Press Release: EPBD General Approach – Not yet walking the talk
The European Council adopted its General Approach on the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) on 25 October 2022. While negotiators maintained essential elements of the Commission proposal, it failed to match the ambition level needed to answer the energy crisis and put the EU on a path to achieve its energy and climate goals.
The energy price crisis highlights the rising costs of Europe’s energy dependency and poor building energy performance. Buildings account for 40% of our energy consumption, and energy renovations are one of the best solutions to durably shelter citizens and businesses from price hikes.
According to Adrian Joyce, Secretary General of EuroACE: “Higher energy efficiency and renewable energy targets alone are not enough – they must be supported by a strong EPBD revision to oblige action in the buildings sector. Ambitious structural measures must be in place when short term relief measures are phased out.”
EuroACE welcomed the Czech Presidency’s determination to move forward and its efforts to maintain Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for all segments of the building stock. However, the Council’s General Approach is less ambitious than the original Commission proposal. Regarding MEPS – the cornerstone of the proposal – it fails to set clear benchmarks and introduces several exemptions reducing ambition. It also weakens provisions harmonising Energy Performance Certificates and improving indoor environmental quality in all building types.
“This is where we in EuroACE see room to go back to the drawing board during the upcoming European Parliament discussions and trilogues and design a renovation path that answers today’s energy security and climate imperatives. A path that will help EU citizens stay warm in winter and keep bills under control,” said Céline Carré, President of EuroACE and Head of Public Affairs at Saint-Gobain.
“We cannot hope to overcome the tidal wave of the current energy crisis merely by standing still in its wake. We must, instead, move forward boldly, and at least maintain the level of ambition that the European Commission showed with its initial proposals. This includes technical elements such as the adoption of the Smart Readiness Indicator, the introduction of digital building logbooks and building automation and control systems in non-residential buildings,” said Bertrand Deprez, Vice-President of EuroACE and Head of EU Government Affairs at Schneider Electric.
