Cultural-E responded to the EPBD Review

The European Commission adopted on 15 December 2021 its legislative proposal for the revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD). The Cultural-E project welcomes the Commission’s aspiration to deliver on the Renovation Wave by improving the energy performance of buildings and promoting the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions from buildings.

Cultural-E acknowledges the new definition of Zero-Emission Building, proposed by the EU Commission in Article 2, to become the new standards by 2030: ‘A building with a very high energy performance in line with the energy efficiency first principle, and where the very low amount of energy still required is fully covered by energy from renewable sources at the building or district or community level where technically feasible (notably those generated on-site, from a renewable energy community or from renewable energy or waste heat from a district heating and cooling system).

Nevertheless, the introduction of the new concept of Zero Emissions Buildings, which will progressively replace the existing Nearly Zero Energy Buildings, will create new requirements for Member States to implement and the sector to adapt to.

Read the rest of our position paper here.