Activities in Hungary

MEHI is actively involved in national and international research projects through grants.

AHA Budapest

Launched in 2024, Affordable Housing for All (AHA) Budapest aims to implement the concept of “affordable housing for all” through an integrated approach that both increases the supply of affordable housing and offers new solutions to support people in housing crisis. At its heart is the conversion of a disused former school building into energy-efficient social housing. In parallel, it will set up a Housing Office, which will identify households in rent arrears and energy poverty through an early warning mechanism, and test new support services. MEHI will be involved in identifying energy poor households and will be responsible for raising awareness of energy efficiency among tenants and landlords and developing the energy part of new support schemes. The project is supported by the European Urban Initiative and is described here.

European Climate Foundation (ECF) projects

•  In 2023-24, we looked at the role of banks and real estate agents in encouraging national renovation projects.
• In 2022-23, we launched a Winter Savings Campaign on low-cost measures that can deliver greater energy savings. The tips are collected on a dedicated MEHI subpage in Hungarian.
• In 2022, we carried out a project on energy poverty in Hungary in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Hungary, the final study of which explored the potential impact of the building energy elements of the Fit for 55 package of proposals on energy in buildings on energy poverty in Hungary and what good practices exist abroad to help affected households.
• Also in 2022, we started an international project on the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), which you can read more about on MEHI’s international activities page.
• In the framework of a grant project awarded in 2021, we carried out a study on systemic options for improving the energy efficiency of domestic buildings (energy efficiency as a first principle, financing, subsidy options, private capital, systemic barriers to renovation, evolution of the energy performance obligation system). MEHI’s website has also been relaunched as part of the project.

EPAH project

• MEHI is providing technical advice to the Mátraterenye municipality in its efforts to reduce energy poverty.

RenoHUb projekt

With the participation of five Hungarian consortium partners and under the professional leadership of MEHI, the RenoHUb project ran from 2019 to 2023, aiming to establish the scientific basis for the first Hungarian one-stop energy renovation consultancy office network, build its model, launch the website and open the first offices. Since 2023, after the end of the EU funding, MEHI has been working to ensure that the offices and website of the RenoPont Energy Home Renovation Centre continue to operate and develop. You can find more information on the RenoHUb or the RenoPont site at MEHI’s website.

Hungarian Renovation Wave

In 2021, the Hungarian Energy Efficiency Institute prepared a study on the energy modernisation potential of residential buildings in Hungary and an analysis of the impact of certain support instruments. The study is based on a representative residential survey, which examined the willingness of Hungarian homeowners to renovate and their sensitivity to the introduction of certain subsidy and incentive instruments.

Research carried out in the framework of the RenoHUb project

MEHI is the promoter and consortium member of the RenoHUb H2020 project. Within the project, MEHI has contributed to a number of gap-filling research projects:

• Research on the motivations and fears of Hungarian homeowners regarding energy efficiency renovations, factors facilitating and hindering the implementation of renovations, 2020 (download study from RenoHUb website)

• Review of domestic building typology and preparation of a building energy calculator, 2020 (download study from RenoHUb website)

• Impact of energy renovation on residential property values, 2021 (continue to download)

MEHI residential surveys

In 2016 and 2020, MEHI conducted a representative survey of the population: the research aimed to assess the market for residential energy efficiency products and to map consumer attitudes. The survey covered residential investments in the last five years and investment plans for the near future. The analysis also provided an estimate of the size of the market for the main elements of residential energy efficiency retrofit in Hungary and the level of investment intentions over the next 5 years.

Energy Efficiency Market Sentiment Reports

MEHI is working in partnership with the energy efficiency sector to increase the number of energy efficiency investments in Hungary. MEHI has been asking companies in the energy efficiency sector about their annual business performance and results since 2015.

MEHI believes that in cooperation with decision-makers, by adapting international best practices and by channelling the most important proposals of domestic energy efficiency stakeholders, a substantial change can be achieved in Hungary in the field of energy renovation and energy efficiency improvement of domestic residential buildings. To this end, MEHI prepares, at the request of decision-makers and civil society organisations, and in the framework of certain projects or independently, the opinion and analysis of current policy measures, plans and strategies, and prepares its own policy proposals and recommendations.

Every year MEHI organises small and large events: conferences, workshops and webinars on energy efficiency issues, which are highly appreciated and recognised by the industry. These events either cover a specific topic through presentations by representatives from a variety of fields (policy makers, academia, banking, manufacturers, municipalities, etc.) or present a recent MEHI research result.