Our assumption: Property managers play a key role in the implementation of energy-efficient refurbishments in homeowner associations’ buildings. They must therefore be supported with effective financing instruments and suitable information material to promote sustainable refurbishment measures in homeowners’ meetings.
In 83 percent of the homeowner associations (HOA), property management companies take over the management and maintenance of the common property on behalf of the owners. The professional management of HOA properties includes, among other things
- Preparing HOA meetings
- Preparing resolutions of the HOA
- Moderating decision-making processes of the HOA
- Involving experts (e.g. energy consultants, financial and grants advice)
- Responsibility for implementing the HOA´s decisions
Homeowner meetings are the place and setting to provide information and advice, raise awareness and bring about informed decisions of homeowners.
Property managements’ multiplier and networking roles in energy-efficient refurbishment processes
How we work
Methodically, our project planning is based on five pillars:
Status quo analysis
As part of the status quo analysis, information about the needs of the stakeholders, the market conditions and existing financing instruments are collected. The regional characteristics in Germany are considered using the examples of Berlin/Brandenburg, North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg. With the help of expert interviews of stakeholders, the needs, experiences, and interest in comprehensive energy-efficient refurbishments are examined. Based on the findings from the interviews, a quantitative survey will be designed and conducted. The collected data is used to derive criteria and requirements for energy efficiency investments in homeowner associations.
Findings from national and international projects
In a further step, a catalogue of criteria will be developed to reflect the needs of homeowners and property managers using examples of national and European best practice projects.
The GREEN Home project will include experiences from other EU projects in the field of financing and promoting energy-efficient refurbishments in homeowner associations. It will analyse to what extent these can be adapted and used in Germany.
The content of the status quo analysis, including findings from national and international projects, will focus on the following fields of action:
- Finance and support programmes,
- Construction/systems engineering and energy efficiency
- Legislation
- Communication and process support
Stakeholder engagement
We are convinced that the success of our project will depend on the quality of cooperation with and between the various stakeholders. Therefore, we focus on establishing an engaged community of national stakeholders and representatives in Germany.
Our stakeholder engagement includes, among other things, the establishment of a national stakeholder platform that promotes and supports dialogue and collaboration between utilities, financing institutions and other relevant parties.
The stakeholders’ competencies are bundled in and through joint events. The focus lies on finding suitable solutions to tackle the challenges homeowner associations face when investing in comprehensive energy efficiency measures are considered to find suitable solutions.
Establishing a continuous dialogue, networking and transferring knowledge between the stakeholders beyond the project period is key to increasing refurbishment activities in homeowner associations and is essential for the success of GREEN Home.
Knowledge transfer
Considering the different stakes of those involved in realizing energy efficiency investments in homeowner associations, the aim of the project is to bundle information and knowledge and to make it available to the different stakeholder groups in a useful manner. This also includes sharing the main project results and the financing instrument developed as part of the action.
Creation of innovative user-centred financing instruments
The development of a financing instrument and corresponding business models is a central focus of the GREEN Home project. Both the financing and the business models should consider the heterogeneity of homeowner communities and the characteristics of their respective common property on the one hand, and, on the other hand, be scalable.
