Each ComActivate pilot municipality, Józsefváros in Budapest, Burgas in Bulgaria, and Kaišiadorys and Elektrėnai in Lithuania, has set up a Resource Centre (RC) to guide residents through the often complex process of renovating their homes, from technical advice to grant applications. But the four centres look quite different in practice: some are embedded in municipal property management units, others in utility companies or community engagement offices, each shaped by its local housing stock, funding landscape and resident needs.

This report draws together the practical lessons from running these four centres into transferable guidance for other municipalities considering a similar one-stop shop. It looks at the range of services an RC can realistically offer given limited staff and budgets, from administrative support and energy audits to organising residents’ meetings, and at how centres have adapted their communication to reach people who don’t respond to office hours or online forms alone.

A central theme is how to reach vulnerable and energy-poor households, often the hardest group to engage and the most exposed to rising energy costs. The report looks at what has worked, from door-to-door outreach and peer-to-peer exchanges between residents of renovated and unrenovated buildings, to tailored campaigns such as colouring books for children and a “Renovation Ambassadors” scheme for older residents.

The report also tackles the practical realities of running an RC: where to place it within municipal structures, what staffing and expertise it needs, how to manage financial instability between funding calls, and why monitoring client data and renovation outcomes matters for proving impact and securing future support.

Download the report for the full set of recommendations and case-by-case lessons from all four Resource Centres.