Effective municipal support for sustainable energy renovations
A study into municipal incentives and barrier perceived by homeowner associations
T.D.J. ten Hove (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
E. Mlecnik – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
E.H.M. Geurts – Mentor (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
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Abstract
This thesis examines how municipal incentives can be effectively designed and implemented to persuade homeowner associations to use and access municipal incentives for sustainable energy renovations. This research answers the question: “In what ways can Dutch municipalities improve the access of homeowner associations to municipal incentives supporting their sustainable energy renovation?” Using semi-structured interviews with board members of homeowner associations and municipal agents from several Dutch municipalities, alongside desk research of policy documents and program materials, the study adopts a qualitative approach. It analyses findings through Rogers’ diffusion of innovation theory, focusing on the persuasion step of innovation. The results show how homeowner associations experience interconnected financial, institutional, and social and governance barriers. Limited eligibility and brief application periods, hidden costs related to technical and insurance aspects, volunteer time shortages, quorum and decision-making challenges, and fragmented administrative demands all intertwine, which constrain homeowner associations from effectively using and accessing municipal incentives. These barriers collectively reduce the perceived relative advantages, increase complexity, and hinder trialability and observability of municipal offers.
Municipal strategies should focus on hands-on facilitation alongside information-sharing, such as one-stop desks, process coaches, adaptable templates, phased financing, and demonstrator projects. The thesis advocates viewing incentives as integrated systems, rather than isolated tools and offers targeted recommendations for focusing on personal assistance, simplifying institutional procedures between incentives, and facilitating governance for smaller or volunteer-run homeowner associations. Overall, the study provides actionable mechanisms and policy-relevant insights to enhance collective renovation efforts.
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