Harnessing energy performance certificates for deep energy renovation

Harnessing energy performance certificates for deep energy renovation: Policy recommendations and evidence from testing

To achieve the EU’s energy efficiency targets, both the rate of building energy renovation and its depth, i.e., the amount of energy savings post renovation, need to be improved. Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are essential to make energy efficiency measures transparent for the building market and to promote the energy efficiency of buildings through renovation. The revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) is seen as a pre-condition to meet the Renovation Wave objectives and to reach a highly energy-efficient and decarbonized building stock by 2050. One focus of the current revision of the EPBD is therefore the improvement of EPCs. QualDeEPC – High-quality Energy Performance Assessment and Certification in Europe Accelerating Deep Energy Renovation, funded under the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme, is a project that aims to improve EPCs. Following an EU-wide review of existing EPC schemes, and extensive stakeholder discussions in the seven partner countries, QualDeEPC found that EPCs and EPC schemes need to enhance particularly in the following three ways:

1. Establish a close link between EPCs and deep energy renovation
2. Improve the quality of EPC schemes, i.e., both the EPCs and their data, and the processes of assessment, certification, verification
3. Improve cross-EU convergence of EPC schemes.

Therefore, QualDeEPC developed an enhanced EPC scheme by improving seven elements of existing EPC schemes across the EU and tested their applicability and convergence potential for their EU-wide uptake. They include improved renovation recommendations consistent with deep energy renovation, high user-friendliness through an improved EPC template, mandatory regular training or examinations for EPC assessors, and four other measures to facilitate better implementation and compliance by the Member States and market actors.

For testing the tools on renovation recommendations and user-friendliness in the enhanced EPC scheme, 98 pilot buildings were selected from seven partner countries. For all the pilot buildings, standard EPCs were prepared per existing practice, and enhanced EPCs were prepared using the improved EPC scheme. Three further priorities – Online tool, Deep Renovation Network Platforms, and Advertisement Guidelines – were tested for their effectiveness by means of a questionnaire to building owners and other stakeholders.

The results show significant potential for improvement and convergence between various member states and are discussed in the present paper. In most countries, the number of recommendations and their ambition increased in the enhanced EPCs that provide a clear list of options, and on average, almost 50 % of energy savings potential was suggested in the enhanced EPCs. Based on the analysis, tools developed, and evidence from testing, the paper summarizes the conclusive policy recommendations by the QualDeEPC project, to inform the further EPC policy process at the EU level and particularly the EPBD revision.

 

This paper was first published in the eceee proceedings of the eceee summer study of 2022. Read more here.

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