Op-ed: Ensuring the Renovation Wave does not become a ripple

By Julie Kjestrup, EuroACE President, and Adrian Joyce, EuroACE Secretary General.

If there is one thing most of us have learned first-hand in 2020, it is the importance of a good home. And ‘home’ is more than just the building we live in: it is our districts, our cities, our countries, the entire European Union. And it’s all due a big renovation.

Most of Europe’s existing building stock is not energy efficient, and 94% of the buildings will still be standing by 2050. Buildings are responsible for about 40% of total energy consumption and 36% of carbon emissions in the EU, and the current renovation rate is less than 1% per year. The challenge is clear: we must significantly increase the quantity and quality of renovations, now.

There is much to like in the Commission’s new Renovation Wave proposal, starting with the proposed 20-fold increase in public buildings that fall under the scope of Article 5 of the Energy Efficiency Directive.