The European Commission would like to set a target for Member States to ensure that all new buildings are ‘zero-emission’ from 1 January 2030, according to a preliminary version of the proposal for the revision of the EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (2018/844).
Member States should also ensure that all new public buildings are ‘zero-emission’ from 1 January 2027, the preliminary draft says.
The Commission defines a ‘zero-emission building’ as a building with a very high energy performance, where the very small amount of energy still needed is entirely covered by renewable energy produced on site.
National action plans for renovation
According to the preliminary document, the Commission also intends to require Member States to draw up national action plans for the renovation of buildings, which will have to be submitted to the institution by 1 January 2026 and every five years thereafter. These would be preceded by draft action plans to be submitted to the Commission for evaluation by 1 January 2025 (and every five years thereafter).
These plans should include an overview of the national building stock and information on a number of elements such as the annual rate of energy renovation, the primary and final energy consumption of the national building stock, the operational greenhouse gas emissions of the building sector, the energy performance of buildings based on energy performance certificates, and the identification of the share of worst-performing buildings.
They should also include a roadmap with national targets for 2030, 2040 and 2050 for the expected share of renovated buildings, the primary and final energy consumption of the national building stock and its operational greenhouse gas emissions in order to “ensure a highly energy efficient and decarbonised national building stock”.
The roadmap would also include measurable progress indicators: expected energy savings, estimated benefits for health, employment, air quality, etc.; estimated contribution to the EU’s climate, energy efficiency, and renewable energy targets.
The national action plans should also outline the policies and measures implemented and planned in relation to such elements as setting national minimum energy performance standards, reducing energy poverty, increasing the share of renewable energy in buildings, and phasing out fossil fuels for heating and cooling.
Minimum energy performance standards
According to the preliminary draft, each Member State would be required to establish minimum energy performance standards leading to the renovation of existing buildings.
These would apply from 2027 at the latest, with the aim that by 2035 (the date is in square brackets and could therefore be changed) the entire national building stock would be covered by minimum energy performance standards.
Member States would be obliged to review them at regular intervals (not exceeding five years) and, if necessary, update them.
Renovation passport
By 31 December 2024 at the latest, Member States will need to introduce a renovation passport system based on a common framework established by the revised EPBD.
Issued by a qualified expert after an on-site visit, this passport would include a renovation roadmap to transform a building into a zero-emission building by 2050. It would indicate the expected benefits in terms of energy savings, savings on energy bills and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, as well as wider health and comfort benefits and information on the possibilities for financial and technical support.
Energy performance certificate
Member States should also ensure that an energy performance certificate for buildings is issued for constructed buildings that are sold or rented to a new tenant or when a rental contract is renewed, and for all public buildings.
The certificate, which would be valid for no more than five years, should specify the energy performance class of the building, using a scale from A to G. The letter A corresponds to zero-emission buildings and the letter G corresponds to the 15 or 20% (the Commission has not yet decided between the two options) of the least efficient buildings in the national building stock, the preliminary draft says.
The Commission would also like to see the life-cycle global warming potential (GWP) of the building included in the certificate, from 1 January 2030 for all new buildings and from 1 January 2027 for all new buildings with a habitable surface area of more than 2,000 square metres.
No date for the elimination of fossil fuel boilers
The preliminary draft also includes obligations for the provision of sustainable mobility infrastructure during renovation, depending on the number of parking spaces.
It also stipulates that “Member States shall not provide any financial incentives for the installation of fossil fuel boilers”, but does not set a date for the elimination of such boilers.
The official presentation of the proposal to revise the EPBD is scheduled for 14 December.
See the preliminary draft: https://bit.ly/3HSQiJY (Original version in French by Damien Genicot)