GEN – 1210.00. On 22 February 2021, the European Commission published its inception impact assessment. It outlines three options that would support the Renovation Wave and contribute to the EU’s 2030 and 2050 climate and energy objectives.

Consultation

As mentioned in GEN – 1209.00, the European Commission is looking for input on its Roadmap/Inception Impact Assessment by 22 March 2021.

The revision of the EPBD is considered necessary to support the Renovation Wave that aims at increasing the annual energy renovation rate of buildings by 2030. The revision will focus on provisions that are central to delivering a Renovation Wave and that contribute to emission reduction.

Options in the Roadmap/Inception Impact Assessment by 22 March 2021

Option 1 – No policy change (baseline scenario)

The EPBD remains as it is, without any modification until the review envisaged for 2026 by Article 19 EPBD. The Commission follows the usual procedures to ensure the complete and correct transposition of the EPBD by Member States.

Option 2 – Non-regulatory measures

Reinforced non-regulatory policy instruments and additional guidance and support measures, such as technical assistance, information campaigns, training, project financing etc. can lead to increased energy renovation rates.

Option 3 – Amend the EPBD to translate the actions proposed in the Renovation Wave and the increased ambition towards building decarbonisation into legislation

The revision of several provisions of the EPBD will be explored, examining the required scope of the revision. Several sub-options with different measures with different ambition levels will be assessed.

The phased introduction of mandatory minimum energy performance standards for different types of buildings (public and private, non-residential and residential) will be a central part of the EPBD revision. Different options for the type, scope, timeline and phasing in of such standards and the level of flexibility for Member States will be assessed. When phasing in such standards, one option could be to start with stricter requirements for specific types of buildings, such as public buildings or office buildings, and to extend progressively the requirements to other buildings. The conditions under which minimum energy performance standards should apply to residential buildings, for example change of ownership or rental, are also subject to assessment. In this context, the need for accompanying support policies to ensure affordability of housing will also be examined.

Another part of the revision is an update of the framework for Energy Performance Certificates with a view to increasing their quality and availability, for example through greater harmonisation, the inclusion of additional information and more stringent provisions on availability and accessibility of databases.

Other measures that will be considered include the introduction of Building Renovation Passports and the introduction of a ‘deep renovation’ standard in the context of financing and building decarbonisation objectives.

The requirements for new buildings and measures fostering sustainable mobility might also need to be updated in line with the enhanced climate ambition of the European Green Deal and the Climate Target Plan 2030, developing a new vision for buildings.

Addressing resource efficiency and circularity principles in order to reduce whole lifecycle emissions, digitalisation, climate resilience and health and environmental standards also requires consideration.

Timing and next steps

• The Roadmap is open for comments until 22 March.
• A 12-week public consultation would be launched in Q2 2021.
• Targeted public workshops on specific topics would be organised with relevant stakeholder groups.
• Adoption of Commission proposal – envisage by the end of 2021.

Recommended actions

Eurovent will prepare its response to the Roadmap. Both associations and manufacturers are encouraged to respond too to the roadmap. In addition to the climate and energy objectives of the Commission it may make sense to introduce and stress the importance of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), especially now that most people in Europe have been confined to their homes as a result of the pandemic.

It should be remembered that EPBD is a directive that must be transposed by the Member States and does not necessarily lead to uniform implementations.

Eurovent will also prepare its response to the Roadmap.

Related documents and links

All related documents and articles can be found in the respective sections in the right sidebar.

• GEN – 1210.01 – EPBD Inception Impact Assessment (4 pages)
• EPBD Roadmap: https://ec.europa.eu/info/law/better-regulation/have-your-say/initiatives/12910-Revision-of-the-Energy-Performance-of-Buildings-Directive-2010-31-EU
• Renovation wave: https://ec.europa.eu/energy/topics/energy-efficiency/energy-efficient-buildings/renovation-wave_en
• EPBD website: https://ec.europa.eu/energy/topics/energy-efficiency/energy-efficient-buildings/energy-performance-buildings-directive_en
• Renovation wave: https://ec.europa.eu/energy/topics/energy-efficiency/energy-efficient-buildings/renovation-wave_en
• GEN – 1203.00 – National Recovery and Resilience Plans
• GEN – 1180.00 – EU Recovery and Resilience Facility update
• GEN – 1170.00 – Renovation wave strategy
• GEN – 1168.00 – EU Recovery and Resilience Facility
• GEN – 1162.00 – Review of EU Member States’ Long Term Renovation Strategies