Strengthening national frameworks for renewable and efficient heating and cooling in existing buildings

LIFE-2026 (LIFE Clean Energy Transition) supports establishment or adaptation of national collaborative platforms to remove regulatory and market barriers and accelerate large-scale rollout of on-site heat pumps and solar thermal systems (including combinations with PV/PVT) in existing buildings. The call opened 21 April 2026 and closes 16 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time, the topic budget is €6,500,000 with the Commission indicating that proposals requesting up to €2,000,000 are appropriate and a funding rate of 95% (Other Action Grants). Proposals must be submitted as consortia of at least three independent beneficiaries from three different LIFE-eligible countries, demonstrate stakeholder commitment from public authorities and market actors, quantify project impacts at end of project and five years after, and be submitted via the EU Funding & Tenders Portal.

What it funds

Scope and activities

Grants to establish or adapt national collaborative platforms in up to three to five eligible countries to remove regulatory and market barriers and strengthen public authority capacity for large-scale rollout of on-site heat pumps and solar thermal (including PVT) in existing buildings. Activities include national barrier assessments, modelling regulatory and non-regulatory options, piloting implementation measures, stakeholder engagement, tools to increase market transparency, and measures to adapt public incentives and attract private actors.

Who can apply:Consortia of at least 3 independent beneficiaries from 3 different eligible countries; beneficiaries may include public authorities, energy agencies, industry, NGOs and research organisations. Applicants must demonstrate commitment/letters of support from national stakeholders and public authorities ¹.

1. 1Topic: LIFE Clean Energy Transition — LIFE-2026
2. 2Minimum consortium: 3 beneficiaries from 3 different eligible countries
3. 3Geographic focus per proposal: 3 to 5 LIFE-eligible countries
4. 4Eligible measures: national platforms, assessments, modelling, capacity building, pilot implementation (not new heating networks)

Funding and deadlines

Call open for submission. Opening date:21 April 2026. Submission deadline: 16 September 2026, 17:00 Brussels time.

Typical grant size and funding rate:The Commission considers proposals requesting up to €2,000,000 appropriate; other amounts may be submitted. Funding rate: Other Action Grants (OAGs) — 95%.

1. 1Estimated recommended EU contribution: up to €2 million per proposal
2. 2Funding covers eligible project costs at 95%; follow LIFE budget rules and templates
3. 3Proposals should quantify results at project end and 5 years after

Key eligibility & assessment highlights

1. 1Target 3–5 national markets (per proposal) and set up national collaborative platforms
2. 2Demonstrate stakeholder interest and competence of public authorities (letters of support or direct participation)
3. 3Proposals must quantify qualitative and quantitative impacts using LIFE CET indicators (energy savings, GWh/year, tCO2-eq/year, investments triggered, number of stakeholders engaged)

Apply through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the LIFE Project Grants (LIFE-PJG) submission route; follow the call document, application templates and Portal instructions.

Footnotes

1. 1See call documentation and Annexes in the Funding & Tenders Portal for eligible countries, admissibility and required letters of support and competences.

Call and Practical Details

Programme:LIFE Clean Energy Transition (LIFE-2026-CET). Call type: Call for proposals — Other Action Grants (Coordination and Support Actions) under LIFE Project Grants (LIFE-PJG) using the LIFE Action Grant Budget-Based model (LIFE-AG). Topic reference: LIFE-2026. Opening date: 21 April 2026. Deadline: 16 September 2026, 17:00 Brussels time. Submission model: single-stage (full proposal). Submission portal: EU Funding & Tenders Portal (electronic submission via the Portal).

Objective and Scope

Primary objective:establish or adapt national collaborative platforms in 3 to 5 LIFE-eligible countries per proposal to assess and address national and local regulatory and market barriers that hamper the large-scale roll-out of alternative business models and financing schemes for on-site heat pumps and solar thermal systems (including hybrid systems and combinations with PV/PVT) in existing buildings, and to strengthen the capacity of public authorities and relevant stakeholders. The topic focuses on reducing or shifting high upfront investment costs for installations, addressing split incentives, and tackling market/regulatory barriers such as permitting, building and rental regulations, third-party ownership, service agreement types, demand response valorisation and electricity-to-gas price ratio. Local heating and cooling networks (new networks and small-scale networks) are explicitly out of scope for this topic.

Applicants are encouraged to build on lessons learned from previous LIFE CET heat pump projects (LIFE-2022-CET-HEATPUMPS, LIFE-2023-CET-HEATPUMPS, LIFE-2024-CET-HEATPUMPS) and other EU initiatives and to liaise with national hubs of the European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition and other relevant sustainable finance working groups. Proposals may pilot the first phase of implementation for selected measures during the project lifetime.

Expected Impacts and Indicators

Proposals must present concrete, quantified results for the end of project and for 5 years post-project and demonstrate causal links between activities, results and impacts using realistic baselines and assumptions. Proposals do not have to address every indicator but should use the topic-specific and common LIFE CET indicators where relevant.

1. 1Topic-specific quantitative indicators include: number of relevant stakeholders participating in national collaborative platforms; number of public authorities using resources produced; number of public authorities and other stakeholders endorsing identified measures; number of relevant stakeholders along value chains with improved skills/knowledge.
2. 2Common LIFE CET indicators (applicants should quantify when relevant): primary energy savings triggered by the project (GWh/year); final energy savings triggered (GWh/year); renewable energy generation triggered (GWh/year); reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (tCO2-eq/year); investments in sustainable energy triggered by the project (cumulative, million EUR).

Eligible Applicants and Consortium Rules

Mandatory consortium composition:proposals must be submitted by at least three independent beneficiaries (not affiliated entities) from three different eligible countries. Applicants must demonstrate interest and commitment of public authorities, market players (heating system providers, installers), financing community, utilities, consumer associations, regulators, energy suppliers and DSOs either by including them as consortium beneficiaries or by tailored letters of support specifying competences. The national collaborative platforms must be organised to include the stakeholders listed above.

Eligible Applicant Types:The topic accepts a wide range of organisational types. Typical eligible applicant types include: national/regional public authorities, government bodies, local authorities, universities, research institutes, NGOs and non-profits, industry associations, SMEs, large enterprises (including heating system providers and installers), utilities, financial institutions, energy agencies, and other legal persons eligible under the LIFE Programme rules. Individual natural persons are not the target applicants for this topic.

Funding and Financial Conditions

Form of funding and funding rate:this topic uses LIFE Other Action Grants (OAGs) as Coordination and Support Actions (CSAs) under LIFE Project Grants — LIFE Action Grant Budget-Based (LIFE-AG). Funding rate: 95% of eligible costs (Other Action Grants OAGs). The Commission considers that proposals requesting up to €2 million EU contribution are adequate to address the specific objectives, but other amounts can be proposed.

Eligible cost categories and typical rules:Eligible costs must be actually incurred during the project period (except for limited closing-period rules), necessary for action implementation, identifiable, verifiable and recorded in beneficiaries’ accounts. Standard budget categories apply: personnel costs (employees, seconded and contract staff), subcontracting (subject to procurement/best value rules), travel and subsistence, equipment (typically depreciation), other goods/works/services, financial support to third parties only if explicitly authorised in call and according to strict rules, and indirect costs (flat rate) as specified in the Call and Annex 2. VAT is eligible only where non-recoverable.

1. 1Typical eligible direct costs: staff time (person-months), subcontracted experts to support platform establishment and technical studies, external services (legal, financial modelling, market assessment), stakeholder engagement events, travel for consortium and stakeholder meetings, pilot testing of market tools and contractual templates, modelling and data collection.
2. 2Indirect costs: flat-rate rules and percentage depend on LIFE MGA and call; applicants must follow Annex 2 and the call document.

Geographic and Thematic Scope

Beneficiary scope:LIFE-eligible countries (EU Member States and associated countries to LIFE as per section 6 of the call document). A single proposal must target three to five national markets (countries). The topic is intended to operate at national and local levels, with optional cross-country exchange between participating countries. Local heating and cooling planning projects should be submitted under the separate LIFE-2026-CET-HEATCOOLPLAN topic (call guidance).

Targeted Sectors and Technologies:Target sectors: buildings (existing residential, non-residential and rental sectors), heating and cooling markets and supply chains, finance and investment sectors, public authorities and regulators. Target technologies and services: on-site heat pumps, solar thermal systems, hybrid solutions, combinations with PV/PVT, alternative business models (heating-as-a-service, leasing, community financing, third-party ownership, aggregators monetising heat pump flexibility), tools for cost transparency and marketplaces, contractual standardisation, demand response valorisation and enabling digital/market tools. Out of scope: business models and financing for new heating and cooling networks and small-scale networks.

Application Requirements and Process

Applications must be submitted electronically through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal using the LIFE Project Grants (LIFE-PJG) — LIFE Action Grant Budget-Based (LIFE-AG) submission path. The call is single-stage (full proposal). Proposals must comply with admissibility conditions (form, page limits, layout) specified in the call document and the Part B template in the Submission System. Proposals should include: consortium description, letters of support from public authorities and key stakeholders, detailed national state-of-play analyses for each target country, planned national collaborative platform design, work plan and budget (including person-months, tendering/subcontracting plans), monitoring and indicators, and a sustainability/replication plan. The call document and application templates (standard application forms, detailed budget tables, participant information, complementary funding plan/declaration etc.) are available in the Portal Reference Documents and Submission System.

Application Type and Timeline:Application type: open single-stage call (full proposals). Opening date: 21 April 2026. Deadline: 16 September 2026 17:00 Brussels time. Applicants should register organisations, prepare Part A data in the Portal screens and upload Part B PDF (technical description) using the LIFE SAP/OAG template as required. The online submission system enforces page limits, font size and mandatory fields. Applicants may request National Contact Point support and consult the Portal Online Manual and the LIFE call documents for detailed guidance.

Nature of Support, Co-Funding and Financial Rules

Nature of support:direct financial grant funding (budget-based costs) to beneficiaries to implement a Coordination and Support Action. Funding modalities include reimbursement of actual eligible costs, possibly combined with other simplified cost forms if allowed in the call-specific Annex 2 / Annex 2a. The funding rate is 95% of eligible costs.

1. 1Co-financing: the remaining part of eligible costs (typically 5%) must be covered by beneficiaries or other sources; some LIFE topics require or encourage complementary funding plans and declarations (templates available in the Portal).
2. 2Complementary funding: proposals should identify complementary actions and funding (public and private) necessary to achieve full results in national contexts and should attach complementary funding plans and complementary funding declarations where required (SIP/SNAP templates exist for those specific project types).

Consortium Requirement and Eligible Applicant Types (detailed)

Minimum consortium:at least three independent beneficiaries from three different eligible countries (beneficiaries must not be affiliated entities). Composition should ensure policy, market and finance representation: national/regional public authorities (ministries, agencies), regulators, utilities/DSOs, heat pump and solar thermal suppliers, installers, investor/financing community, consumer and civil society organisations, energy agencies and technical bodies. Letters of support from public authorities should clearly indicate the authority’s competence and nature of support. Associated partners, subcontractors and affiliated entities may be used as appropriate under the rules in the LIFE Grant Agreement.

Project Stage and Expected Maturity

Expected project stage:policy/market development, capacity-building, demonstration and early-stage implementation of pilot measures. The topic targets activities at TRL/market maturity levels oriented to replication and system change rather than technology R&D. Applicants should be prepared to deliver robust analysis, modelling, stakeholder engagement, regulatory and market recommendations, tested transactional and contractual templates and clear piloting of financial/business model instruments within project lifetime.

Eligible Countries and Geographic Eligibility

Eligible countries:LIFE-eligible countries as defined in Section 6 of the Call document (EU Member States and associated countries to LIFE). Specific national lists and conditions are provided in the call document. Each proposal should target three to five LIFE-eligible countries for national platform establishment or adaptation.

Recommended Budget and Typical Funding Scale

The Commission indicates that proposals requesting up to €2 million EU contribution would allow the specific objectives to be addressed appropriately for this topic. The overall CET call lists indicative budgets for multiple topics and the overall topic budget year 2026 indicates an allocation of €6,500,000 for LIFE-2026 in the programme budget overview. Funding rate: 95% OAG (Other Action Grants).

Application Assessment and Evaluation

Evaluation and award criteria, scoring and thresholds follow the Call document (see Section 9 of the Call). Admissibility (page limits, templates), eligibility (minimum three beneficiaries from three eligible countries), financial and operational capacity checks, exclusion grounds and evaluation procedure are described in the call documentation and the Portal Online Manual. The assessment requires clear articulation of impacts, replicability, quality of work plan, consortium and budget and capacity to deliver. Indicative evaluation timeline follows Section 4 of the Call document.

Application Templates and Annexes — What to Prepare

Applicants must use the Portal submission templates. Required templates and annexes (available in the Submission System and Reference Documents) include: the standard LIFE application form (Part A generated online; Part B uploaded as PDF), Detailed Budget Table (LIFE), Participant Information template, Complementary Funding Plan and Complementary Funding Declaration (where required), Letters of Support, Model Grant Agreement (LIFE MGA) and ancillary annex templates (maps, descriptions, participant annexes). The call provides specific standard application form versions for LIFE SAP and OAG and other forms; use the application form specific to this call in the Submission System. For SIP/SNAP and other project types, specialised annex templates exist (complementary funding plan/ declarations).

Application Stages, Reviews and Expected Selection Process

Submission is single-stage (full proposals). The evaluation follows the procedures in the Call document: eligibility and admissibility checks, evaluation by independent experts against award criteria (quality, impact, implementation), possible clarifications requests and final ranking. Indicative timeline and grant agreement preparation follows Section 4 of the Call document. Awarded projects will sign the LIFE Model Grant Agreement (LIFE MGA) — see Model Grant Agreement documents on the Portal.

Application Stages:Single-stage: submission of full proposal; admissibility and eligibility screening; evaluation by experts against award criteria; notification of results; grant preparation and signature.

Success Rate, Competition and Strategic Tips

Success rates vary by topic and number of quality proposals submitted. LIFE CET is competitive: applicants should present a strong multi-country consortium, detailed national analyses, evidence of stakeholder commitment (letters of support), a realistic and resourced work plan, quantified impacts and indicators, a credible monitoring and exploitation plan, and linkage to complementary funding where relevant. Demonstrating replication potential and clear routes to mobilise private finance will strengthen proposals.

Co-financing and Financial Requirements

Co-financing requirement:beneficiaries must contribute the non-funded share of eligible costs (typically 5% when funding rate is 95%); co-financing can be own resources or confirmed complementary funding. Some LIFE project types (SIP/SNAP) require complementary funding plans and declarations from managing authorities where public co-financing is part of the project. Applicants should include a realistic financing plan and evidence (letters, declarations) for any complementary sources.

Success Factors and Project Design Considerations

1. 1Robust country-level baseline analysis and quantified barriers for alternative business models for heat pumps and solar thermal in each targeted country (3–5 countries).
2. 2Clear national platform design with stakeholder engagement plans, governance and terms of reference for platforms and expected outputs (policy recommendations, model contracts, financing mechanisms, market tools).
3. 3Quantified modelling of regulatory, fiscal and market options and their impacts (energy, emissions, investment mobilised) to support decision making by authorities.
4. 4Demonstration and early implementation of selected measures or pilot testing of financing/business model instruments within project lifetime where possible, with monitoring and verification.
5. 5Strong evidence of authority interest and commitment (letters of support specifying competence), linkages to national strategies and existing LIFE/other EU projects, and a pathway to replicate results across member states.

Templates and Application Structure Guidance

Use the standard LIFE templates available in the Funding & Tenders Portal Submission System. Part B (technical description) must follow the LIFE SAP/OAG template sections: relevance, impact, implementation (work plan and WP descriptions), resources (consortium set-up and budget), and other sections (ethics, security). Provide annexes: Participant Information, Detailed Budget Table, Complementary Funding Plan/Declaration (if relevant), Letters of Support and maps or market analyses as needed. The Portal will provide the specific application form for this call in the Submission System. See also standard templates for detailed budget, participant information and complementary funding documents in the Portal Reference Documents ¹.

Detailed Checklist for Applicants

1. 1Consortium: minimum 3 independent beneficiaries from 3 different eligible countries; include policy authorities and evidence of mandates or letters of support.
2. 2Budget: realistic detailed budget in the LIFE detailed budget table; justify staff costs and person-months; include subcontracting and procurement approach; show co-financing sources and complementary funding plan if relevant.
3. 3Work plan: clear WPs, deliverables, milestones, timetable, tasks per partner, monitoring indicators (LIFE CET topic-specific and common indicators) and replication strategy.
4. 4Impact quantification: provide end-of-project and five years post-project quantified impacts for relevant indicators (energy savings, renewable generation, GHG reduction, investments mobilised, stakeholder participation and capacity building).
5. 5Risk management and legal/ethical compliance: identify critical risks and mitigation; provide any required ethics or security self-assessments.
6. 6Templates and annexes: complete Participant Information, Letters of Support, Complementary Funding Declaration (if applicable), and any additional call-specified annexes.

Summary: What is this opportunity about and how to explain it?

This LIFE Clean Energy Transition topic funds coordination and capacity-building projects that will set up national collaborative platforms (3–5 countries per proposal) to remove regulatory and market barriers to large-scale deployment of on-site heat pumps and solar thermal systems in existing buildings. The focus is on enabling alternative business and financing models (heating-as-a-service, leasing, community finance, aggregators, third-party ownership) that reduce or shift high upfront investment costs and support high-quality, suitable installations. Applicants must prepare one full proposal (single-stage) through the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, assemble a consortium with at least three beneficiaries from different eligible countries, present a solid national analysis for each targeted country, propose a clear organisation and operation of national platforms, quantify expected policy, market and energy impacts, and demonstrate stakeholder commitment. The Commission expects projects up to around €2 million EU contribution to be adequate; the funding rate is 95%. Applications must use the LIFE application templates and follow the admissibility and eligibility rules in the call. Successful proposals will deliver national frameworks, tested measures and recommendations that help scale the deployment of mature heating and cooling technologies while mobilising private finance and strengthening national supply chains and consumer offers.

Footnotes

1. 1Call document, application form templates, detailed budget table and other annex templates are available in the Funding & Tenders Portal Reference Documents and Submission System (see call page LIFE-2026).

Opportunity Overview

LIFE-2026 is a European Union funding opportunity under the LIFE Clean Energy Transition programme designed to strengthen national frameworks for renewable and efficient heating and cooling in existing buildings. The call supports the establishment of national collaborative platforms to facilitate large-scale rollout of on-site heat pump and solar thermal installations across EU member states and eligible countries.

Call Reference:LIFE-2026 under the LIFE Clean Energy Transition sub-programme

Opening Date:21 April 2026

Deadline:16 September 2026 at 17:00 Brussels time

Funding Details

Total Budget Available:€6,500,000

Funding Rate:95% for Other Action Grants (OAGs)

Recommended Project Size:The European Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to €2 million would allow the specific objectives to be addressed appropriately. However, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Type of Action:LIFE Project Grants (LIFE-PJG) with LIFE Action Grant Budget-Based (LIFE-AG) model

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Countries:All LIFE eligible countries including EU Member States and associated countries (Iceland, Moldova, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Ukraine)

Consortium Requirements:Proposals must be submitted by at least 3 applicants (beneficiaries; not affiliated entities) from 3 different eligible countries. Proposals shall target three to five LIFE eligible countries for a single proposal.

Eligible Applicants:Public authorities, utility operators, investors, heating systems providers, installers, financing community representatives, consumer associations, regulators, energy suppliers, and distribution system operators. Applicants must demonstrate financial and operational capacity to carry out the proposed project.

Project Objectives and Scope

The topic will support the establishment of national collaborative platforms to strengthen existing regulatory and financial frameworks at national and local levels, thereby facilitating large-scale rollout of on-site heat pump and solar thermal installations in existing buildings, including in combination with photovoltaic (PV) or photovoltaic thermal (PVT) systems.

Key Objectives

• Identify and assess in detail the barriers and enabling conditions for uptake of alternative business models and financing schemes for on-site heat pumps and solar thermal systems in buildings
• Scope, assess and model the impact of specific regulatory and non-regulatory options to address identified barriers in each target country
• Assess options for attracting broader range of economic actors to deploy heat pumps, solar thermal and PVT systems
• Adapt public incentives to alternative business models
• Update existing and create new tools to enhance cost transparency and competition
• Create marketplaces and alliances that increase market transparency and facilitate consumer decision-making

Scope of Work

Proposals shall establish or adapt existing national platforms/fora of key relevant stakeholders. The addressed business models and financing schemes should focus on the supply of at least space heating; however, this does not preclude considering additional services such as water heating and space cooling, including free cooling. For heat pumps specifically, actions may also address the unfavourable electricity-to-gas price ratio. Business models and financing schemes for new heating and cooling networks, including small-scale networks, are out of scope.

National collaborative platforms should include market players such as heating systems providers and installers, investors and economic actors, the financing community, utilities, consumer associations, and relevant competent national or regional public authorities from different relevant ministries, regulators, energy suppliers and distribution system operators.

Expected Impacts and Indicators

Qualitative Impact

Proposals should demonstrate how they will contribute to strengthen national frameworks for business and financing models reducing or shifting high investment costs for the installation of heat pumps and solar thermal systems in existing buildings.

Quantitative Indicators

• Number of relevant stakeholders participating in the national collaborative platforms
• Number of public authorities using resources and information produced and provided by the activity
• Number of public authorities and other relevant stakeholders endorsing the identified measures
• Number of relevant stakeholders, along the value chains, including consumers, with improved skills/knowledge during the action
• Primary energy savings triggered by the project in GWh/year
• Final energy savings triggered by the project in GWh/year
• Renewable energy generation triggered by the project in GWh/year
• Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in tCO2-eq/year
• Investments in sustainable energy (energy efficiency and renewable energy) triggered by the project in million Euro

Results and impacts should be quantified for the end of the project and for 5 years after the end of the project. Proposals are not expected to address all listed impacts and indicators but should provide indicators specific to their proposed activities.

Key Requirements and Conditions

Stakeholder Engagement:Proposals shall demonstrate at the proposal stage the interest and nature of commitment from market actors and public authorities, either through direct participation in the consortium or through tailored and detailed letters of support. Letters should clearly specify for authorities their competence in the matter.

Collaboration Requirements:Proposals should collaborate and/or provide input, where relevant, to the national hubs of the European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition, or other relevant working groups on sustainable finance. Although the focus is mostly on national level, proposals may envisage exchange of experience between key stakeholders from participating countries.

Implementation Strategy:Proposals shall describe how they intend to organise the national platforms and are encouraged to start and monitor the first phase of implementation of selected measures within the duration of the action. Proposals shall provide a clear and detailed overview of the state of play in each target market, the uptake level of alternative financing schemes and business models they intend to address, and the barriers to be tackled.

Energy Resilience:Applicants are invited, where possible, to develop and implement long-term structural sustainable and energy efficiency measures to enhance EU energy system resilience against future crises, in coherence with short-term energy relief measures needed to respond to current global energy market shocks.

Application Process and Documentation

Submission System:Applications must be submitted online via the EU Funding and Tenders Portal (Submission System). Single-stage submission process.

Required Documents:Part A (Administrative Forms) completed in the Portal Submission System and Part B (Technical Description) uploaded as PDF. Standard application form for LIFE SAP and OAG, detailed budget table, participant information, co-financing declaration, and maps where applicable.

Page Limits:Full proposals typically have a 200-page limit for technical description (Part B), with supporting documents provided as annexes not counting towards the page limit. Minimum font size Arial 10 points, A4 page size, margins at least 15mm.

Language:Proposals can be submitted in any official EU language, though the project abstract/summary should be in English. English is strongly advised for the entire application for efficiency reasons.

Evaluation and Award Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on relevance to LIFE programme objectives and the call topic, quality of the proposed concept and methodology, credibility and ambition of expected impacts, quality of implementation including work plan and stakeholder engagement, and quality of resources including consortium composition and project management.

Award criteria assess how well proposals address the specific objectives of the topic, demonstrate clear causality links between activities, results and impacts, show realistic and substantiated baselines and assumptions, and present credible strategies for sustainability, replication and upscaling of results.

Strategic Context and Policy Alignment

This funding opportunity supports implementation of key EU energy and climate legislation including the Energy Efficiency Directive, Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, and Renewable Energy Directive. It contributes to the European Green Deal objectives, REPowerEU Plan, and EU targets for 55% greenhouse gas emissions reduction by 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050.

The topic addresses critical barriers to heat pump and solar thermal deployment in existing buildings, including high upfront costs, split incentives, unfavourable electricity-to-gas price ratios, and regulatory and market barriers. It builds on lessons learned from previous LIFE CET projects (LIFE-2022-CET-HEATPUMPS, LIFE-2023-CET-HEATPUMPS, LIFE-2024-CET-HEATPUMPS) and supports the upcoming EU Heating and Cooling Strategy and Electrification Action Plan.

Key Considerations for Applicants

• Ensure consortium includes at least 3 beneficiaries from 3 different eligible countries with demonstrated commitment through participation or letters of support
• Develop clear market analysis identifying specific barriers and enabling conditions in each target country
• Design national platforms with inclusive stakeholder representation across the value chain
• Establish realistic and quantifiable impact targets with clear methodologies for calculation
• Plan for sustainability of platforms and results beyond project completion
• Demonstrate how proposed activities will trigger actual investments in heat pump and solar thermal installations
• Consider complementarity with existing initiatives, one-stop shops, and financing mechanisms
• Prepare detailed budget justification aligned with proposed activities and expected outcomes
• Include communication and dissemination strategy to maximize impact and replication potential
• Address energy system resilience and long-term structural sustainability measures

Support and Resources

Applicants should consult the LIFE Multiannual Work Programme 2025-2027, LIFE Regulation 2021/783, EU Financial Regulation 2024/2509, and the EU Grants AGA (Annotated Model Grant Agreement) for detailed guidance. The Funding and Tenders Portal Online Manual provides step-by-step guidance through proposal preparation and submission. National Contact Points (NCPs) offer country-specific support and advice.

The LIFE database and CORDIS website provide information on previously funded projects that may serve as reference for applicants. The European Energy Efficiency Financing Coalition national hubs offer additional support for financing-related aspects of proposals.

Footnotes

1. 1All information in this analysis is based on the official LIFE-2026 call documentation available on the EU Funding and Tenders Portal as of April 2026. Applicants must verify all details directly with official sources before submission, as call conditions and requirements may be subject to updates or clarifications.