Press Release: ‘Revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2021: A New Era of Action’

The proposal for a revised Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) was launched on 15 December 2021 by the European Commission as the final piece of its ‘Fit for 55’ mosaic. EuroACE – Energy Efficient Buildings saw great potential in the proposal, as its new and revised elements, if ambitiously implemented, can have the power to transform the Renovation Wave from strategy to reality.

The introduction of new standards for energy efficient buildings is the centrepiece of the revised Directive. The approach proposed by the Commission, which sees all worst-performing buildings in the EU improve their energy performance by 2030 at the latest (or 2033 depending on the purpose of the building), is the starting point for a systemic change. According to Adrian Joyce, Secretary General of EuroACE: “Minimum Energy Performance Standards must be designed on a segment-by-segment basis requiring all buildings in a segment to become highly energy efficient and decarbonised by a fixed date in the future, and well before 2050.”

EuroACE welcomed the transformation of the Long-term Renovation Strategies into National Building Renovation Plans. As Céline Carré, acting President of EuroACE, said: “The National Building Renovation Plans are instrumental to deliver on the full decarbonisation of our building stock. With strengthened requirements and guided by the Energy Efficiency First Principle, they should help the entire value chain to deeply renovate our building stock, with progressive efficiency standards at their core.”

Enabling more and deeper energy renovations will also need a well-functioning Energy Performance Certificates framework, with a more prominent role for real-time data and digital solutions. As the incoming Vice-President of EuroACE, Bertrand Deprez, said: “Digital technologies improve efficiency through the entire lifecycle of a building, however their potential is still underestimated. The revised EPBD should benefit more from these solutions and create a more real data-oriented approach to improve the energy performance of our building stock.”