Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD)
Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (Directive 2010/31/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 May 2010 on the energy performance of buildings - EPBD) was partly designed to meet the 20 % indicative target for energy efficiency improvements under the 2020 climate and energy package.
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12 April 2024 The Council formally adopted a revised directive on the energy performance of buildings
12 March 2024
7 December 2023
25 October 2022 ‘Fit for 55’: Council agrees on stricter rules for energy performance of buildings
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Provisions of the EPBD:
- include the requirement for Member States to develop energy performance certificates to be included in all advertisements for the sale or rental of buildings,
- establish inspection schemes for heating and air-conditioning systems (or put in place measures with equivalent effect),
- set minimum energy performance requirements for new buildings, for the major renovation of buildings and for the replacement or retrofit of building elements; and
- draw up lists of national financial measures to improve the energy efficiency of buildings.
EPBD will continue to apply in the decade 2020 - 2030.
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Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2010/31/EU on the energy performance of buildings, COM/2016/0765 final - 2016/0381 (COD)
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Electro-mobility requirements of the Winter Energy Package of November 2016
requirement to introduce recharging points for electric vehicles in the parking spaces of new buildings
On 30 November 2016, the European Commission adopted a ‘Clean energy for all Europeans’ package (known also as the ‘Winter Energy Package’), consisting of eight legislative proposals and other actions to help the EU meet its 2030 energy and climate goals.
The above package included also the Commission proposal for a targeted revision of the EPBD (Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2010/31/EU on the energy performance of buildings, COM/2016/0765 final - 2016/0381 (COD)).
The said proposal maintains the key features of the existing EPBD, nevertheless, it:
- modernises and streamlines some requirements,
- introduces binding obligations on electro-mobility requirements in buildings,
- introduces a ‘smartness indicator’ that assesses the technological capability of buildings in energy self-production and consumption, and
- sets clearer requirements for national databases on energy performance certificates.
The revised framework included the obligation that all new buildings must be nearly zero-energy buildings by 2021 (‘nZEB’). An obligation is introduced to provide documentation on the overall energy performance after any technical building systems are installed, replaced or upgraded. More cumbersome and less crucial obligations under the existing EPBD were removed.
LinksDirective (EU) 2018/844 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 amending Directive 2010/31/EU on the energy performance of buildings and Directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency has been published in the EU Official Journal (L156) on 19 June 2018 with the date of entry into force on 9 July 2018.
The final text of the Directive, however, supports the rollout of the infrastructure for e-mobility in all buildings to a lesser extent than in the Commission's proposal.EU countries have to transpose the new elements of the Directive into national law within 20 months.
Policies for the energy performance of buildings under the European Green Deal
According to the European Commission Communication of 17 September 2020 (Stepping up Europe’s 2030 climate ambition Investing in a climate-neutral future for the benefit of our people, COM/2020/562 final) a rigorous enforcement of existing legislation on energy efficiency is necessary but insufficient to reach the increased climate target - energy efficiency improvements will need to be significantly stepped up to around 36% in terms of final energy consumption.
Most savings would need to come from buildings - the forthcoming Renovation Wave will therefore launch a set of actions to increase the depth and the rate of renovations at single building and at district level, switch fuels towards renewable heating solutions, diffuse the most efficient products and appliances, uptake smart systems and building-related infrastructure for charging e-vehicles, and improve the building envelope (insulation and windows).
Action will be taken not only to better enforce the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, but also to identify any need for targeted revisions.
Building on the existing framework and the long-term renovation strategies, other measures will be identified to remove the main barriers to building renovation and reinforce the pull factors for faster and deeper renovations.
The Renovation Wave will address the necessary elements to achieve and sustain higher renovation rates, including regulatory strengthening.
It will foresee adequate financial instruments, for instance to facilitate de-risking and incentivising the measurement of actual energy savings, and other facilitating measures, such as fostering training in the required skills. Indicative milestones for 2030, 2040 and 2050 and with measurable progress indicators will be set up.
On 15 December 2021 the European Commission published the Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the energy performance of buildings (recast).