On Friday 12 April, the ECOFIN, the Economic and Financial Affairs Council, approved the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). ECOFIN’s decision was the final step towards the approval of the directive, which originates from a proposal made by the European Commission in December 2021, later discussed and…
On Friday 12 April, the ECOFIN, the Economic and Financial Affairs Council, approved the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).
ECOFIN’s decision was the final step towards the approval of the directive, which originates from a proposal made by the European Commission in December 2021, later discussed and amended by the European Parliament and the European Council.
The directive, which is part of the Green Deal, has two main objectives. The first is to substantially reduce the energy consumption and pollutant gas emissions of houses and buildings by 2035. The second is to produce no pollutant emissions by 2050. The directive provides different indications for the treatment of residential buildings – those inhabited by people – and non-residential buildings – i.e. those intended for offices or commercial activities.
Actions for residential and non-residential buildings
For existing residential buildings, each EU member state will have to commit itself to reducing average energy consumption by 16 percent overall by 2030, and by at least 20 percent by 2035.
As per non-residential buildings, the directive envisages that by 2030 16 percent of them will be renovated, and by 2033 26 percent. These renovations will have to ensure that the renovated buildings meet new minimum energy performance standards. Each country will have to introduce in the meantime and thus will have to improve the energy category with which buildings are classified.
For new buildings (both residential and non-residential) the directive stipulates that they must be ‘zero-emission’ from 1 January 2028 for publicly owned buildings, and from 1 January 2030 for privately owned buildings. By a “zero-emission building”, the directive means a building with a very high energy performance, which consumes a very low amount of energy entirely from renewable sources, present in the building itself or the neighbourhood or neighbourhood.
REN+HOMES improves housing’s energy performance
Within this European action plan, research and innovations play a crucial role in testing and convalidating new standards. The EU funds projects and initiatives that develop and test technologies to improve housing’s energy efficiency and reduce energy consumption. REN+HOMES is one of these projects. Geothermal walls, energy storage systems, and monitoring tools are just some of the many options that will help meet the Directive’s requirements.
Click here to discover more about REN+HOMES technologies.
Picture: Guillaume Périgois on Unsplash