A refurbished and improved building stock will help pave the way for a decarbonised and clean energy system, as the building sector is responsible for more than one third of the EU's emissions. Renovation of all buildings has been singled out in the  European Green Deal   to drive energy efficiency in the sector.  The upcoming renovation wave strategy will need to address many issues for transforming the existing building stock to net zero standards. Since most of today’s buildings will still be standing in 2050, this is a big challenge. However, construction does not materialise overnight, and that is why timing, and early deployment require working examples for replication. Factory Zero in Tiel, the Netherlands, is one such working example. It was built as an answer to the lack of prefabricated, integrated components for the renovation of existing buildings. To illustrate this, on Tuesday 29 th September, a webinar and virtual tour through Factory Zero took place. Before the visit to the factory, there was a presentation on the importance of low temperature heating and heat pumps and why countries (and the European institutions) should fully focus on this approach in the renovation wave and all the innovation programmes. The tour of Factory Zero explained how the integration of components and industrialisation can create better options for consumers and enable us to meet our carbon targets at the same time. Over 200 people connected. The overall impression was that they loved the informative, but also livelier format adapted for these changed and online times. We invite you to watch the (edited) recording of this event, which took place last week, here:  https://vimeo.com/464213810

On 4 th July 2019, in the presence of Emmanuelle Wargon, the current Ministre Déléguée au Logement (French Government Minister Delegate for Housing), the Energiesprong France team launched their first innovation competition, with support from the Union Sociale pour Habitat and co-financed by the Interreg NWE project MustBe0, the GRDF and the EEC Energiesprong France programme. The aim is to encourage multi-disciplinary teams to develop innovative, integrated, and cheaper solutions in terms of overall costs in order democratise access to guaranteed zero energy retrofits. “The key is to show entrepreneurs the way forward in terms of the types of solutions needed to achieve Energiesprong retrofits. The faster these high-quality, less expensive solutions are manufactured, the faster ambitious retrofits will multiply. This competition should raise awareness that some high-quality solutions already exist, and that new ones need to be developed. The support of professionals in the process towards industrialising their business activities also appears as a key factor of success. The selected teams received remuneration and were supported in the process to develop their prototypes, in cooperation with their future clients”, said Sébastien Delpont, Director of the Energiesprong France programme. Innovation Competition After assessing the 78 entries, 24 groups of finalists were chosen in September 2019 to work on technical solutions corresponding to the three key modules of Energiesprong zero energy retrofits: Several months later, the teams of finalists were finally able to present and exhibit the prototypes of their innovative solutions at the Energiesprong Innovation Forum. This event, that took place on September 3, concluded with the awarding of prizes to the winners, during which Emmanuelle Wargon, Ministre Déléguée au Logement, gave a new message of encouragement to congratulate the participants and their partners. To find out more about all the winners and for further information on the competition, please do not hesitate to read the press kit. You can also find the specifications for the different categories, as well as the technical descriptions, videos and photos of all the solutions developed by the entrants on the page dedicated to the innovation competition  (see the paragraph entitled “ Pour aller plus loin ”). Forum Innovation The day was devoted to exchanging and sharing knowledge through several round table discussions and activities. It provided an opportunity for those involved in the energy retrofitting sector to find out more about the Energiesprong approach and to benefit from the lessons learned by pioneers who have already embarked on the process. They also had the chance to reflect on the possible future for operators involved in energy efficient retrofits, to identify the potential of the market for this type of retrofitting in France, and to discover the new methods of cooperation created by the approach. Last but not least, participants also learnt about the impressive example of the large-scale territorial approach in the Pays-de-la-Loire during the Innovation Forum.  The event also provided the occasion for the Enedis – Energiesprong agreement to be signed which aims to facilitate the deployment of zero energy retrofits in the region. You can watch the whole of the conference as well as the prize giving ceremony here.

The Whole House Retrofit (WHR) competition, focused on developing an affordable route to deep retrofit, has announced their winners. Energiesprong UK is one of them, winning projects with both Nottingham (Nottingham City Council and Nottingham City Homes) and Sutton (London Borough of Sutton and Sutton Housing Partnership). The projects entering the WHR competition must consider both process related innovations and material aspects of retrofit, focusing on mass production and large-scale delivery. Approximately £8 million funding has been awarded to 3 organisations to demonstrate a cost reduction trajectory for whole house retrofit. For the winning Energiesprong UK projects Nottingham and Sutton, the combined project budgets are more than £16m with grant of £6.6m. The WHR competition is funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s Energy Innovation Programme. For the housing provider partners, Nottingham City Homes and Sutton Housing Partnership, this means a deep retrofit can take place on homes that aren’t energy efficient to today’s standards, helping to reduce fuel poverty and create warm, affordable desirable homes, fit for 2050 standards. “It’s fantastic that our residents will benefit from lower energy bills, warmer homes and a more sustainable future as a result of this funding. We’re very proud to be working towards a carbon neutral borough and supporting Sutton Council in its ambitious plans to tackle the climate emergency.” Steve Tucker, Managing Director of Sutton Housing Partnership Sutton Housing Partnership The Sutton project aims to retrofit up to 100 homes in the London Borough of Sutton to the net-zero energy Energiesprong standard. Sutton Housing Partnership will manage the project with expertise from Energiesprong UK and Turner & Townsend supported by the Mayor of London’s Retrofit Accelerator programme. A whole house insulated wrap system will be deployed with high performance windows and doors. Other integrated retrofit measures will include an air to water heat pump, solar PV, mechanical ventilation with heat recovery for improved ventilation, and control system. Initial pilots will be delivered for traditional and non-traditional housing types which will then be scaled up to understand suitability for industrialised retrofit in the UK. “I’m delighted that we’ve been successful with this bid in conjunction with Energiesprong UK, we are pleased to be working in partnership to deliver more net zero homes. Through this project, Energiesprong UK is helping us find affordable ways to meet our 2028 goal and become the first carbon neutral city in the UK.” Wayne Bexton, Head of Energy Services, Nottingham City Council Nottingham City Homes Energiesprong is supporting Nottingham with two separate strands within this project to achieve the 2050 standards: Applying learnings from their previous Energiesprong pilot, Nottingham will develop this innovative net zero whole house approach for flats in the Clifton area A new methodology, called Destination Zero, which is being piloted in the Bakersfield area of the city Both of these work streams will use offsite components and are aimed at using industrialisation to drive down cost in line with the project objectives, helping Nottingham understand how to ensure they can improve their homes in the most efficient way, as they are keen to become the first carbon neutral city in 2028. The Energiesprong workstream ‘leaps’ the properties forward in one stage, whilst Destination Zero develops a net zero pathway ensuring that all components fit together and are installed in line with the end goal. Both work streams will use similar components such as wall facades or insulation manufactured into panels off site, and low carbon heating and energy pods. Innovative suppliers, Mauer, Q-bot and Constructive Thinking were partners in the Nottingham bid, and are now delivering the Destination Zero work stream. Energiesprong UK also brought in cost reduction partners, Manufacturing Technology Centre, who are helping to ensure Nottingham meets their cost reduction objectives, both for the project, and beyond. Through the Nottingham project the council and their ALMO, Nottingham City Homes, will improve the homes of 172 tenants and leaseholders, and they will create more than 15 new local employment and training opportunities. Energiesprong UK Energiesprong UK, is proud to be instrumental in supporting these winning projects to flourish and is convinced this will take the movement further in realising better, cheaper and more desirable retrofit solutions, to ensure everyone can live in a home that not only fits our time, but is also ready for our future.

5 March, Berlin: The market development for serial NetZero renovation solutions has entered the next phase: The four construction companies BAM Group, B&O Group, ecoworks and Renolution have developed complete solutions with which they can renovate apartment buildings from the 1950s to the 1970s to a NetZero standard, following the Energiesprong principle. This means that the buildings generate as much annual energy as they need for heating, hot water and electricity. The solutions were presented to a specialist audience on 5 March 2020 at the event “NetZero Now. For climate-friendly and affordable living”. With the addition of the Fischbach Group, another construction company is also now working intensively on the next complete solution. "The high demand from the housing industry naturally gives rise to the development of these future-proof renovation solutions, which already meet the 2050 standard," said Uwe Bigalke, Team Leader for serial renovation Energiesprong at Deutsche Energie-Agentur GmbH (Dena). “We currently have around 17,000 apartments that are to be renovated using the Energiesprong approach over the next four years. That is around 5,000 more than announced in the Volume Deal last November - and there may be more”, he continued. Common development of standards The new renovation solutions were developed as part of the Energiesprong Initiative’s Accelerator Programme, which is coordinated by Dena and supported by the EU-funded Interreg NWE "Mustbe0" project. The construction companies were coached by a market development team and international Energiesprong experts. Through workshops and in close collaboration with housing companies, they have developed their products further into scalable and cost-effective renovation solutions with which apartment buildings can quickly and easily reach a NetZero standard. The exchange with the housing companies will continue beyond the programme in order to develop common standards for the future market of serial renovation. Volume Deal On 26 November 2019, the Volume Deal, a joint declaration of intent by the housing and construction industries, made the first breakthrough in terms of the market development of serial renovation solutions in Germany. In the Deal, 22 housing companies will pool together their demand and provide 11,635 apartments for serial renovation over the next four years. Net Zero Now! Further impressions and information about the event Net Zero Now! can also be found at energiesprong.de . On the site, you can also download the short versions of the NetZero renovation concepts from the construction companies BAM Group, B&O Group, ecoworks, Renolution and further information on what motivates the Fischbach Group.

Energiesprong’s independent Market Development Teams in Europe are taking the next step towards net zero energy solutions for retrofit (and new build)! The Design Competition, that takes place in Germany, France and the UK, aims to develop existing approaches to powerful, scalable and cost-effective solutions focused on apartment blocks. As part of this Design Competition, the concept designs of the winning teams are ready to be presented at different events and the good news is: you are very welcome to join! Stay up-to-date and register for: Net Zero Now! on March 5 in Berlin. The most innovative companies from the construction and housing industries will present their solutions for affordable, serial retrofit solutions to a high-caliber specialist audience. You will also find an innovation market, inspirational speakers, workshops (registration upon arrival) and it’s perfect for networking! A day that is dominated by today's and future serial retrofit solutions and is organized by Energiesprong Germany. Futurebuild in London on March 3-5. Futurebuild brings together 27.000 industry influencers and shapers to drive real change. A world class knowledge programme alongside an immersive exhibition of 450 innovative and inspiring brands and a host of networking events will combine to create an unmissable experience. You can find the concept designs of the 6 winning consortia of the Design Competition UK at the stand of Energiesprong UK . Forum Innovation in Paris on March 19. Energiesprong France offers a day to discuss innovative solutions, partnerships, development opportunities and deployment. The day will end with the award ceremony of the Design Competition. You can visit the exposition of the 24 prototypes of the solution providers finalists all through the day.   The Design Competition is supported by the European  Mustbe0 project , funded by the Interreg NWE Programme through the European Regional Development Fund.

The Design Competition, successfully launched at the Accelerator Day last November by Energiesprong UK, has announced the winners! 6 consortia have been selected to participate in the programme. The aim of the Design Competition is to develop new approaches for high-performance, scalable and cost-effective net zero retrofit solutions focused on apartment blocks. The concept designs of the winning teams will be presented at Futurebuild in London, which takes place from 3 to 5 March 2020. The winning consortia were chosen by an international jury of experts. The consortia all consist of pioneering companies from a range of sectors and from across the UK. The Accelerator Day in November brought together experienced, innovative and creative suppliers in the retrofit and construction industry.  At this successful event, companies were able to pitch to each other to form collaborations and team up. The Accelerator Day was supported and part-funded by the Institute of Engineering and Technology, the European Interreg NWE funding programme and the London Mayor’s RAP ( Retrofit Accelerator Programme ). The solutions to be developed by the teams as part of the competition must be scalable, able to be standardised, offer cost-cutting potential with increasing quantities, tenant and leaseholder-friendly, and must guarantee a long-term net zero standard. Net zero means the home generates sufficient zero carbon energy for the tenant to heat and power their home. The Design Competition is supported by four Housing Providers, who have submitted example properties for the teams to use as their challenges. The Housing Providers involved include the London boroughs of Croydon, Kensington and Chelsea, Exeter City Council and Nottingham City Homes/Council. The Design Competition has 3 categories, each with 2 winners: Build Up – adding a layer on top of existing flats, while ensuring whole building net zero energy DEEP-ER with 15-40, KIN, E.ON and Bow Tie Construction with the support of Etude and Solid Geometry United Living with ECD Architects, Wilde, Greengauge, Langley, Beattie Passive, IFC Group, Keegans, Carnego Systems, SOAP Retrofit and Build Test Solutions Net zero energy concept designs for low rise apartments/flats (<4 stories) Constructive Thinking with Core Controls, Mauer, Ventive Darwen and Q-Bot BowTieSprong with Bow Tie Construction, Gardner Stewart Architects, Mauer UK and Nilan UK Billing, metering and monitoring solutions Ventive with Meilus Homes and Clear Blue Energy Carnego with SOAP Retrofit and Build Test Solutions The winning consortia are mentored by Energiesprong’s experts and are working together to develop their solutions. They will be presenting their concept designs at Futurebuild in London between the 3 and 5 March 2020. Energiesprong and her partner National Energy Foundation ( NEF ) would love you to join here! Housing Providers who are interested in attending a drinks reception where the designs will be presented should contact jude.andrews@energiesprong.uk The Design Competition is supported by the European  Mustbe0 project , funded by the Interreg NWE Programme through the European Regional Development Fund.

The Energiesprong Initiative’s Accelerator Programme, coordinated by the German Energy Agency (Dena), has selected 20 companies to participate in the programme. Dena is supporting these pioneering companies to further develop existing approaches to high-performance, scalable and cost-effective renovation solutions, which will result in apartment buildings quickly and easily reaching a Net Zero Standard. This means that, on average, the buildings will generate as much energy as they need for hot water, electricity and heating. Over the next four years, the programme intends to meet the demand from housing companies for new, serial renovation solutions for the 10,000 plus apartments agreed on in November. The Accelerator Programme is part-funded by the EU’s Interreg NWE "Mustbe0" project. Four construction companies were selected: Ecoworks, the BAM Group, Renolution BV from Haaksbergen in the Netherlands and the B&O Group. In addition, 16 companies supplying the prefabricated façades, the solar roof elements and the building services modules were included in the programme: AHA Mitsubishi, CTC Giersch, Daikin - Rotex, Drexel and Weiss, Kingspan, Luftgut, NFG, Opitz Holzbau, Panasonic, Plandach, Pluggit, Rheinzink , Roofit.solar, Sieveke, Stegimondo and Sto. Issuing a wildcard to another construction company The participating companies will be trained by Energiesprong’s international experts and will take part in workshops to further develop their products. In addition, another construction company or start-up wishing to enter the serial renovation market as a complete solution provider can participate in the programme with a wildcard. The solution to be developed as part of the programme must be scalable, able to be standardised, offer cost-cutting potential with increasing quantities, tenant-friendly, and must guarantee a long-term net zero standard. As with the other complete solution providers, the wildcard also includes financial support of 36,000 Euros. Interested parties should contact accelerator@energiesprong.de by 31 January 2020.

The visit to the first Energiesprong construction site in Germany was very crowded: in Hameln, Lower Saxony, experts from the housing and the building industries experienced how the prefabricated façades could be placed into position on site within just a few minutes. Symposium on the first Energiesprong renovation in Germany 150 experts from the housing, construction and political sectors visited the first Energiesprong construction site in Germany at the NetZero symposium in Hameln on 9 December 2019. In Hameln, the housing company Arsago Group has begun regenerating an unrenovated apartment building from the 1930s with 12 apartments using the Energiesprong concept. "We are testing serial refurbishment here because we want to combine energy-efficient refurbishment with low rents," explained Florian Schrage, Asset Manager of the Arsago Group. On the construction site, a complete façade was positioned within a few minutes: the insulation, windows, electrics and ventilation ducts, as well as the external wooden cladding were already installed in the wall, which measures around three by four metres, and all that remained to do was to place them in front of the old façade on site. A solar system will later be installed on the roof to cover the electricity requirements of a heat pump. The building will then produce enough energy to cover its own electricity and heat requirements. The first industrial and CO2-neutral building refurbishment in Germany "The Energiesprong pilot project in Hameln is a milestone in the practical implementation of the energy revolution in buildings," said Andreas Kuhlmann, Chairman of Dena's Management Board. The prototype for the refurbishment is an apartment building in the Kuckuck quarter, an area which the City of Hameln places great importance on regenerating. The houses are old, the district had a bad image and the vacancy rate was at 80%. The Arsago Group acquired the buildings in 2017. Since then the rubbish on the district’s streets has disappeared and the vacancy rate has fallen to 20%. The press now reports differently on the small district: the narrative has gone from the "Stigma of Kuckuck" to the "Incredible Opportunity for Kuckuck". In order to make the quarter attractive for new groups of tenants in the long term, the houses are now to be renovated in terms of energy, as well as externally. "Dramatically shorter planning and implementation times" This is especially difficult for houses with low rents such as those in the Kuckuck area. The main contractor in Hameln is Ecoworks GmbH, a "hybrid construction company and energy supplier" that has taken up the cause of "CO2-neutral living for all" and which cooperates with established construction technology companies. The company Opitz Holzbau from Neuruppin (Brandenburg), a subsidiary of the building materials company Knauf, is responsible for pre-assembling the façades. The solar systems, heating technology and heat pumps are supplied by established manufacturers. Ecoworks plans and monitors the refurbishment work and then operates the heating system as the contractor for a guaranteed period of 15 years. The project in Kuckuck in Hameln shows that Energiesprong is also technically and legally feasible in Germany. For the pilot project extensive promotional activities took place and support was received from European, federal and local funds. Ecoworks promises potential cost savings of 20-30% compared to conventional renovations, with "dramatically shorter planning and implementation times" than usual. "Energy-saving refurbishments are particularly promising for similar single and multi-family dwellings with high energy consumption," said Ecoworks’ co-founder Emanuel Heisenberg. Currently, more than 700 further residential units are being negotiated with housing associations. Concrete projects are planned for Cologne, Bochum and Hesse. "The large crowd at the Energiesprong construction site is evidence of the huge interest in the technology," said Kristina Zimmermann, Dena expert for Energiesprong.  Kristina continued, "The fact that the first Energiesprong project in Germany can now be visited shows that it is working; this is what the housing industry has been waiting for". In order for residential buildings in Germany to become climate-neutral by 2050 at the latest, the current housing stock, in particular, needs to be renovated in terms of energy efficiency.

On Monday evening (25 th November 2019), the Energiesprong Volume Deal was announced at the German Energy Agency’s (Dena) Energiewendekongress (Energy transition Congress) in Berlin. Twenty-two housing companies have joined forces to renovate over 10,000 apartments in a climate-friendly and socially responsible manner. The volume deal, a joint declaration of intent by the housing industry and the construction industry, marks the first breakthrough in the market development of serial renovation solutions in Germany. Twenty-two housing companies are pooling their demand and providing 11,635 apartments to be successively renovated over the next four years. In addition, four construction companies have agreed to work intensively on the development of economically attractive and scalable comprehensive solutions by March 2020. On the policy side, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy supports the market establishment of serial renovation in Germany. "Serial renovation solutions are an important building block for successful building energy transition, which can give new impetus to the renovation market", said Andreas Feicht, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy on the occasion of the announcement. The goal is to establish a completely new renovation solution based on digitised processes and a high degree of prefabrication. The buildings are scanned with 3-D scanners, with industry 4.0-millimetre precision, so that the prefabricated façades and solar roof elements - including windows, insulation and exterior plaster - only need to be mounted on the site. The entire system technology comes together in a prefabricated energy module. Thus, the net zero standard for retrofits with significantly shorter construction site times and socially acceptable costs should be achieved. A zero-to-zero or net zero energy standard is achieved when buildings themselves produce all the energy they need year-on-year for heating, hot water and household electricity. Next step "Energiesprong is a major contributor to the integrated energy transition in the building sector, with serial renovation solutions such as these having the potential to double climate-friendly redevelopment, and we've taken a giant step in that direction", said Andreas Kuhlmann, Chairman of Dena's board. "The Energiesprong Volume Deal is an important signal to the housing and construction industry in Germany as it shows that energy transition is socially compatible”. Kuhlmann continued, “In the upcoming process, with the market development team, we will closely follow and support the construction and housing companies”. The serial retrofit solution, based on the Energiesprong principle, is an internationally-acclaimed, digitised and industrialised building process with prefabricated elements that can be used to refurbish buildings in a way that is fast, climate-friendly and tenant-friendly. Dena alone estimates the potential for smaller to medium-sized apartment buildings built between the 1950s and 1970s in Germany to be around 500,000 buildings. As a next step, the principle can also be applied to other types of buildings, such as large multi-family houses, one-family houses or communal buildings.

The consortium Nieuw Utrechts Peil has won the prize for best Dutch retrofit project.  The winning Flat for the Future is a social housing net zero-energy apartment building in Utrecht. It is one of the first of its kind in the Netherlands. Green Solutions Award The Green Solutions Award is organised by Construction21 to showcase innovative buildings, districts and infrastructures from across the world that contribute towards achieving the climate goals. A total of 37 countries participated in this competition with a total of 192 projects. 22 sustainable projects were awarded prizes . The Green Solutions Award is special in that it is both a national and an international competition. The first phase took place in every country hosting a Construction21 platform, resulting in around fifty champions being selected by the juries of experts and website visitors. With this victory came another one: the national winners also became international finalists. The Dutch consortium ‘Nieuw Utrechts Peil’ won the national prize having delivered the best Dutch retrofit project and, on top of that, gained a special mention in the Sustainable Renovation Grand Prize. Why they won The international jury considered the Flat for the Future to be a: "perfect example of sustainable renovation in residential construction. The project calls for industrialised processes that reduce costs, while respecting the architecture of the original building and preserving the aesthetic cohesion of the neighbourhood. Although the exterior does not suggest it, the Flat for the Future is an ultra-modern net zero-energy building; a real ‘Tour de force’ in a region where the sun does not always shine". Take a look at the case study on the building. More net zero-energy buildings to follow Commissioned by the Mitros Housing Association, the concept of the Flat for the Future called ‘Keep it Simple’ will be continued with 60 net zero-energy homes and 29 gas-free A + homes to be finished in the spring of 2020. Solutions provider, VIOS, part of the winning consortium, also participates in the Interreg NWE Mustbe0 project , implemented by Energiesprong teams in the Netherlands, France, Germany and the UK. The goal of this project is to develop a market for net zero-energy apartment buildings in North West Europe. The project aims to improve market conditions, drive technology and develop and implement retrofits for 9 demonstration apartment buildings in these countries (415 apartments). The focus of the solutions providers, VIOS, and other suppliers in the project, is to reduce the cost, and improve the quality and desirability, of technologies used in net zero-energy retrofits. New components such as solar systems, smart facades for apartment buildings and a prototype energy module will be further developed. All to be produced off-site and quickly assembled on site. Inspire others To inspire others and to make sure knowledge is shared and used in the other North West European markets, VIOS (as a partner in the Nieuw Utrechts Peil consortium) regularly open their doors to other component suppliers and solution integrators wishing to enter the net zero-energy market. The Flat for the Future project has already received visitors from Germany and France. Even representatives from New York came to visit the flat as they were developing a project, called RetrofitNY , inspired by Energiesprong. In this way, lessons are being shared and disseminated so that net zero-energy can become a worldwide standard for housing. The Flat for the Future in Utrecht, The Netherlands.

Energiesprong UK is taking off! And now, they need help in scaling up.   That is why, on November the 13th, they’ve launched a Design Competition in London (Institute of Engineering and Technology). The Design Competition aims at bringing forward new approaches and solutions to meet demand from social landlords who are about to start their pilot projects. The Accelerator Day is where innovators meet to work together on net zero energy solutions for retrofit (and new build). The event will bring together experienced, innovative and creative suppliers in the retrofit and construction industry.   Energiesprong uses the social housing sector in the UK as the launching market for these approaches and solutions, with a view to later scale to the private homeowner market. Energiesprong is working with a number of housing associations and local authorities that are looking to launch tenders. The competitions have been shaped around these tenders and demand in the market.   The competition categories are: Build Up – adding a layer on top of existing flats; while ensuring whole building Net Zero Energy Net Zero Energy concept designs for low rise apartments/flats (<4 stories) Billing, metering and monitoring solutions   Energiesprong is hoping to team up the best designers, contractors, product and system suppliers to form partnerships which will bid for the competition and future tenders. For questions and inquiries please contact us via this e-mail address: competition@energiesprong.uk This event will be supported by MUSTBE0 Interreg NWE and Home Energy Accelerator for London (HEA).

As a leading industrial nation, Germany has a responsibility to lead the way in opposing global climate change. As part of this chosen pathway, on the 20 th of September 2019 the federal government presented their plan of actions as the cornerstones of the Climate Protection Program 2030. Included in this package is an important impulse to strengthen innovative retrofit processes such as the Energiesprong approach, in order to accelerate market development and thus to increase refurbishment rates.   Industrial renovation in the building sector The cornerstones for the Climate Protection Program 2030 adopted by the Federal Government includes, among other things, promoting industrial renovation in the building sector. Support will be provided for the prefabrication of façade and roof elements and for a standardized installation unit as well as the supply of self-generated electricity in conjunction with new investment and contracting models. ‘’This is an important impulse to strengthen innovative retrofit processes such as the Energiesprong solution, in order to accelerate market development and thus significantly increase the refurbishment rates, ‘’ says Uwe Bigalke, team leader Energiesprong Germany at the German Energy Agency Gmbh (dena). ‘’In the area of multi-family homes from the 50’s to the 70’s alone, we can bring about 3 million units to a net zero standard using the Energiesprong approach. This means that the buildings themselves produce all the energy needed for heating, hot water and electricity throughout the year. For this purpose, we are currently developing a first market with pioneers from the construction and housing industry. Over the next few years, this approach can be applied to multi-family homes, single-family homes and non-residential buildings.’’   Market development in Europe: from single-family homes to apartment buildings Independent Energiesprong market development teams work in different countries with housing organizations and builders, but also with regulators to tune policy and regulation, and with banks to create financial arrangements to make a viable path to scale. The industrial renovation according to the Energiesprong solution has already been successful in several European countries. In the Netherlands, the country of origin of Energiesprong, as well as in France and Great Britain, more than 5.000 single-family homes have already been converted. After focusing on the renovation of single-family homes the focus is currently on the market development for multi-family buildings. To realize this, a close exchange in knowledge and close cooperation with the participating companies and market development teams takes place. Over the next few years, Energiesprong pilots will be implemented in the UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands, showing in particular how net-zero solutions for multi-family homes work. Implementation of the first pilots will also be supported through the EU INTERREGNWE program under the MUSTBEO project.   Volume deal in Germany In Germany, the Energiesprong initiative is currently bundling several thousand residential units to be renovated into a volume deal that also includes the construction industry, politics and other supporters. The Energiesprong team through various coaching programs supports the participating companies. ‘’Since we are developing a product that does not yet exist, it will mean builders will have to invest in a market that they do not always see is there. That is why we create this first market by making a volume deal. Costs can be reduced at a given moment by scale, by smarter processes and by innovation at product level,’’ says Sanne de Wit, head of ideas at Energiesprong. The volume deal will be signed on November 25 in Berlin during the dena Energiewende-Kongress 2019. Keep checking our website for more news on the volume deal! Read more about Energiesprong Germany on www.energiesprong.de