The recast Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD, 2010/31/EU) requires Member States to introduce minimum energy performance requirements for buildings, building elements and technical building systems and set these requirements based on a cost-optimal methodology. This methodology introduces - for the very first time - the prerequisite to consider the global lifetime costs of buildings to shape their future energy performance requirements. Thus, the evaluation of buildings’ requirements will no longer be related only to the investment costs, but will additionally take into account the operational, maintenance, disposal and energy saving costs of buildings, the assessment being then more consistent and sustainable.
Convinced that Member States would benefit from additional guidance on the cost-optimality process and on how to use the methodology relating to nearly Zero-Energy Buildings (nZEB) requirements and long-term climate goals, BPIE intends to provide with this report additional practical examples on how to effectively implement the cost-optimal methodology at national level. The main goal is to evaluate the implications of different critical parameters, as well as to share the good practices across EU countries. Three case studies are delivered with the support of consultants from Austria (e-sieben), Germany (IWU) and Poland (BuildDesk), focusing on cost-optimal calculations for multi-family and / or single-family buildings. The report and case studies demonstrate how ambitious yet affordable cost-optimal energy performance requirements for buildings can be defined and how the transition towards nearly Zero-Energy Buildings (nZEBs) can be supported.
BPIE has produced a guide to develop renovation strategies which will help the EU Member States develop the first version of their renovation strategies to be published by April 30th 2014.
Deep renovations are specifically encouraged by the Energy Efficiency Directive (EED, 2012/27/EU) through the requirement for Member States to establish long term strategies for the renovation of national building stocks covering all building types, including residential and non-residential buildings, whether in private, public or mixed ownership.
This guide is a template that can be used for strategy development, setting out the multiple benefits arising from improving the energy performance of buildings. It highlights the existence of numerous challenges to the achievement of the potential benefits. It argues for Member States to be visionary in setting out a long term strategy for building stock renovation: it is vital that national renovation strategies are ambitious in their scope and coverage, and that they take full advantage of the state of the art, in terms of technology, policy and institutional arrangements. The strategy development process is described in details, including a description of the five key phases and a suggested list of actions MS could take to underpin the strategy.
In its World Energy Outlook 2012 (WEO), launched in Brussels on 20th November, the International Energy Agency (IEA) underlines the unexploited potential of energy efficiency in terms of economic gains, energy security improvements and environmental protection.
The multiple benefits of energy efficiency could be achieved if the currently available technologies and practices to improve energy efficiency were systematically adopted, leading to “energy savings, by 2035, equivalent to nearly a fifth of global demand in 2010”, according to IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven. “Energy efficiency is just as important as unconstrained energy supply” she explained. Referring to the buildings sector, the WEO deplores the fact that 80% of the economic potential of energy efficiency in buildings remains untapped, largely due to non-technical barriers.
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Investing in building renovation could accrue up to €175 billion per year for public finances with an additional “one-off” boost to GDP in the range of €153 to €291 billion for the years up to and including 2017. This is according to a new report prepared by Copenhagen Economics for the Renovate Europe Campaign
EEIF, May 2012
There are many European businesses directly engaged in supplying products, materials, support structures and services which deliver energy efficiency and energy savings improvements to customers. Their markets range from local to global.
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Following a high-level Workshop on 22nd March 2012 in Brussels where key experts came together to tackle the issue of financing energy efficiency, the Renovate Europe Campaign has issued a series of recommendations. The key outcomes put forth integrate input from the European Investment Bank and a KfW representative as well as private sector actors. The Renovate Europe Campaign acknowledges the proven macro-economic benefits of investments in energy efficiency on economic growth.
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EuroACE was one of the sponsors of this important report on the quantum of buildings in Europe, their energy performance and regulatory measures in force. It also contains scenarios that demonstrate the financial and societal costs and benefits of various pathways for the renovation of Europe’s building stock up to 2050.
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EuroACE has released a working paper on the existing financial and fiscal incentive programmes for sustainable energy in buildings in the different EU Member States. The survey reflects the wide-range of measures that can be deployed to incentivise energy efficiency investment in buildings, as well as the great potential for information exchange and sharing of best practice within the EU.
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This study, initiated by EuroACE, concludes that moving towards a very low energy level for new buildings at a faster pace will transform the renovation market by raising overall standards.The survey used data collected from five Member States (Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom) to calculate the savings potential of their current plans to move towards very low energy in new constructions.
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The results of the survey initiated by the European Alliance of Companies for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (EuroACE) demonstrate that the time is ripe for the European Commission to introduce mandatory requirements for EU Member States to establish a political timetable to make very low energy homes the default standard.
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A non-profit, membership-based European NGO to stimulate energy efficiency
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