Urban Energy Meetup Recap: Retrofitting Homes with Homeowners Associations (VvEs)
On Tuesday, October 29, the Urban Energy Institute hosted a meetup focused on retrofitting homes through homeowners' associations (HOA or VvE's in Dutch). This event gathered experts and stakeholders from the Urban Energy Institute network to explore strategies for enhancing energy efficiency in residential buildings. The meetup featured presentations by Ragy Elgendy, PhD researcher at TU Delft's Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, and Laura Filemon, Process Manager for Climate and Energy at the Municipality of Schiedam, followed by a discussion with the audience.
Business Models for Integrated Home Renovations by Ragy Elgendy
Ragy presented the approach and findings from his research in the CondoReno project funded by the European Union’s LIFE program. With Europe’s renovation rate at only 1% and 75% of buildings being energy inefficient, Ragy’s research centeres around Integrated Home Renovation Services (IHRS) as a viable solution to help accelerate energy-efficient renovations. In his research, Ragy developed a typology consisting of three primary business models for IHRS derived from case studies in the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria and France:
1. Public Growth Model (Facilitator): This model involves municipal services providing essential support to homeowners' associations, especially during the early phases of renovation projects.
2. Private Model (All inclusive): This model focuses on delivering high-quality renovation services, financial planning tools and tailored solutions for specific customer profiles. An example is the Living-Cost Neutral renovations offered by non-profit organizations like WNR in the Netherlands.
3. Public-Private Agency Model (Coordinator): This model merges public and private approaches and resources, combining the societal reach of public initiatives with the operational efficiency of private entities, as seen in projects like CoachCoPro from the Agence Parisienne du Climat.
Ragy also shared several key policy recommendations to enhance IHRS for HOAs. He highlighted the importance of promoting public-private partnerships to leverage funding and expertise, supporting local One-Stop Shops (OSS) to manage HOA renovations with grants and tax relief, and streamlining legal processes to reduce delays and costs. Ragy also suggested developing national programs for social and energy coaching to help HOAs in their strategic planning and financial management.
Groenoord's Transition to Natural Gas-Free Living by Laura Filemon
Laura’s presentation focused on Groenoord, the first neighborhood in the municipality of Schiedam transitioning to a natural gas-free built environment. Characterized primarily by apartment buildings constructed between 1955 and 1974, the district faces significant renovation needs and socio-economic challenges. Because of its proximity to an existing heat pipe from a local waste-to-energy facility (AVR), Groenoord has been selected as a logical site for a new heating network and gas-free district.
Similar to Ragy, Laura emphasized the complexity of stakeholder engagement, highlighting the diverse range of renters and homeowners involved, and zooming in on the municipality’ s role in facilitating financing for these renovations. A major challenge discussed was updating property division deeds to transfer legal and financial responsibilities from individual natural-gas heating systems to collective district heating systems, which requires 80% consent from HOA members, in addition to the consent needed from mortgage providers, land owners and notary approval. To address these challenges, Laura pointed out the need for effective communication and coordination between the municipality with HOA members.
Key Takeaways
The Urban Energy Meetup provided valuable insights into the complexities of implementing energy renovations in condominiums, with both Ragy and Laura presenting complementary perspectives on overcoming challenges in this sector. Both speakers highlighted the critical role of innovative financing and supportive government policies in fostering sustainable housing solutions, illustrating several institutional, legal and social barriers that must be overcome to accelerate energy efficient home renovations in the Netherlands. Their discussions reinforced the significance of collaboration between public and private entities, streamlined processes and targeted support for homeowners' associations.
Slides
For the full presentations, please refer to the following links: Ragy's presentation and Laura's presentation.