Renovation of co-owned apartment complexes: dream first, then decide

To refurbish apartment complexes, the majority of voting co-owners must be in favor of renovation activities. Collective decision-making is never easy. And if it involves money, well, it is even harder. To cater for that difficulty, the Local Energy and Climate Agency of Grenoble metropolitan area – ALEC, created a participatory workshop called “Refurbish my condominium : what a program!”.

A place for exchangeco-owners-workshop1

“How would you like your condominium to be in 10 years ?” This is how the 2 hours workshop begins. This moment allows people to think about what can be done, discuss ideas and vote collectively on prioritizing actions. But no decisions are taken.

co-owners-workshop3

 A step back for co-owners

The workshop’s aim is to help co-owners take a step back regarding refurbishment and the Mur|Mur2 campaign. The campaign is a package helping owners to renovate thermally their home, thanks to financial subsidies and technical support. As it has been observed during the 1st campaign Mur|Mur1, presenting the advantages of retrofitting is not enough. Indeed, it seems that owners need a period of reflection before decision-making.

 A 5 step approach

The workshop follows 5 steps. The first 2 steps are dedicated to learn about the co-owner’s wishes and evaluate their readiness to invest in retrofitting activities. The 3rd step presents the thermal specifications of the co-owners’ building. The 4th step reviews the Mur|Mur2 campaign and its terms. And finally, the last step makes owners prioritise ideas they have listed at the beginning of the workshop.

Ranking priorities

co-owners-workshopThe 1st workshop showed that a large majority of co-owners voted for global thermal insulation as first priority of activities, followed by investing in “a silent and efficient ventilation system”.

By allowing the co-owners to imagine their residence in 10 years’ time, this workshop made them realise that a thermal refurbishment is a priority for their comfort and the market value of their building. Now let’s hope this will lead to the right decisions. To be continued …

Contact : genevieve.goubel@alec-grenoble.org

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  • The Project

    A city operating entirely on clean energy. In theory, it's possible. But in real life? How to integrate new solutions in existing buildings, systems and people's lives? What are the technical, economic or social barriers? And how to overcome these? That's what we've learned by doing in 20 projects in Grenoble and Amsterdam.

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  • Achieved Impacts

    • 20 innovations in Grenoble & Amsterdam
    • 35,000 tonnes CO2 saved per year
    • 76,000 m² renovated residential buildings
    • 10,000 dwellings connected to a Smart Grid