Written by Felix Kriedemann, Project Manager at REScoop.eu
Life is difficult
Life, be it in society or in nature is full of trials and tribulations; from simple needs such as birds foraging for food, to more complex ones such as trying to renovate your home, living beings face hurdles around every corner; One of such challenging hurdles facing Europe currently is the housing crisis, where our buildings are not fit-for-purpose (i.e. representing 40% of the EU’s total energy consumption, and 36% of GHG emissions), while rent has increased by 23% over a little more than a decade. In a nutshell, we are faced with an aged, inefficient, and expensive building stock. Furthermore, the process of renovating it can be complex, frustrating, and isolating.
However, this need not be the case. As with many innovations, we only need to look at nature to find out how to overcome the trials and tribulations of renovating a home, making it cheaper, efficient, and enjoyable. The answer resides, unsurprisingly, in cooperation.
Symbiotic relationships, in nature and at home
From single-cellular organisms (prokaryotic cells), to symbiotic relationship among animals, to having dinner with your friends, we all seem to reject isolationism and long for cooperative structures. Indeed, clownfish living in anemonies, honeyguides working with humans to find honeycombs, or woolly bats roosting in pitcher plants are all examples of living beings cooperating with each other to the larger benefit of both.
In much the same way, we have an opportunity to overcome the expensive, frustrating and isolating process of renovating our homes by opting for cooperative structures. Energy communities bring citizens together to own their renovation process, including providing renovation advice, performing energy audits, or even taking care of the whole renovation process through trusted community contractors and a personalised, human approach to energy efficiency renovations.
Energy communities all over Europe are increasingly offering building renovation services to their members and communities. There are multiple reasons why citizen energy cooperatives have become involved in these activities. Some see reducing energy demand from buildings as crucial in combating the climate crisis, or see it as a way to invest in their local community or combat energy poverty. Others have been asked by their members to help them reduce their energy costs and improve the quality of their homes.
Much like the honeyguide, the clownfish, or the first multicellular organism (grypania spiralis), energy communities bring individuals together to cooperate for their larger benefit. The result of these Citizen-led Renovation (CLR) projects are cheaper renovation bills, a home that is fit-for-purpose and comfortable to live in, democratic decision-making, a focus on vulnerable households, and a community of cooperators that share the same goal of improving their local community.
These benefits are due to the fact that citizens are involved in the governance, ownership and implementation of the renovation, under the umbrella of prioritising social, environmental, and economic development of the local area. Furthermore, as the energy community is made up by citizens, the renovation solutions are adapted to the local conditions (instead of a one-size-fits-all solution) and are based on environmentally and socially sound building practices. Citizen-led renovations by energy communities are a cooperative solution to local and personal challenges. We must therefore not be afraid to seek cooperative answers, as they are deeply engrained in nature, and therefore, deeply engrained in our own development.
How to start or join a Citizen-led Renovation project
If you find yourself attracted to life’s call for cooperation, or you simply want to access affordable and personalised renovation services, there are numerous resources at your disposal to join or start an energy community.
The simplest way to start a Citizen-Led Renovation project is to access the Energy Communities Platform, a repository of useful tools to join, start, or enhance your energy community. In it, you will be able to find resources to start your CLR project, or to find other energy communities with whom to collaborate with or learn from for your renovation project. Particularly interesting is this guide on how to set up a cooperative One-Stop-Shops for renovations. Another useful resource is the Build Better Lives campaign, and REScoop.eu’s website on CLR, featuring the business models of several CLR projects across the EU.
In conclusion, while many theories on the social contract have been developed, notably by Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau or Kant, we may never be sure why humans came together in cooperation with each other. What we do know through the observation of nature is that this cooperation is an innate part of our humanity. If such is indeed the case, we have a practical and moral imperative to keep building our futures on this premise, with Citizen-led Renovations as the bedrock of cooperative home improvements.
