This legislative document aims at increasing the energy efficiency standards of European buildings, particularly by exploring different ways to reduce energy consumption and carbon footprint. As an integral part of the European Green Deal, it is expected to pave the way for a decarbonised building stock by 2050. Adhering to the EPBD, Member States have a wide margin of discretion to design their building codes in a way that best fits their national climatic conditions and building stocks while implementing technical requirements for renovations, building certificates, and technical building systems. Transposing the requirements of the revised Article 20(2) of the EPBD, Member States are obliged to increase the information provided to the building owners and tenants through accessible and transparent advisory tools.
The document contains guidelines for the Member States to follow in implementing and transposing the Directive (EU) 2018/844. To ensure a uniform understanding of certain EPBD provisions, this recommendation has been prepared, elaborating on the different ways in which objectives of the directive can be achieved. The recommendation focuses on the complex, demanding to transpose, and high potential aspects of the EPBD, such as provisions on long-term renovation strategies, financing mechanisms, incentives, information, and the calculation of energy performance of buildings.
This recommendation’s key highlight is the Member States’ ability to achieve strong impacts in terms of energy performance of the renovated building stock, making it a significant step towards retrofitting heritage buildings to meet modern sustainability standards. The directive emphasizes the need for public authorities to lead by example by becoming early adopters of energy efficiency improvements. Article 2a(1)(e) of the EPBD identifies heritage as a component that needs to be considered when designing and applying energy-efficient materials or technologies. As a result, this legislation can significantly impact heritage buildings by potentially making their adaptive reuse more sustainable and more environmentally friendly, yet preserving their cultural significance.
