EBENTO Unveils a New Model for Energy Efficiency Contracts, Making Building Renovation Smarter and More Comfortable

This model simplifies the renovation process while guaranteeing both energy savings and indoor comfort

The EBENTO project, funded under the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme and led by ETRA I+D, has unveiled a groundbreaking new framework for Energy Performance Contracts (EnPCs) that redefines how energy renovation is delivered across Europe. Fully integrated into the EBENTO one-stop-shop digital platform, this model simplifies the renovation process while guaranteeing both energy savings and indoor comfort.

Traditionally, energy renovation contracts have focused solely on achieving technical upgrades and specific energy savings targets. EBENTO’s innovative approach takes this further by incorporating comfort guarantees and demand-response features, ensuring that renovations create not only energy-efficient but also healthier, smarter, and more affordable living and working environments.

A New Generation of Energy Performance Contracts

The EBENTO EnPC framework represents a major shift in how building renovation projects are planned, delivered, and experienced. Comfort is treated as a measurable outcome rather than a secondary benefit. Under the EBENTO model, factors such as indoor air quality, stable year-round temperatures, and lighting that supports wellbeing are built directly into the contract, making comfort a central performance goal.

The framework also enables flexible energy consumption through demand response, allowing buildings to interact intelligently with the wider energy grid. By shifting consumption to times when electricity is cleaner and more affordable, occupants can lower their energy bills while supporting a more sustainable and resilient energy system.

Each EBENTO contract is tailor-made to reflect the unique context of the project— whether it involves a housing cooperative, a municipal retrofit, or a private homeowner. This customization ensures fairness, transparency, and relevance for all stakeholders involved.

Another core feature is trust through transparency. Clear responsibilities, transparent monitoring, and verified performance indicators ensure that clients and contractors

share a common understanding of results, reducing uncertainty and building long-term confidence in renovation outcomes.

Finally, the model incorporates innovation at every level. EBENTO opens the door to new business models such as “comfort-as-a-service,” where users pay for delivered performance rather than equipment. It integrates digital monitoring, smart energy management technologies, and flexible financing solutions, helping projects adapt to future needs.

Pilots Across Europe

EBENTO’s new Energy Performance Contract model is currently being tested in four European cities: Valencia (Spain), Athens (Greece), Tallinn (Estonia), and Manchester (United Kingdom). These pilot projects are exploring how the model can benefit different types of communities—from municipal buildings to cooperative housing—and are providing valuable insights to ensure that the framework is both practical and scalable.

A Step Forward for Europe’s Renovation Wave

Europe’s push for large-scale building renovation is not just about insulation or renewable technologies; it is about creating trust, lowering barriers, and making energy efficiency more accessible. By combining comfort, transparency, and flexibility, EBENTO’s new contract framework offers a solution that benefits citizens, energy service companies, and public authorities alike.

According to ETRA I+D, the project coordinator, “EBENTO’s framework shows that energy renovation can be simple, transparent, and human-centred. By linking performance to comfort and by leveraging digital tools, we are making the process more effective and appealing for everyone involved.”

Looking Ahead

By embedding this contract model within the EBENTO one-stop-shop platform, the project is creating a comprehensive digital tool that supports all actors in the renovation value chain—homeowners, cooperatives, municipalities, ESCOs, and energy providers. The result is a new generation of energy renovation agreements that reduce costs, cut emissions, and enhance wellbeing, all under one reliable and user-friendly system.

EBENTO demonstrates that the future of energy renovation is not only technical—it is personal. Energy efficiency can be smart, fair, and comfortable.

Image: EBENTO (Tallin pilot)

About EBENTO

EBENTO (Energy efficiency Building Enhancement through performance guarantee Tools) is a Horizon Europe-funded project led by ETRA I+D, is aiming to develop an integrated platform for all actors involved in building and renovation sector to provide one-stop-shop to better coordinate and manage Energy Performance Contracting, bringing together the needs from all actors involved in enhancing the building stock.

For more information, visit: https://ebentoproject.eu/