From Energy Certificates to Renovation Roadmaps: Understanding the OneClickRENO Approach
On 20 January 2026, the BuildUP portal published “An EPBD-aligned data model for building renovation passports: the OneClickRENO approach.” The piece, written by Blanca Larraz Sancho-Tello, Miriam Navarro Escudero and Ana Sanchis Huertas from the Instituto Valenciano de la Edificación (IVE), presents in technical detail how OneClickRENO has developed a data model fully aligned with the revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).
What follows is not a replacement of that article, but a more accessible explanation of what it means in practice, and why it matters.
Renovating a building is rarely a single, comprehensive intervention. In reality, homeowners often improve insulation one year, replace heating systems another, and perhaps install solar panels later on, depending on budget, timing, and available support.
This everyday reality is now recognised at European level. The revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive introduces Building Renovation Passports (RPs) as a practical tool to guide buildings towards zero-emission status by 2050. But transforming a regulatory requirement into something usable for citizens and professionals requires more than defining indicators in a directive. It requires structure, consistency, and digital operability. This is precisely the contribution of OneClickRENO.
From policy concept to implementable structure
The EPBD requires Member States to introduce renovation passport schemes by May 2026. While the Directive defines mandatory and optional indicators, it does not prescribe how the information should be technically structured or operationalised.
The OneClickRENO project addresses this gap by proposing a fully EPBD-aligned data model that can serve as a technical reference for national implementation. Importantly, the model does not start from scratch. It is conceived as an evolution of the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC), building on existing national practices and extending them into a broader, more integrated framework.
In this sense, the renovation passport is not an additional bureaucratic layer. It is a structured extension of the EPC that organises information in a way that supports long-term renovation planning.
The OneClickRENO approach lies in a two-part structure.
First, the passport establishes a baseline: a clear snapshot of the building’s current condition. This includes energy performance, but also financial, environmental, indoor environmental quality and smart readiness considerations.
Second, it defines a staged renovation roadmap. Each planned renovation step is assessed using the same indicator domains as the baseline, allowing improvements to be measured consistently over time.
This parallel structure makes it possible to compare where the building stands today with where it could be after each intervention. When a renovation step is completed, the projected stage can become the new baseline, and the passport evolves accordingly. In other words, the renovation passport is not static, it grows with the building.
Bridging the gap between technical feasibility and financial reality
One of the most significant insights presented in the BuildUP article is that renovation barriers are often financial rather than technical. Even when a pathway is technically optimal, it will not be implemented if its economic feasibility is unclear.
For this reason, the OneClickRENO model embeds financial assessment as a core component of the passport. Indicators such as life-cycle cost, net present value, discounted payback period and financial value increase are integrated into each renovation stage. This allows renovation options to be evaluated not only in terms of energy savings, but also in terms that are recognisable to banks, funding programmes and investors.
By making financial implications visible and comparable across stages, the passport reduces the “translation gap” between technical optimisation and real-world decision-making.
Designed with market reality in mind
The OneClickRENO data model was not developed in isolation. As described in the original article, its structure was validated both through an EU-level survey involving more than 5,500 property owners across 32 countries and through dedicated activities in pilot countries (Ireland, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands).
The results confirmed that renovations are typically carried out in stages, that financial barriers remain central, and that perceived benefits extend beyond energy savings alone. Comfort, property value and quality of life also play a significant role in decision-making.
These findings directly informed the architecture of the data model, ensuring that it responds to real user concerns while remaining aligned with EPBD requirements.
Beyond the conceptual framework, OneClickRENO is also implementing a passport-generation module within pilot digital tools. These tools produce simplified and estimated renovation passports, offering citizens an entry point for staged renovation planning and providing professionals with a structured draft that can later be refined after on-site assessment.
Together, the data model and the digital module translate the renovation passport from a policy requirement into a practical instrument.
As Member States move towards implementing renovation passport schemes under the EPBD, the central challenge is not whether passports are required, but how to implement them in a way that works in practice.
The BuildUP article by the OneClickRENO experts provides the technical foundation for this discussion. The project’s contribution lies in offering both a structured, EPBD-aligned data model and a digital pathway for operationalisation. In doing so, it supports Member States in turning regulatory ambition into an actionable framework capable of accelerating deep renovation across Europe.
