SUPERSHINE: Empowering communities, tackling energy poverty through social housing renovation

Status: Ongoing projects

SUPERSHINE project  focuses on the renovation of social housing to help households struggling to pay their energy bills, contributing to the decrease of energy poverty. It aims to create replicable models of smart districts, based on energy efficiency, affordability, and sustainability and ensure adequate and well-targeted funding.

SUPERSHINE will pioneer city districts working together to accelerate the knowledge to facilitate the transition to zero-carbon living in Europe. The project will operate on 3 pilot lighthouse districts; Trieste (Italy), Herning(Denmark) and Riga(Latvia) which will be used as demonstrators. Along the smart neighbourhood approach, SUPERSHINE partners will develop corresponding models in Fellow cities: Setúbal (Portugal), Belgrade (Serbia), Zaragoza (Spain) and Istanbul (Turkey).

The neighborhood renewal approach involves looking at the neighborhood as a whole, rather than each building separately, thus promoting the involvement of residents and reducing overall renovation costs.

The SUPERSHINE project of the EU innovation and research program “Horizon Europe” in Riga will focus on the energy-efficient renovation of multi-apartment residential buildings within blocks, while developing smart energy networks and decentralized solutions for the production of renewable energy resources, supporting low-emission mobility, efficient water resources and waste management, using innovative , innovative technologies that optimize resources, contributing to the well-being and sustainable lifestyle of city dwellers. The pine quarter of Agenskalns was chosen as the pilot territory for the project.

Special attention will be paid to the development of financing mechanisms and business models that support the renovation of housing in multi-apartment residential buildings without increasing expenses for households that are already struggling to pay their heat and electricity bills.

The SUPERSHINE project will be implemented using a strategy based on the following main principles:

⚈ energy efficiency in the first place;
⚈ housing availability;
⚈ decarbonization and integration of renewable energy resources;
⚈ sustainability and life cycle analysis;
⚈ high health and environmental standards;
⚈ integrated solutions that support the transition to green and digital;
⚈ compliance with the principles of construction aesthetics and architectural quality.

Duration, funding, partners

Funding: EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation program
Budget: Total € 101,250
Duration: 01.11.2022-31.10.2025
Partners: Pilot projects: Riga, Āgenskalns pine quarter (Latvia); Trieste (Italy); Herning (Denmark). Transfer of experience: Setúbal (Portugal); Belgrade (Serbia); Zaragoza (Spain); Istanbul (Turkey). Research institutions and energy agencies from Denmark, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Portugal and the United Kingdom.