'EU must cut buildings emissions by 2050'

Belgium-based think-tank Building Performance Institute Europe (BPIE) has released a guide for member states of the European Union (EU) on how to implement the amended Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) 2018/844.

The EPBD is an agreement between EU member states to reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂)emissions from buildings by 2050.

The Clean Energy for all Europeans policy package led revisions of the EPBD, which now sets a clear direction for the full decarbonisation of the Europe’s building stock by 2050. The amendments also include long-term renovation and investment strategies, smart readiness indicators and building renovation passports.

The amended EPBD will come into effect in 2020 and national governments must now implement regulations and support schemes in order to achieve the goal.

The not-for-profit organisation, BPIE, which focuses on independent analysis and knowledge dissemination to support evidence-based policy making, said EU member states must act before the amended EPBD is transposed into law in March 2020.

The organisation said its report, Future-proof buildings for all Europeans – A guide to implement the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, addresses various aspects of the directive and provides a comprehensive toolkit, which member states can utilise to meet the decarbonisation challenge.

A press statement from the organisation said, “Buildings are responsible for approximately 40% of energy consumption and 36% of CO₂ emissions in the EU. On average we spend 90% of our time indoors and the quality of the indoor environment affects our health and wellbeing. Two-thirds (65%) of the European building stock was built before 1980, about 97% of the EU’s buildings must be upgraded to achieve the 2050 decarbonisation goal, but only 0.4-1.2% are renovated each year.”

According to the think-tank, upgrading the efficiency of Europe’s building stock is essential if promises relating to the Paris Agreement are to be kept.

BPIE said efficient and technically-equipped smart building stock would be the cornerstone of a decarbonised energy system.