Energy Poverty Zero: 10 Commandments of Collective Buying Schemes

Across Europe, millions of households still face the reality of cold homes and rising energy bills. The Energy Poverty Zero (EP0) programme – co-funded by the EU LIFE initiative – is tackling this challenge head-on. Its mission: to end energy poverty through collective renovation at neighbourhood level, bringing together residents, local authorities, social housing providers, and industry partners to deliver affordable, net zero-ready homes.

EP0 focuses on three key action areas:

1. Target neighbourhoods for renovation development of a free, open-source tool for analysing the housing stock, making it easier to identify buildings suitable for industrialised renovation.

2. Engage residents through a five-step mobilisation process, with freely available tools to involve residents in a collective renovation approach.

3. Explore group purchasing models that make deep renovation more accessible through shared legal, financial, and technical frameworks.

   
   

Together, these approaches transform vulnerable districts into resilient, low-carbon communities.

To help replicate and scale these approaches, EP0 has published a practical new guide: “10 Commandments of Collective Buying Schemes”

This concise and insightful document distils lessons from pioneering collective retrofit projects across Europe – including People Powered Retrofit in the UK, La Roue in Belgium, and Energiesprong projects in France and the Netherlands. It captures what truly makes collective renovation work in practice:

• Find the right people, not the perfect homes – start with motivated early adopters.

• Secure local authority support to build trust and ensure quality.

• Work in waves – start small, then scale up.

• Align subsidies and financing to make retrofits affordable.

• Support local contractors to meet growing grouped demand.

• And above all: make retrofit engaging, social, and inspiring – a community journey, not a technical exercise.

The 10 Commandments conclude with a clear message: the future of renovation lies in strong local governance, standardised retrofit packages, and collaboration between citizens, authorities, and experts. When we treat renovation as a collective sport, we can accelerate progress – making deep, high-quality retrofits affordable and achievable for everyone.

Read the full report:

Download the “10 Commandments of Collective Buying Schemes” (PDF)