Strasbourg, 19/05/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 19 May, Parliament approved revised draft directives in the energy performance of buildings and on the energy labelling of household appliances or products which have an effect on energy consumption. Both texts were agreed with the Council at the end of 2009. The coming into force of the Lisbon Treaty, however, meant that modifications were needed on adapting the legal basis and comitology arrangements.
The new buildings directive, which will replace directive 2002/91/EC, will require all buildings built after 1 January 2021 to be “zero energy”. Eurocodes (building standards) will require buildings to produce at least as much energy as they consume. The public sector will have to lead the way from 2019 by owning or renting only buildings which meet the required standards. Owners of existing buildings will be encouraged, when carrying out renovations, to install intelligent meters and to replace heating, hot water and air conditioning systems with high-efficiency alternatives such as heat pumps. Boilers and air conditioning units will have to be regularly inspected.
The new directive on energy labelling extends the scope of directive 92/75/EC, which is restricted simply to domestic appliances (fridges, freezers, washing machines, tumble driers, dish washers, ovens, etc.), to commercial and industrial energy-consuming products (cold storage rooms, display cabinets, industrial cooking appliances, vending machines and industrial motors) and to building products which have an effect on energy savings, such as windows, window frames and outside doors. The new system of labelling will help consumers better assess the operating costs (depending on the type of product, the label will also indicate water consumption, noise levels and heat production). The new energy labelling system will continue to be based on a graduated scale from “A” (environmentally friendly, green products) to “G”(poor energy performance, red products), but includes three additional classes, “A+”, “A++”, and “A+++” depending on technological progress. The energy classes of specific products (such as boilers, television sets, hi-fi systems, or games consoles) will be determined by a Commission working group. (E.H./transl.rt)