Reaching a high performance of the building envelope for the EU building stock is essential in achieving the overall ambition of the Clean Energy package,  but it is  not sufficiently considered in the revision of the  Energy Efficiency Directive  (EED)  and  Energy  Performance  of  Buildings  Directive (EPBD)  proposals.  A  highly  performing  building envelope is often taken for granted,  but it necessitates a supportive policy framework to be able to bring its true contribution to consumers, business and government alike.

 

As  demonstrated  by  numerous  studies  and  the  European  Commission’s  own  impact  assessment (i.e.  EPBD  and Heating and Cooling), reaching a high performance building envelope:

 

→  Represents the highest cost-effective potential for CO2 mitigation in Europe, given that over three quarters of Europe’s buildings were built before energy performance requirements were installed;

→  Creates the expected growth and job creation in the construction sector;

→  Improves comfort and wellbeing of building occupants and rests at the heart of h ealthy buildings;

→  Alleviates EU citizens from energy poverty by reducing their energy need.

 

Our associations  represent EU manufacturers of  innovative  construction products and raw materials for the building envelope.  The  building  envelope  is  the  physical  separator  between  the  interior and  exterior  of  a  building. Components of the  envelope  are typically: walls, floors, roofs,  windows and doors.  We have come  together to call for a policy framework that truly up-scales speed and depth of renovation of buildings in the EU. We  draw  your attention  to  the improvements needed on three aspects of the  EPBD and EED.  These considerations must find a response in the future legislations for more specific measures to enable the building sector to contribute fully  to  the  energy and  climate  goals  of  the  European  Union  and  thereby  honour  its  commitment  to  the Paris Agreement.

 

 

 

→  In the EED Art 1 or Art 3: Complementing the Energy Efficiency target by a clear indication of the contribution expected from building renovation (based on the sectorial decomposition and/or on the renovation rate and depth assumptions in the EED Impact Assessment)

→  In the EPBD Art 2A: Requesting to express the 2030 milestones of the renovation strategies in final energy demand and to align it with the energy efficiency target (based on the sectorial decomposition in the EED impact assessment).

 

For the EU energy efficiency target to deliver its economic, environmental and societal benefits, it is important  to clarify  the  contribution  from  the  building  sector,  which should  be  expressed  in absolute  final  energy  demand . According to the EED impact assessment based on cost-effective potential, the lion’s share of energy savings to meet the  energy  efficiency  target  should  come  from an  increased  building  renovation  rate  and  depth   delivering  final energy  demand  reduction.  The potential  of buildings  was  already  identified  in  the  2012  EED.  Today’s  trajectory towards 2020 shows that the energy savings potential in buildings will not be realized despite the fact that the global energy efficiency target  will  be partly met  by the economic downturn.  It is therefore essential that the  future EU regulatory  framework  applicable  until  2030 and  beyond,  namely, the  EED  and the  EPBD,  secures  the  key contribution of building renovation.