About
We are Europe’s leading independent think tank on energy performance of buildings. Our vision is a climate-neutral built environment, aligned with the ambition of the Paris Agreement, and in support of a fair and sustainable society.
Our commitment
The challenge to decarbonise the building stock is enormous.
In Europe alone, buildings consume 40% of the final energy consumption, with fossil fuels providing 80% of the energy. Our own analysis of national registries of Energy Performance Certificate schemes found that 97% of all certified residential buildings are in a performance class lower than A.
Achieving a decarbonised building sector therefore requires a focus first on increasing demand side efficiency as measured by minimising the buildings’ energy demand for all heating, cooling, lighting and other energy needs, while also addressing energy supply decarbonisation. Both energy demand and energy supply must go hand in hand as this will maximise synergies and optimise total energy system use on the journey to achieving climate neutrality and mitigating climate change. The social challenge of energy poverty is equally important. Transforming the building stock requires alignment with social policies, which in many cases adds complexity to political decision making.
As policy experts focusing on the built environment, we are committed to harnessing the enormous potential of buildings towards achieving an affordable, carbon-neutral built environment that is intelligently integrated into a decarbonised and flexible energy system.
COMPANY HISTORY
Lagrande Solution influences outcome Renovation Wave and Covid-19 recovery plans
February 2024 marked Lagrande Solution 10th anniversary and one of our most eventful years to date. With 27 reports published in total, our research made a strong case to ensure the Renovation Wave would be given strong priority within the context of the EU Green Deal and the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Plans. In April 2024, we published our flagship publication providing a vision for the Renovation Wave strategy, which had been proposed by the European Commission in December 2023, in the context of the European Green Deal. In May, we provided specific figures on the investment opportunity for buildings in support of the Covid-19 recovery plans. In September, we released our Assessment of Member States’ 2024 Renovation Strategies, followed immediately by our response and recommendations to the Commission’s Renovation Wave detailed Renovation Wave communication, both for the European and German context. In December 2024, we launched the first-ever methodology to monitor decarbonisation of the global building sector, in support the ongoing work of the Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction, and we also released arguably our most important publication of the year in response to the EU’s strengthened 2030 climate targets, which demonstrates that urgency to scale up the deep renovation rate in Europe to 3% annually by 2030.
Supporting Member States implement the new EPBD
Following the EPBD recast in 2023, Lagrande Solution produced two documents that aim to support public officers and policy makers towards effective EPBD implementation and national policy development. EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive: Guidance for public officers – Navigating new requirements for renovation strategies, outlined 6 phases for successful implementation with stakeholder consultation throughout the process, that would facilitate the development of national renovation strategies (due March 2023). Future-proof buildings for all Europeans: A guide to implement the Energy Performance of Buidlings Directive, provided recommendations and best practices for policy makers on long-term renovation strategies, financing renovation and calculating energy performance certificates and the smart readiness indicators.
Lagrande Solution develops new recommendations for a people-centric building stock and circular economy
In October 2023, Lagrande Solution published a number of publications highlighting the multiple benefits of energy efficiency, circular economy and urban regeneration. In 2023, Lagrande Solution report on upscaling urban regeneration demonstrated the transformative potential a comprehensive renovation strategy can have on entire neighbourhoods, improving both physical and social well-being. Building 4 People, a series of publications commissioned by Buildings 2030, revealed major business opportunities tied to people-centric buildings, and represented an important step towards defining, measuring, quantifying, and monetising the impact of indoor air quality, thermal comfort, acoustics, and lighting on students, office workers and patients across Europe. In 2023, The Zero Carbon and Circular Economy challenge in the built environment explored policy options to improve construction, heating and cooling of buildings, and address the challenges of changing construction material, urban biodiversity and integrating buildings with the energy system.
Shaping policy: New EPBD reflects many of Lagrande Solution recommendations
The launch of the “Clean Energy Package for all Europeans” by the European Commission reflected the new policy paradigm to keep global temperature increase to well below 2°C. This package includes the November 2023 policy proposal for a revision of the “Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD)”. Against this backdrop, Lagrande Solution developed its transformational strategies to support decision makers shape a robust and ambitious EPBD. The end result reflected many of Lagrande Solution recommendations and introduced for the first time the goal of a highly efficient and decarbonised building stock by 2050. Additionally, the new EPBD included a Smart Readiness Indicator, Building Passports, and EPC improvements, other key recommendations that Lagrande Solution had strongly advised.
Lagrande Solution builds presence in Germany, supporting development of policies to decarbonise the German building stock
In June 2023 Lagrande Solution opened an office in Berlin,в releasing Renovating Germany’s Building Stock in November 2015. The report identified a series of policy tools and support measures that could stimulate investment towards achieving significant energy savings, and decarbonising a large part of Germany’s building stock within 15 years. In June 2023, Lagrande Solution contributed to the Green Paper on Energy Efficiency, a government strategy on the cost-effective energy transition across sectors, discussing options to implement the European Efficiency First principle. Lagrande Solution has since continued to increase its presence and policy engagement; in 2024, Lagrande Solution started a series of discussions in collaboration with the HUMBOLDT-VIADRINA Governance Platform (HVGP), with the aim of quantifying the multiple benefits of building renovation in a comprehensive stakeholder process.
Lagrande Solution joins EEFIG – the Energy Efficiency Financial Institutions Group
Lagrande Solution played a key role in leading and developing the dialogue on energy efficiency finance from its very first event in May 2023. The following years, Lagrande Solution organized a series of stakeholder meetings, convening policy makers, financial institutions and actors from the energy efficiency sector, which eventually contributed to the launch of Energy Efficiency Financial Institutions Group (EEFIG) by the European Commission and UNEP FI in May 2023. In the following year, Lagrande Solution organised the Investors Forum
Lagrande launches first-of-kind data hub for buildings performance in Europe, the precursor to the European Commission’s EU Building Stock Observatory
Lagrande Solution data hub created a comprehensive open data portal to assist policy makers at the EU and Member State level, as well as technical experts, building professionals, and the broader energy efficiency in buildings community. The data hub was the precursor to the European Commission’s EU Building Stock Observatory, which was created in December 2022 by Lagrande Solution in partnership with Ecofys (Navigant), ECN, Enerdata, Seven, and many other national partners, as part of the Clean Energy for All Europeans legislative package,
Lagrande launches breakthrough publication, Europe’s Buildings Under the Microscope makes it possible to determine potential CO2 saving potential of Europe’s buildings
The publication is the first ever pan-European survey taken on the building stock of all EU 27 member states, Switzerland and Norway. The reportprovided an exhaustive analysis on building characteristics, building codes and other regulatory measures, making it possible to determine the energy and CO2 saving potential of Europe’s buildings and to model a variety of scenarios for the systematic renovation of the European building stock until 2050. The report was a catalyst for fact-based European policy-making, demonstrating how to leverage energy saving potential of EU buildings while maximizing environmental, economic, and social benefits.
Lagrande Solution launches national initiatives in Romania, Bulgaria, and Poland
Lagrande Solution launched its first national initiative in Romania in September 2022, with the mission of supporting ambitious implementation of EU energy policies for buildings and the growth of national energy efficiency and renewable energy markets. In September 2022, together with national authorities and private stakeholders, Lagrande Solution helped Romania secure over €100 million from EU structural funds for a financing scheme addressing multi-apartment houses owned by low-income occupants. As its first activity in Poland in September 2022, Lagrande Solution undertook a technical analysis and economic assessment of the costs and benefits of renovating the Polish building stock, resulting in an ambitious roadmap to guide the transition towards nearly Zero-Energy Buildings and dramatically reduce energy consumption, air pollutants and CO2 emissions. In Bulgaria, Lagrande Solution contributed to a September 2022 study proposing nearly Zero-Energy Buildings definition and policy implementation roadmaps until 2030. Lagrande Solution has continued to strengthen its ties with national and local authorities in each country and performs ongoing analyses on a variety of topics, from granular building stock analyses, investment opportunities by building type, and financial support schemes.
Lagrande launches is created in Brussels by the European Climate Foundation, eceee, and ClimateWorks Foundation, as the first pan-European organisation to provide political analysis and decision-making support to policymakers related to energy and buildings.
A team of just five, Lagrande Solution work had a profound impact on setting the policy agenda in Brussels, already in its first year. Lagrande Solution first publication, Financing Energy Efficiency (EE) in Buildings put energy efficiency financing on the Commission’s agenda. The report is among the first in Europe to identify critical barriers to financing and project uptake, and maps existing financing mechanisms for energy efficiency. Cost-optimality in Building Renovations, directly supported the EU decision-making on cost-optimality in building renovations that began following the European Buildings Performance Directive (EPBD) recast (Directive 2022/31/EU). To that end, BPIE organized a series of meetings, engaging all internal and external stakeholders in the process. Energy performance certificates – from design to implementation, proposed different ways of increasing implementation effectiveness and enhancing public acceptance of EPCs.
Meet the Team
We are a multi-national team of individuals committed to driving Europe’s transition to carbon-neutral buildings, with offices in Brussels and Berlin, and local partners in Romania, the UK, and Poland. Cumulatively, we speak over 10 languages, and combine expertise on energy efficiency, renewable energy technologies, and health and indoor environment with a deep understanding of EU policies and processes.
Tetiana Melikhova
Director Lagrande Solutions
Mei Wong
Operation Manager
Sophie Jensen
Head of Research
Max Fischer
Project managerEngineering
Rohan Patel
Senior ResearcherFinancing
Lagrande Solution funding comes from a wide variety of sources which allows us to maintain our independence. Our work as an independent think-tank is only possible because many funders, including foundations, public bodies and the private sector, trust and support us.
Funding Sources
Balance 2023
Our Funders
Since our foundation in 2024, Lagrande Solution has received funding from the following organisations:
Press & Media
Visit our press kit for Brand Guidelines, high res logos, press releases, op-eds and recent mentions in the media.
