FEDARENE responds to the consultation on the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive

The EPBD is a cornerstone of EU’s legislation on the energy performance of buildings and its upcoming revision will influence the next decade’s national and regional buildings policies.

Regions and local/regional energy agencies have long been delivery agents of the EPBD, being behind the implementation of many of its provisions: advising on the development and ensuring compliance with minimum energy performance requirements (art.4); optimising technical building systems through energy management systems (art.8); promoting the NZEB standard and providing practical support to achieve it (art.9); developing financial schemes and overcoming market barriers through strategic facilitation actions (art.10); issuing high quality EPC and implementing their recommendations (art.11); informing and activating all relevant stakeholders linked to building renovation projects (art.20).

Based on their experience, FEDARENE responded to the public consultation on the revision of the EPBD, highlighting the need to focus on:

• updated Long Term Renovation Strategies inclusive of local/regional drivers for renovation such as integrated renovation services and market facilitation actions;
• building-level Minimum Energy Performance Standards with a binding timetable of compliance, accompanied by enabling frameworks that rely on effective buildings-data monitoring and technical assistance;
• increased support in the form of technical assistance focusing on the upscaling and replication of deep renovation one-stop shops who beyond massifying demand, also prepare regional supply chains to respond;
• strengthening of the energy performance certificates framework that relies on enhanced quality verification and emergence of building renovation passports that embrace also non-energy aspects;
• rolling-out a Smart Readiness Indicator for buildings as part of a broader policy of digitalization of infrastructure that transform buildings into active energy hubs;
• embedding in articles 10 and 20 of the EPBD the energy agency facilitation model which relies on market activation (segmentation, mobilization), project development and implementation (financing, legal, technical assistance) and has leveraged large investments as evidenced by the results of the ManagEnergy service.