Brussels – The European Commission has released a new package of measures designed to keep the European Union competitive as the clean energy transition is changes global energy markets. Within the package, the Commission is pushing for a binding 30% improvement in energy efficiency, and has proposed a number of measures for achieving this.
For instance, in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) the Commission proposed changes to speed up energy-efficient renovation in the EU from the current, annual 0.4-1.2% rate. The EPBD proposal requires member states to produce a strategy on how to decarbonise their housing stock by 2050, with interim goals by 2030, calls for introduction of a smartness indicator rating the readiness of a building to adapt to the needs of the occupant and the grid and to improve its performance, and building automation and energy monitoring systems as an alternative to inspections. The EPBD also aims to boost electric vehicle uptake by requiring the installation of recharging points at buildings with more than 10 parking spaces.
Relevant measures are also tabled in the Communication on accelerating clean energy in buildings that addresses the issue of skills in the construction sector, and emphasizes the importance of smart financing for smart buildings which sets out the European Commission’s intentions to:
- Ensure more efficient use of public funding, through developing financing models, platforms and templates
- Support aggregation and provide assistance for project development
- Improve understanding of the risks and benefits of energy efficiency investments, through launching the De-risking Energy Efficiency Platform (DEEP), the largest pan-EU, open-source evidence-base for energy efficiency investments performance monitoring and benchmarking, with +7800 industrial and building-related energy efficiency projects.