Introducing LIFE Renew it: A new wave of community-powered retrofit
- Sanne de Wit
- Nov 12
- 2 min read
We’re excited to introduce LIFE Renew it, the latest Energiesprong Global Alliance initiative designed to make deep energy retrofits more affordable, inclusive and human centered across Europe. The project brings together 19 partners from France, Spain, Germany, Latvia and the Netherlands, and officially kicked off in July 2025.
What Renew it aims to change
Deep retrofit can be costly and often inaccessible for households most affected by energy poverty — especially in collective housing. Renew-it tackles this challenge by piloting a “collective self-retrofit” approach, where residents take on selected renovation tasks alongside professionals. This model:
Reduces costs
Builds local skills
Strengthens communities
Helps more households access warm, low-carbon homes
What the project will deliver
Between 2025 and 2028, partners will:
Develop tools that identify which works residents can safely perform
Create training programmes to empower communities to participate
Strengthen the business case by exploring innovative financial levers
Test the model across four pilot sites (France, Spain x2, Germany), while Latvia and the Netherlands focus on replication
If successful, the approach could reduce retrofit costs by up to 15% and support new green jobs across Europe.
Building on Energiesprong’s legacy
Since 2010, Energiesprong has shown how decarbonized housing can transform comfort, affordability and carbon performance. Renew-it takes this further by placing people and communities at the centre of the process: making retrofit not only greener, but fairer and more accessible.
Renew it is more than a project, it’s the start of a movement where people and communities lead the transition warmer, healthier and more affordable homes. The coming years will show just how powerful that collective effort can be. Let’s Renew it, together.
LIFE Renew it marks a bold step towards community-powered, affordable housing.
