Climate Active Neighbourhoods

Municipalities support energy-efficient building renovation in SME

Energy retrofits of existing residential areas make an important contribution to achieving EU goals on CO2 emissions. From 2016 to 2020, the Climate Active Neighbourhoods (CAN) project focused on neighbourhoods in need of renovation in municipalities of different sizes in Northwest Europe. During that initial project phase, innovative activation approaches for the expansion of energy retrofits in neighbourhoods have been implemented by all project partners. In view of further opportunities to improve the outreach to small and medium-sized enterprises (SME), the project will concentrate on this target group from 2021-2023. The partly new CAN partnership will jointly adapt the CAN cooperation methods to support existing SME and municipal low carbon strategies, integrating especially small enterprises (manufacturing, shopkeepers, etc.) in mixed-used urban quarters.

Adjusted “face-to-face” methods (i.e. direct interaction and advice between local authorities and SME) and cooperation with “multiplicators” (i.e. unions and frontrunners) will be applied to deliver GHG emission reductions in SME. The installation of small measures and energy monitoring systems will support the energy standards improvement of the selected SME.

With some 350 member municipalities located in the project focus area of Northwest Europe, Climate Alliance is acting as lead partner for this Interreg NWE funded project. The partner in the two years extension are Liège (BE), Brest Métropole (FR), Worms (DE), 3 Counties Energy Agency (IRL) and the associated partners Arnhem (NL) and Energieagentur Rheinland-Pfalz (DE).

Project funding period: February 2016 – June 2023
CAN SME is supported by the INTERREG North-West Europe Program. The total project budget amounts to €9,401,815; €5,641,089 of that sum is being financed by the European Regional Development Fund.

Want to learn more? Contact Jenny-Claire Keilmann at j-c.keilmann(at)climatealliance.org 

nweurope.eu/can

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