Continuation of the Building Sector Dialogue 2

The "Residential" Transformation Partnership

The "Residential" Transformation Partnership is taking institutional shape alongside the sharpening of its thematic priorities. The stated goal is to provide impulses that impact the systemic and structural levels, prioritizing the integration and significance of financing aspects. It is not intended to compete with the multitude of existing, technically-oriented initiatives in the field of heat transition or the building sector. Instead, the partnership sees its role in developing concrete, actionable impulses which the participants actively and constructively bring to the attention of government departments and political coordinators for implementation. The overarching perspectives—spanning banking and finance, the housing industry, building technology, and municipal grid infrastructure—create the depth and coordination space necessary for previously uncoordinated processes, such as data accessibility.

Urgently Required Priorities

This third exchange was influenced by the recently presented cornerstones for the redrafting of the Building Modernization Act. The significant uncertainties, contradictions, and gaps remaining at this stage were addressed during the discussion.

Participants discussed four specific priority areas for the initial work phase leading up to the 2026 summer break. These priorities were confirmed during the workshop and are now being translated into concrete deliverables. They include:

• Impulses for a reliable and comprehensive implementation roadmap.

• The central importance of affordability and the provision of financing for both private individuals and housing companies.

• A specific focus on data management, providing guidance based on existing experience and implementation projects within this highly dynamic environment.

These priorities are now being developed by working groups into constructive, goal-oriented proposals offered for more intensive cooperation with policymakers and other stakeholders. Questions regarding the importance of financing will be integrated into the implementation roadmap, with a particular focus on the cost-efficiency of decarbonization—without compromising on ambition levels. Given the current market and cost situation, a well-founded look at building value preservation and infrastructure value management is advised, for instance, to reduce the underutilized parallel operation of grids.

Concrete Results for Constructive Cooperation

Workshops and intensive collaboration will produce results in two specific work streams by the end of May. Existing studies and analyses serve as a robust foundation for this work. Practical experience—specifically regarding cost-efficiency, the impact of existing regulations on data gaps, and financing contradictions—will be explicitly added to emphasize and strengthen the relevance of the implementation.

This collaboration remains open to further interested parties. We will also actively reach out to additional stakeholders, such as housing companies, data collection firms, technical trades, and financial institutions.