How the European obligation for “Green Homes” changes. A small step forward
It seems that Europe has taken a slightly more moderate position, as also admitted by the president of confedililiza and reported by ItaliaOggi and this has led to a less absurd and expensive directive than the first proposal on the subject.
However, the Commission seems to have decided to put its houses on a diet, or at least those less attentive to greenery. The moderate approach to "green homes" has undergone a downsizing, so much so that the initial directive, which threatened to transform all residential buildings in classes E, F, G by 2033, has been rewritten into a more streamlined and realistic version.
In more down-to-earth terms, European Union member states will have to adopt a national trajectory to reduce average primary energy consumption in residential buildings by 16% by 2030 and by 20-22% by 2035. Here, in short, is the European plan to make the homes of the Old Continent feel a little better.
In fact, the scope of the directive has been reduced, which would have made it necessary to renovate all residential buildings in classes E, F, G by 2033. Now, however, the objectives, compared to the original wording of the text, have a lower impact and they are a little more realistic. In particular, each European Union Member State is expected to adopt its own national trajectory to reduce average primary energy consumption in residential buildings by 16% by 2030 and by 20-22% by 2035, allowing flexibility to take into account the circumstances of the country.
To achieve these objectives, the majority of renovations (55%) will need to focus on the worst performing buildings, specifically defined as the 43% of the lowest performing buildings in the national heritage. These, in summary, are the contents of the agreement reached on Thursday 7 December by the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament within the trilogue on the revision of the so-called Green Homes Directive ( Energy Performance of Buildings Directive – Epbd).
The agreement, which still needs to be finalized and which however can be improved, now requires formal adoption by the European Parliament and the Council. Once this process is completed, the new directive will be published in the Official Journal of the European Union and will enter into force.
Here are some new features
Article 9 – Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) For residential buildings, MEPS are voluntary, while Member States will have to ensure that the average primary energy consumption of the entire residential building stock decreases by 16% by 2030 and by 20 -22% by 2035, also paying attention to rental buildings. To achieve these objectives, the majority of renovations (55%) will need to focus on the worst performing buildings, specifically defined as the 43% of the lowest performing buildings in the national heritage. For non-residential buildings, 16% of the worst performing buildings will have to be renovated by 2030 and 26% of the worst performing buildings by 2033. So the renovation obligations remain.
However, EU states will have the possibility to exempt certain categories of residential and non-residential buildings from these obligations, including historic buildings, holiday homes, places of worship, buildings smaller than 50 m2, agricultural and military buildings.
As part of the 2028 review, the Commission can review the targets, which makes its power, frankly, excessive.
Article 8 and Annex II – Existing Buildings (Elimination of fossil fuel boilers) The agreement provides for the gradual elimination of boilers powered by fossil fuels. Subsidies for the installation of standalone boilers powered by fossil fuels will not be permitted from 1 January 2025.
Member States will therefore need to establish specific measures on the phasing out of fossil fuels in heating and cooling with a view to a complete phase-out of fossil fuel-fired boilers by 2040.
Article 9a – Solar energy in buildings Member States will be obliged to install adequate solar systems according to this sequence: by 31 December 2026, on all new public and non-residential buildings with a usable area exceeding 250 m2; by 31 December 2027, on all existing public buildings with a useful surface area exceeding 2000 m2; by 31 December 2028, on all existing public buildings with a useful surface area exceeding 750 m2; by 31 December 2030, on all existing public buildings with a useful surface area exceeding 250 m2; by 2027, on all existing non-residential buildings with a usable area exceeding 500 m2 where the building undergoes an intervention requiring a relevant administrative permit; by 31 December 2029, on all new residential buildings on all new covered car parks physically adjacent to the buildings. So in any case there will be a series of heavy obligations in the event of restructuring.
Article 9b – Zero Emission Buildings (Zeb) All new residential and non-residential buildings must have zero on-site emissions from fossil fuels, starting from 1 January 2028 for publicly owned buildings and from 1 January 2030 for all other new buildings, with the possibility of specific exceptions.
Article 12 – Infrastructure for sustainable mobility. All new non-residential buildings with more than 5 parking spaces will have to have at least one charging point every 5.
Article 15a – Financial provisions and one-stop shops for renovations A delegated act will encourage financial actors to provide more green mortgages and loans. The one-stop shop for renovations will provide free, independent advice on building renovations. Member States must implement support measures, including financial, technical assistance and integrated financing schemes, to achieve the energy performance targets of buildings. We will see how states can implement this legislation.
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The article How the European obligation for "Green Homes" is changing. A small step forward comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/come-cambia-lobbligo-europeo-per-le-case-green-un-piccolo-passo-avanti/ on Mon, 18 Dec 2023 11:00:11 +0000.