The energy intensity of city living can be cut by efficiency requirements for buildings and by combined heat and power. In terms of the impact that individuals have on the climate, cities offer some positive features. Compact designs keep travel distances short, share heat between more people, and concentrate electricity usage. But the potential for improvement in the way cities use and distribute energy is still huge. One way to cut the energy impact is to reduce the energy intensity of buildings. Buildings account for 40% of EU final energy use and 36% of greenhouse-gas emissions because of their needs for heating, cooling and electricity. In 2010, the EU updated its 2002 rules on the energy performance of EU buildings with a requirement for all buildings constructed after 2020 to consume “near-zero-energy”. Any energy that is used should come from renewable sources generated “either on-site or nearby”. But MEPs failed in a bid to force member states to go further, with an obligation to upgrade existing buildings too. A proposal for minimum national efficiency standards to apply to any refurbishment of a building of more than 1,000 square metres was also rejected by member states. The European Environmental Bureau (EEB), a campaign group, called the agreement a missed opportunity, given that a 2020 deadline is too late to contribute toward meeting 2020 emission-reduction targets. EuroACE has called for the adoption of a renovation roadmap to encourage more energy-efficient renovation. “The potential of Europe’s buildings has been neglected when it comes to economic growth,” says Adrian Joyce, director of the Renovate Europe campaign. “But all the evidence shows the huge impact that deep renovation can have in Europe: up to 1.1 million direct new jobs, and savings of 32% in total primary energy.”