydee S. Sheombar, Kankan*Tree Digital Age | Erasmus University Rotterdam
Photo gallery
