12 May 2025
Bilbao Campus
Today marks the in-person kick-off meeting of the RenoVisor project in Bilbao, an EU-funded initiative designed to accelerate sustainable building renovation and support Europe’s decarbonisation goals by increasing the rate of energy-efficient upgrades.
Over two days, partners from across Europe are gathering at the University of Deusto, which is hosting the event, to set the course for this ambitious collaboration coordinated by Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ). Throughout the next four years, the consortium will develop and pilot innovative digital tools that make building renovation easier, fairer, and more accessible for everyone.
“This project will help increase the renovation rate by making it far easier for people to understand the benefits and trade-offs of renovations,” said Noah Pflugradt, project coordinator at FZJ.
To meet the EU’s ambitious climate and energy efficiency targets, Europe must dramatically increase its building renovation rate. Yet, many homeowners still face challenges such as limited access to reliable information, complex decision-making, and unclear financial returns.
RenoVisor addresses these barriers by designing three user-friendly digital tools—targeting single-family homes, multi-family co-owners, and energy communities—that combine advanced building simulations, behavioural insights, and participatory decision-making models. These tools will support users in developing tailored renovation pathways that balance technical, financial, and social factors, while also promoting consensus-building for jointly owned buildings.
A key focus of the project is on energy and transport poverty, ensuring that vulnerable households can access affordable solutions to improve both energy efficiency and mobility.
The RenoVisor tools will be tested in over 10,000 households across Spain, Ireland, and the Netherlands, providing real-world insights across diverse social and climatic contexts. By guiding users from awareness to action, the project aims to significantly boost the number of successful renovation decisions across Europe.
During the kick-off event in Bilbao, partners are working together on tool design, user engagement strategies, and pilot planning. The two-day agenda includes co-design workshops, task force meetings, and discussions on the main challenges and requirements of each work package.
“The last thing the world needs is another web tool made by scientists that only scientists can use. We aim to do it better — to bridge the gap between research and real-world application,” said Katharina Rieck, part of the coordination team at FZJ.
About RenoVisor
RenoVisor is a four-year project (1 October 2025 – 30 September 2029) funded under the HORIZON EUROPE – Climate, Energy and Mobility programme. It aims to accelerate the decarbonisation of Europe’s building stock by empowering families, multi-family co-owners, and entire neighbourhoods to make informed and participatory decisions about building renovation and the transition to clean energy.
For more information: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101233874
