The Interreg NWE programme has awarded the Energiesprong net-zero housing refurbishment initiative €5.4m (£4.23m) of European funding…

The funding from the Interreg NWE programme will be used to upscale an existing housing programme in the UK, France and the Netherlands, and intends to stimulate mass uptake of net-zero energy refurbishments.

Energiesprong is a fully-integrated, market-driven, zero-energy approach to refurbishment, which includes a revolutionary funding model. It aims to get better products (which bring homes up to net-zero energy standards) to the market – for both retrofit and new-build housing.

Of importance to homeowners or tenants, Energiesprong retrofits take no more than a week to install, and have a 30-year performance warranty. They significantly improve a home’s indoor climate and comfort and involve a design upgrade which dramatically improves the aesthetics of the house.

Developed in the Netherlands, the programme has already delivered over 800 net-zero energy refurbishments and has started delivery on a further 111,000 as part of an agreement between housing associations and builders.

The EU Interreg grant will be used to co-fund early market Energiesprong retrofits and allow the independent Energiesprong market development teams in the UK, France and the Netherlands to put in place the right market conditions for these net-zero energy refurbishments to take place at scale.

The Interreg funding bid was undertaken by Energiesprong UK on behalf of all the project partners and a total of nearly €1.8m (£1.4m) is allocated to three of the participating partners in the UK – Affinity Sutton, Moat Housing Group and the National Energy Foundation.

The Energiesprong UK team was set up in 2015 to explore whether the Energiesprong approach could be applicable in a UK context. It was formed by a number of leading social housing providers, construction companies, trade bodies and expert organisations, following a study tour to the Netherlands. Energiesprong UK aims to stimulate a ‘game-changing’ housing refurbishment sector in the UK and make net-zero energy housing a reality – at an industrial scale.

More information on the initiative is available on the Energiesprong website.