Local clean energy transition : local authorities as drivers for a decarbonised Europe.
Date: 2024-05-04
Institutions: CORDIS, European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency, Publications Office of the European Union
Subjects: applied research, carbon neutrality, energy research, energy transition, regional development, research results, soft energy, urban habitat

Local Clean Energy 
Transition
Local authorities as drivers for a decarbonised Europe

Sustainable energy actions at the local and regional level are decisive to implement the ambitious 
European energy and climate policies. The EU-funded research projects featured in this Results Pack 
highlight activities that support the shorter-term implementation of the clean energy transition as well 
as the long-term goals associated with it. 

Research and  
Innovation

NEW 
EDITION

One of the major EU climate goals is to help Europe become the first climate-
neutral continent by 2050. The first step to get there involves achieving the EU 
Green Deal objectives and contributing to the reduction of climate emissions by 
at least 55 % by 2030. 
As the level of governance that is closest to citizens, local and regional authorities 
are key factors in the clean energy transition. For the move to a carbon-neutral 
society to be sustainable and inclusive, local actors are major drivers of change 
and must have the knowledge and resources to reduce emissions and implement 
sustainable energy solutions.
12 EU-funded projects
The aim of the projects featured in this Results Pack is to build the capacity of 
cities and regions on planning and implementation, accelerate the uptake of energy 
efficiency measures and the deployment of clean energy solutions, and overall 
scale up the reduction of CO₂ emissions at the local level.

ActIonHeat
From heating and cooling strategies to action: how public authorities 
can strategically plan the decarbonisation of the heating and cooling 
sector and initiate impactful projects  
Coordinated in Germany

ActIonHeat enabled municipalities to expand heating and cooling 
planning and implementation throughout Europe.

DistrictEES
ENERGY EFFICIENCY SUBSCRIPTIONS ON DISTRICT 
LEVEL FOR THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT 
Coordinated in the Netherlands

DistrictEES increased the availability of financing sources to accelerate 
the uptake of energy efficiency renovation services.

ENERGee Watch
Peer to peer learning in for regional and local authorities to timely and 
accurately define, monitor and verify their sustainable actions 
Coordinated in the Netherlands

ENERGee Watch developed a peer-to-peer learning programme to 
enable regional and local authorities to define, monitor and verify 
their sustainable actions.

EUCF
Unlocking finance for energy efficiency one city at a time  
Coordinated in France

EUFC supported municipalities in identifying sustainable energy projects 
and preparing their roadmap towards finance and implementation.

EUROPA
ENERGY EFFICIENCY SUBSCRIPTION FOR DEEP 
RENOVATION WITH PERFORMANCE GUARANTEE 
Coordinated in Italy
EUROPA developed innovative local one-stop-shop solutions to support 
homeowners retrofitting their homes.

© Kaspars Grinvalds/stock.adobe.com

© Maarten Zeehandelaar/stock.adobe.com

© narawit/stock.adobe.com

© CC0 Jacek Dylag via Unsplash

© maho/stock.adobe.com

EXCITE
Award Excellence, Invest in Trust: Tailored Energy Management 
Services for East European Local Authorities 
Coordinated in Bulgaria

EXCITE piloted the European Energy Award in 26 municipalities in central 
and eastern Europe.

FITHOME
AN END-TO-END SOLUTION ACCELERATING COST-
NEUTRAL RETROFITTING FOR ENERGY-EFFICIENT 
FAMILY HOMES 
Coordinated in the Netherlands

FITHOME developed an innovative one-stop-shop solution that allows 
homeowners  to  retrofit  their  homes  without  their  own  financial 
investment.

HIROSS4all

HOME INTEGRATED RENOVATION ONE-STOP-SHOP FOR 
VULNERABLE DISTRICTS 
Coordinated in Spain

HIROSS4all developed integrated home renovation services, providing 
homeowners  access  to  information,  expertise  and  tools  for  the 
renovation process.

I-HEROS
Integrated Home Energy RenOvation Service 
Coordinated in France

© Gabrovo Municipality

© Grispb

© Néstor MN

I-HEROS focused on simplifying the complex processes associated 
with home renovation, in particular reducing housing emissions and 
improving comfort.

© inspiring.team/stock.adobe.com

PATH2LC 
Public Authorities together with a holistic network approach on the 
way to low-carbon municipalities  
Coordinated in Germany

PATH2LC created learning networks that enable local authorities to 
work together towards low-carbon municipalities.

REFEREE
Real ValuE oF EneRgy EfficiEncy  
Coordinated in Italy

© vegefox.com/stock.adobe.com

REFEREE developed an online decision-support tool for use at national 
and municipal levels to quantify the benefits of energy efficiency.

© jittawit.21/stock.adobe.com

RenoHUb

Integrated Services to Boost Energy Renovation in Hungarian Homes 
Coordinated in Hungary

RenoHUb worked on solutions to support consumers along the entire 
value chain of retrofitting, from communication and behavioural 
change through financial support and decision making. 

© Studio Romantic/stock.adobe.com

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Supporting the energy transition on a local and regional level

Several initiatives and funding opportunities exist at the European level to help 
local and regional authorities achieve their clean energy transition goals  
and provide more sustainable services for their citizens.

The LIFE Clean Energy Transition programme (2021-2027) provides funding 
for a wide range of activities leading towards an energy-efficient, renewable 
energy-based, climate-neutral and resilient economy. The Smart Cities 
Marketplace aims to speed up the green transition of cities in Europe  
by improving citizens’ quality of life, increasing competitiveness and ensuring 
partnerships with other European initiatives focused on the urban level.  
The Cities Mission selected 112 cities to co-create Climate City Contracts 
with local stakeholders and citizens, which include an overall plan for climate 
neutrality across all sectors such as energy, buildings, waste management  
and transport, together with related investment plans.

These initiatives and many others involve working on long-term energy 
planning, deep capacity building, support to the EU Covenant of Mayors for 
Climate and Energy (CoM), mobilising investment, alleviating energy poverty, 
changing markets and regulations, and much more.

Learn more about
Energy Efficiency Directive: bit.ly/3xOBmvR
Renewable Energy Directive: bit.ly/3xAHoQy
Energy Performance of Buildings Directive: bit.ly/3VYaovG

This Results Pack is a collaboration between CORDIS and the European Climate,  
Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA).

Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2024

© European Union, 2024. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Cover photo: © European Union, 2024
For any use or reproduction of elements that are not owned by the European Union, permission may need to be sought directly from the respective rightholders.

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cordis.europa.eu • Research and development

ISBN 978-92-78-44125-8
ISBN 978-92-78-44126-5

doi:10.2830/430526
doi:10.2830/231789

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