{"id":38824,"date":"2024-01-23T16:36:29","date_gmt":"2024-01-23T16:36:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsblogsnew.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=38824"},"modified":"2024-01-23T16:36:29","modified_gmt":"2024-01-23T16:36:29","slug":"ihbc-features-heritage-from-the-global-doorstep-european-commission-welcomes-agreement-on-new-rules-to-boost-energy-performance-of-eu-buildings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/?p=38824","title":{"rendered":"IHBC features \u2018Heritage from the Global doorstep\u2019: European Commission welcomes agreement on new rules to boost energy performance of EU buildings"},"content":{"rendered":"<section id=\"inline-nav-1\">\n<div class=\"ecl-paragraph-detail\">\n<h3><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-31568\" src=\"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/flats_houses_graphic_green-300x170.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"170\" \/>The European Commission has welcomed the provisional agreement in December 2023 between the European Parliament and the Council to reduce the emissions and energy use of buildings across the EU.<\/h3>\n<h6><em>image for illustration<\/em><\/h6>\n<h3><!--more--><\/h3>\n<h2 style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em><span style=\"color: #800080;\">\u2026 Member States are free to choose which buildings to target and which measures to take\u2026<\/span><\/em><\/h2>\n<p>The European Commission writes:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Better performing buildings to lower energy bills and cut emissions<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The revised Directive will set out a range of measures that will help EU governments boost structurally the energy performance of buildings, with a specific focus on the worst-performing buildings.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Each Member State will adopt its own\u00a0national trajectory\u00a0to reduce the average primary energy use of\u00a0residential buildings by 16% by 2030 and 20-22% by 2035,\u00a0allowing for sufficient flexibility to take into account national circumstances. Member States are free to choose which buildings to target and which measures to take.<\/li>\n<li>The national measures will have to ensure that\u00a0at least 55% of\u00a0the decrease of the average primary energy use is achieved through the renovation of the\u00a0worst-performing buildings.<\/li>\n<li>For the\u00a0non-residential building stock,\u00a0the revised rules require to gradually improve it via\u00a0minimum energy performance standards.\u00a0This will lead to\u00a0renovating the 16% worst-performing buildings by 2030\u00a0and the\u00a026% worst-performing buildings by 2033.<\/li>\n<li>Member States will have the possibility\u00a0to\u00a0exempt certain categories of residential and non-residential buildings from these obligations, including historical buildings or holiday homes.<\/li>\n<li>Improved\u00a0Energy Performance Certificates\u00a0(EPCs) will be based on a common EU template with common criteria, to better inform citizens and make financing decisions across the EU easier.<\/li>\n<li>To fight\u00a0energy poverty and bring down energy bills,\u00a0financing\u00a0measures will have to incentivise and accompany renovations and be targeted in particular at\u00a0vulnerable customers\u00a0and worst-performing buildings, in which a higher share of energy-poor households live.<\/li>\n<li>Member States will also have to ensure that there are\u00a0safeguards for tenants, to help tackle the risk of eviction of vulnerable households caused by disproportionate rent increases following a renovation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Triggering a Renovation Wave<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The revised EPBD contains measures to improve both the strategic planning of renovations and the tools to ensure such renovations will happen. Under the agreed provisions, Member States will:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>establish\u00a0national Building Renovation Plans\u00a0to set out the national strategy to decarbonise the building stock and how to address remaining barriers,\u00a0such as financing, training and attracting more skilled workers.<\/li>\n<li>set up national\u00a0building renovation passport schemes\u00a0to guide building owners in their staged renovations towards zero-emission buildings.<\/li>\n<li>establish\u00a0one-stop-shops\u00a0for home-owners, SMEs, and all actors in the renovation value chain, to receive dedicated and independent support and guidance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In addition, the deal will help the EU to\u00a0phase-out, in a gradual manner, boilers powered by fossil fuels.\u00a0Subsidies for the installation of stand-alone boilers powered by fossil fuels will not be allowed as of 1 January 2025. The revised directive introduces a clear legal basis for Member States to set requirements for heat generators based on greenhouse gas emissions, the type of fuel used, or the minimum share of renewable energy used for heating. Member States will also have to set out specific measures on the\u00a0phase-out of fossil fuels in heating and cooling\u00a0with a view to a complete phase-out of boilers powered by fossil fuels by 2040.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Boosting sustainable mobility<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The deal will also boost the\u00a0take-up of\u00a0sustainable mobility\u00a0thanks to provisions on pre-cabling,\u00a0recharging points for electric vehicles\u00a0and\u00a0bicycle parking spaces. Pre-cabling will become the norm for new and renovated buildings, thus facilitating access to recharging infrastructure and contributing to the EU&#8217;s climate ambition. In addition, there will be strengthened requirements on the number of recharging points in both residential and non-residential buildings.\u00a0Member States will also have to remove barriers to the installation of recharging points, to ensure that the \u2018right to plug&#8217; becomes a reality. Overall, recharging points will have to enable smart charging and, where appropriate, bi-directional charging. Finally, the provisions will ensure that there are\u00a0sufficient parking spaces for bicycles, including cargo bikes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>A zero emissions standard for new buildings<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The revised directive will make zero-emission buildings\u00a0the new standard for new buildings.\u00a0Under the agreement all new residential and non-residential buildings must have zero on-site emissions from fossil fuels, as of 1 January 2028 for publicly-owned buildings and as of 1 January 2030 for all other new buildings, with a possibility for specific exemptions.<\/p>\n<p>Member States will also have to ensure that new buildings are\u00a0solar-ready, meaning that they have to be fit to host rooftop photovoltaic or solar thermal installations. Installing\u00a0solar energy installations\u00a0will become the norm for new buildings. For existing public and non-residential buildings solar will need to be gradually installed, starting from 2027, where this is technically, economically and functionally feasible. Such provisions will come into force at different points in time depending on the building type and size.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Next steps<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Today&#8217;s provisional agreement now requires formal adoption by the European Parliament and the Council. Once this process is completed, the new legislation will be published in the Official Journal of the Union and enter into force.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/commission\/presscorner\/detail\/en\/ip_23_6423\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read more&#8230;.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The European Commission has welcomed the provisional agreement in December 2023 between the European Parliament and the Council to reduce the emissions and energy use of buildings across the EU. image for illustration<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ihbc-newsblog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=38824"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38824\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38825,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38824\/revisions\/38825"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=38824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=38824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsblogs.ihbc.org.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=38824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}