Financing Schemes
TOP Condomini Project in Emilia Romagna
TOP Condomini is a technical assistance project co-financed by the ELENA – European Local Energy Assistance programme under Horizon 2020, aimed at facilitating the energy refurbishment of approximately 3,000 housing units in the Emilia- Romagna Region. The project provides support through the preparation of energy audits and technical-economic feasibility studies, accompanying public and private residential buildings throughout the renovation process up to the contracting phase with implementing companies.
Energy Refurbishment in Public Buildings Using EPC in Bergamo
The city of Bergamo has signed a 10-year EPC contract involving approximately 160 public buildings in different actions: energy service, energy refurbishment and maintenance. The contract foresees guaranteed reduction goals in energy consumption. The contract foresees guranteed reduction in energy consumption following focused refurbishments the financial plan includes cofinancement through the national incentive scheme "Conto Termico 2.0". During the preparatory phases the municipality was supported by AESS which, as a technical advisor, helped gathering and organizing data, auditing buildings and assessing technical systems. The technical advisor is a secondary actor that facilitates the process through its key steps.
Home-to-Work Commute Plans: Energy Agencies Can Play a Role as Enabler for White Certificate Trading
White certificates can support innovative transport measures, as for example, a municipal home-to-work commute plan. AESS helped obtaining white certificates for the energy savings generated through the implementation of the plan. Savings were monitored and quantified through a dedicated application dowloaded by each municipal employee who chose sustainable transport strategies. The incentives went to the company which developed and managed the application. A private contract may then specify how the incentive is shared with the municipal government.
Implementation of Energy Saving Funds in the French Region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Intracting In France, many local authorities suffer a lack of expertise and/or financial capacities when it comes to financing energy transition measures. This collective training helps mentees prepare and implement their own energy saving funds ("intracting" funds), based on the model of a local "great witness": Albertville. Over the four training sessions, the mentees can explore and question each of the fundamental aspects of this scheme: strategy, organization, finance and technical implementation.
White Certificates in the French region Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
In France, the white certificate aid scheme is complex to implement from an administrative point of view and in terms of the technical expertise it requires. This has two main consequences: small municipalities often find themselves unable to access to white certificates, and those that do find a solution often lose many certificates for administrative reasons. Eight energy syndicates in the AURA region have found a method of submitting white certificfate as a consortium, sharing alternatively the administrative and offering their technical expertise to the municipalities of their territory. It offers a solution for small municipalities and limits the risk of losing white certificates. This innovative strategy deserves to be replicated on a larger scale.
Energy Refurbishment of 24 Public Buildings in the City of Maribor, Slovenia
In 2018, the Municipality of Maribor selected 24 energy-inefficient public buildings for a comprehensive energy renovation. Energy-efficient measures and the introduction of renewable energy sources were implemented in primary schools, kindergartens, administrative buildings, the ice (skate) hall and the sports hall. They included insulation of envelopes, new windows and doors, insulation of attics and basements, renovation of heating systems, instalments of thermostatic valves, new LED interior lighting and introduced energy management. Special attention was paid to user involvement, information and educational activities to influence the good climate and energy behaviour.
Lighting Upper Austria with EPC: 34 Street Lighting Projects
The implementation of 34 street lighting contracting projects in Upper Austria within two years shows that municipalities can benefit from modern and efficient street lighting as well as guaranteed annual electricity and maintenance cost savings despite a tight municipal budget. Overall, 10.9 million Euro were invested in LED street lighting, 9,493 light points were converted to LEDs and the municipalities now benefit from annual cost savings of ca. 420,000 Euro. These investments were enabled and supported by the region's energy contracting programme (ECP).
REMOURBAN (REgeneration MOdel for Accelerating the Smart URBAN Transformation)
The REMOURBAN was a Horizon 2020 project (2015- 2020) focused on urban regeneration, energy efficiency, electric mobility, and digital innovation. It placed citizens at the center of transformation, improving quality of life in Valladolid, Nottingham, and Tepabasi. Key achievements in Valladolid included remodeling the FASA district, installing electric vehicle charging points, and promoting electric vehicle adoption.
URBANEW – Innovations and Systemic Solutions to Accelerate Decarbonization in Urban Environments
The project aimed to accelerate building retrofitting and the testing of low-carbon solutions to move toward climate neutrality, enabling all types of buildings to reduce their carbon footprint and improve energy efficiency. In Valladolid, the pilot explored tools and mechanisms for urban regeneration by involving key stakeholders - residents’ associations, property managers, and the construction, finance, and energy sectors - to drive a systemic transformation of the city’s buildings. To achieve these goals, Valladolid implemented actions such as training programmes and workshops on energy retrofitting and financing mechanisms.
Energy Performance Contracting in Litoměřice
The Energy Performance Contracting (EPC) project modernised 11 municipal buildings, including schools, sports facilities, cultural venues and municipal office buildings. Prepared in 2014–2015, the project was designed to enable the comprehensive renovation of a larger portfolio of public buildings without placing a significant burden on the municipal budget. By using the EPC model, the municipality was able to implement energy efficiency measures with guaranteed savings, reducing financial risk while improving building performance.
Fund of Energy Savings and Renewables in Litoměřice
The city implemented energy efficiency and renewable energy projects and subsequently verified the net energy savings. These savings were then converted into monetary savings and transferred into a dedicated Revolving Energy Savings Fund. The savings were divided into four parts:
- returned to the municipal budget;
- reinvested into the fund itself;
- allocated to the municipal organisations and departments where the projects were implemented (creating direct motivation);
- and a smaller share was used as a reward for staff involved in project preparation and delivery.
Sustainable Tipp: Accelerating Tipperary’s Transition to a Sustainable, Low Carbon Economy
Sustainable Tipperary (Sustainable Tipp/TIPP) used the ELENA technical assistance facility to scale a county-wide One Stop Shop (OSS) for deep home retrofits, community and public building upgrades, and energy-efficient public street lighting across County Tipperary. The Tipperary Energy Agency (TEA) provided end-to-end support including audits and feasibility studies, technical design support, contractor engagement, and grant administration for private homeowners, schools, and community organisations. Between August 2017 and January 2021, the programme mobilised €30.2m of investment (about 300 homes, 60 non-residential/community buildings, and ~600 lighting points).
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