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Lower energy bills, living comfort, investment cost, earthquake safety or environmental impact – which renovation benefits matter most? In five European countries, we are gathering the views of building owners, residents, building managers, professionals and policymakers. The survey takes 10 minutes and is open until 30 September 2026. Building renovation can deliver several benefits at the same time, but these can often involve trade-offs: a comprehensive energy renovation can reduce energy costs and emissions, but requires a larger investment; seismic strengthening improves safety, but can mean longer and more disruptive construction works. How these benefits should be balanced is not just a technical question – it depends on what matters most to the people who live in, manage or finance…

On Tuesday, 19 May 2026, the roundtable “Financing Sustainable and Energy-Efficient Projects in Slovenia” was held in Ljubljana, bringing together more than 100 representatives from ministries, financial institutions, industry, research organisations, local authorities and professional associations. The event was organised by the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Energy – National Hub of the European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition, and the Jožef Stefan Institute – Energy Efficiency Centre, within the framework of the EU LIFE SMAFIN Expanded, GreenRenoV8 and European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition initiatives. The programme featured keynote presentations, panel discussions and thematic sessions focusing on renewable energy deployment, sustainable finance and the acceleration of Slovenia’s green transition. A dedicated session addressed the challenges of comprehensive building renovation, highlighting…

The transition towards a climate-neutral building stock is one of Europe’s greatest challenges. While renovation has long been recognised as a key pillar of decarbonisation, the latest revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) introduces a new level of ambition: every Member State must now develop comprehensive National Building Renovation Plans (NBRPs) to guide the transformation of its building stock towards net-zero emission targets by 2050. To support this transition, researchers and project partners from GreenRenoV8 recently prepared a scientific paper which was presented at the SBE25 Trondheim Conference, entitled “Roadmaps for the Establishment of National Building Renovation Plans”. The work was led by Giovanna Cassavia together with experts from Austria, Belgium, Greece, Slovenia and Spain, on behalf…

Achieving the continent’s climate and energy goals. Buildings are responsible for a significant share of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, while many older structures also face challenges related to ageing materials, outdated systems and, in some regions, seismic vulnerability. Developing effective renovation strategies therefore requires more than analysing individual buildings. It requires a broader understanding of how building stocks are distributed, how they were constructed and how they perform across different countries and climatic conditions. To support this objective, GreenRenoV8 has developed a harmonised building archetype framework covering five pilot countries: Greece, Italy, Belgium, Austria and Slovenia. Instead of attempting to model every building individually, the project created representative archetypes that reflect the most common characteristics of national building…

Recently, a new peer-reviewed paper titled “The Effect of Circular Strategies on Reducing the Embodied Carbon When Renovating Residential Dwellings in Flanders” has been published in the journal Buildings. The article investigates how circular economy strategies can reduce the embodied carbon impact of residential building renovations. The research responds to the growing recognition that while energy renovations lower operational emissions, they also require large quantities of materials, creating a significant embodied carbon “spike” at the moment of renovation. Methods The study applies a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) to compare conventional renovation practices with four circular renovation approaches: avoiding material use, using reclaimed materials, using recycled materials, and using bio-based materials. These strategies were evaluated across key building envelope elements –…

The European Commission has recently published the draft National Building Renovation Plans (NBRPs) submitted by the EU Member States under the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). These plans are a cornerstone of the EU Renovation Wave, intended to set out national pathways, targets, policies, and financing frameworks to achieve a fully decarbonised building stock by 2050. While Member States were required to submit their draft plans by 31 December 2025, only 8 out of 28 met the deadline. The low compliance rate highlights the significant challenges national authorities face in translating the new EPBD requirements into coherent, evidence-based and investment-ready renovation strategies. Over the next six months, the European Commission will assess and revise the submitted drafts, issuing…

Recently a new peer-reviewed paper titled “Life cycle environmental and cost modelling to support the development of national renovation roadmaps” has been published in the IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. The article presents the methodological framework developed within the LIFE GreenRenoV8 project, which aims to support EU Member States in implementing the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). The approach combines life cycle environmental assessment (LCA), life cycle costing (LCC) and building stock modelling to identify cost-effective and sustainable renovation strategies at both building and national levels. Focusing on five pilot countries – Austria, Belgium (Flanders), Greece, Italy and Slovenia – the study uses representative building archetypes to assess renovation pathways that integrate energy efficiency, carbon reduction…

On Thursday, 16 October 2025, the 1st Forum on Integrated Building Renovation was successfully held within the LIFE GreenRenoV8 project. The event focused on establishing a long-term systemic framework for the integrated renovation of buildings in Slovenia, with particular emphasis on the simultaneous energy and seismic retrofit. The forum brought together representatives of ministries, professional associations, research institutions, energy service providers and financial institutions, who discussed the key steps needed to ensure an effective and safe renovation of Slovenia’s building stock. The aim of the forum was to shed light on the current situation in both fields, identify major gaps and challenges, and highlight comparative approaches from abroad where similar issues have already been successfully addressed. Throughout the forum, we…

Europe is on a mission: achieving a climate-neutral society by 2050. Central to this journey is the EU Renovation Wave strategy, aiming to double the annual building renovation rate by 2030. But with half of Europe located in seismic-prone regions, renovations need to do more than improve energy efficiency – they must also make buildings safer, stronger, and smarter. This is where GreenRenoV8 steps in. Funded by the European Union with €2 million and running from October 2024 to September 2027, the project brings together nine partners from six countries, united in the goal of transforming European building renovation through innovation, sustainability, and resilience. A holistic approach to renovation GreenRenoV8 combines energy efficiency, seismic resilience, and environmental sustainability into a…