The updated Buildings Directive
By
Miriam Eisermann on 1 July 2010
The reviewed Directive on the Energy Performance of Buildings (EPBD) has been published this month! Energy Cities, who published an opinion paper last year including its experiences from the Display Campaign, welcomes that the recast acknowledges the leading and exemplary role of the public sector in the field of energy performance. The new document is framed by new considerations on the relation between the building sector and the EU objective to reduce energy consumption by 20 % by 2020.
The 31 articles of the recast (17 in the original Directive) give new provisions such as national plans for increasing the number of nearly zero-energy buildings and independent control systems for energy performance certificates and inspection reports. The cost-effective approach is highlighted by article 5: “Calculation of cost-optimal levels of minimum energy performance requirements”, and Article 10 “Financial incentives and market barriers”.
To the public authorities it should be of interest that the recast includes the following recommendations for national plans:
- Set more ambitious targets for public buildings,
- Provide measures to support public authorities to implement the recommendations included in the energy performance certificate as soon as feasible.
- Consult and involve local authorities on planning issues, the development of programmes to provide information, training and awareness-raising, and on the implementation of this Directive at national or regional level.
- Article 9, “Nearly zero-energy buildings”, says that “after 31 December 2018, new buildings occupied and owned by public authorities are nearly zero-energy buildings”.
- Article 13 confirms 500m2 as the minimum area that a public visited building should have to publicly display its energy performance certificate and that this value will be reduced to 250m2 from 9th July, 2015.
- Article 11 recalls that the Commission shall: “…by 2011, in consultation with the relevant sectors, adopt a voluntary common European Union certification scheme for the energy performance of non-residential buildings” (sounds like Display®!)
- Article 20 (Article 12 in the orginal EPBD) reinforces the provisions about “information” to users highlighting the importance of the communication campaigns and awareness efforts - as already proven by Display participants.
- Very interesting is also the decision closely linked to a request from Display participants: “… further intensify its [the Commission’s] information services with the aim of facilitating the use of available funds by providing assistance and information to interested stakeholders, including national, regional and local authorities, on funding possibilities, taking into account the latest changes in the regulatory framework” (Article 20).
The whole text of the Recast in English and French
Energy Cities’ political opinion paper on the EPBD policy process (2009)
By the way: Energy Cities is one partner of the recently launched EU project “Smart e-buildings". The objective of this campaign is to achieve a massive EU-wide mobilisation and empowerment of citizens, the industry sector, public bodies, parliamentarians and the media via web 2.0 technologies. It shall contribute to a fast and significant development of Europe’s building stock towards net-zero energy standards of both private and public buildings. The project is lead by EREC, the European Renewable Energy Council.
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