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Industry leaders call on the European Commission to strengthen the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive
The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of FORESIGHT Climate & Energy
Dear President von der Leyen,
We, business leaders of European frontrunners on energy efficiency in buildings, support the swift adoption of an ambitious Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD).
While necessary short-term energy savings have been the Commission’s focus last year, structural measures should be adopted by the end of the mandate to reinforce Europe’s industrial competitiveness through energy efficiency in buildings.
Buildings represent over one-third of our GHG emissions—and it is vital the Green Deal’s last cornerstone adequately reflects the importance of this sector towards meeting climate goals.
Beyond this, efficient buildings and energy renovations exemplify the green transition’s objectives: they create local jobs, shelter European citizens and businesses from high energy prices and improve overall living conditions.
Speed is of the essence but the EPBD’s ambition should not be sacrificed in the name of a quick deal. We count on the European Commission to stand strong and defend this important piece of legislation.
This Directive can become the EU’s industrial policy for the construction and energy efficiency sector.
We particularly support:
Europe cannot afford to lose another decade when it comes to energy efficiency in buildings. The EPBD can unlock the full benefits smart and efficient buildings provide. Our industry is ready to deliver.
List of signatories:
If you have a thoughtful response to the opinions expressed here or if you have an idea for a thought leadership article regarding an aspect of the global energy transition, please send a short pitch of 200 words outlining your thoughts and credentials to: opinion@foresightdk.com.
Energy efficiency becomes even more important as we shift to a renewables-based economy, says Rasmus Abildgaard Kristensen from Danfoss
Achieving a much deeper and increased building renovation rate is crucial to achieving the EU’s decarbonisation objective, says Mike Stenson of Kingspan, a building materials company
As we approach autumn, Europe stands on the brink of a decisive moment with the negotiations on the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive gaining speed. Amidst this backdrop, Europe's commitment to putting energy efficiency first is paramount, says Luigi Petito at the European Alliance to Save Energy
Europe’s built environment is the single largest consumer of energy. It is also one of the largest emitters of carbon dioxide. But while the building stock’s carbon footprint may be big, it also has a superpower that can be unlocked using energy-efficient renovations, says David Ducarme from Knauf Insulation
The available evidence makes a compelling case for energy efficiency: it is essential to reaching Net Zero, proven technology is widely available, and it can greatly reduce a business’s operating expenditure. However, progress is still quite uneven. It is time for action, says Tarak Mehta from ABB Motion
Switching all conventional light points to LEDs is one of the easiest, quickest and most cost-effective ways of reducing energy consumption, says Alice Steenland from Signify
To make district heating happen we need to implement local heat planning, build societal trust and update regulatory frameworks. Without these, the switch to clean heat will be more costly and important system benefits could fail to materialise, warns Sem Oxenaar from the Regulatory Assistance Project
Europe has a leaky buildings problem. Work is underway to update the rules that govern efficiency standards, but politicisation and misinformation risk undermining their foundations. Adrian Joyce of the Renovate Europe campaign shares his concerns and also his hopes for the sector
Once combined and electrified, the millions of homes everywhere could provide substantial flexibility capacity to support grid operators integrate increasing levels of green electricity
The European Commission’s Renovation Wave strategy will bring added momentum to the pandemic recovery along with much-needed new standards, and some clarity on financing. On REDay2020, Adrian Joyce from the European Alliance of Companies for Energy Efficiency (EuroACE) says the real work to improve the efficiency of Europe’s building stock starts now
Fulfilling the Paris Agreement’s climate-neutrality commitments by 2050 demands significant efforts from the building sector. All actors from across the entire buildings value chain need to increase decarbonisation efforts, say Caroline Milne and Zsolt Toth from the Buildings Performance Institute Europe
Thousands of buildings across Europe will need to be renovated on an unprecedented scale if climate and greenhouse gas reduction targets are to be met. Lawmakers’ minds are turning to how best to undertake the Herculean task
A second batch of legislative proposals under the European Union’s Fit-for-55% climate package can complement and confirm the bloc’s climate ambition, say Lucie Mattera and Elisa Giannelli from E3G
The European Union wants to reduce reliance on Russian energy imports. For this to work, a pan-EU Taskforce with the sole purpose of improving energy efficiency in buildings must be established, says Adrian Joyce of Renovate Europe
The European Union’s “Energy Efficiency First Principle” was designed to maximise the potential of energy sources and increase investor appetite but it has struggled to jump from principle to practice. But new rules and a shift in geopolitics look set to propel the efficiency maxim to top billing
Two of the European Union’s (EU) main energy laws are in the process of being updated. Despite the fundamental role they play in decarbonisation efforts, the rules have so far failed to live up to climate expectations. This is set to change
In this first episode of Policy Dispatch, we take a deep dive into buildings and the need to accelerate their decarbonisation, with Member of the European Parliament Ciarán Cuffe
Europe’s search for alternative gas supplies fails to recognise what this energy crisis really is: a fossil fuels crisis. Investing in costly, stranded fossil-fuel assets is the exact opposite of our way out of the multifaceted emergency we are in, says Eva Brardinelli at Climate Action Network Europe (CAN Europe)
A sustainable and resilient energy system must incentivise a strong role for demand-side flexibility solutions, says Bertrand Deprez from Schneider Electric
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