Recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive approved by EU lawmakers
Council
Wednesday, 25 November 2009 09:48
The Swedish Presidency ensured one of the primary objectives of its tenure was achieved last week, when EU lawmakers agreed to the recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive. The agreement will require all new public sector buildings to meet 'nearly zero' energy efficiency standards after 2018, with the private sector to follow suit two years later, whilst it has been left to the national level to decide how compliance should be achieved.
Some quarters were disappointed however by the fact that a compromise to set firm standards for existing buildings was not reached, with the text saying energy-savings must be increased, where it is technically, functionally and feasibly achievable. They fear that such a weak framework may fail to provide the necessary incentives to ensure the desired energy savings are met.
MEPs had been hoping that a certain percentage of existing buildings would be required to produce all their energy on site, or become 'zero-energy', whilst they were also aiming to ensure that all new buildings were zero-energy by 2019. On the other side, national governments have countered that such targets are simply unrealistic, which has led to the resulting compromise.
For both existing and new buildings lawmakers decided that it would be better for each Member State to decide how best to ensure these standards are met, having taken into consideration the fact that local conditions vary, often significantly, between EU countries.
It is hoped that the introduction of energy performance certificates, which will contain information on the energy performance of a building and recommendations on how to improve it and will be issued whenever a building is sold or rented, will provide further incentives for building developers or owners to improve energy efficiency standards. Here again, the implementation of certificate schemes is left to the national level.
Funding, which will likely play the key role in providing incentives to the sector, is another issue dealt with in the recast. The text states that Member States will have to declare their incentivising-schemes by mid-2011, be that through technical assistance, subsidies or low-interest loans.
The rapporteur of the recast, Silvia-Adriana Ticău, a Romanian MEP, praised the outcome, saying it had important implications not only for future EU policy, but also in the context of the upcoming negotiations in Copenhagen. 'At the Copenhagen conference, Europe could present an effective tool to make the ambitious environmental objectives happen. We are committed to invest more and to better use the financial instruments for the energy efficiency of buildings and renewable energy'.
Andris Piebalgs, the EU energy Commissioner reiterated Mrs Ticău's sentiments, and whilst the European Greens felt more could have been done on improving existing structures they were pleased that the foundations looked now to be in place. It will now be up to energy Ministers to conclude the deal, by endorsing the agreement when they meet on 7 December.
Some quarters were disappointed however by the fact that a compromise to set firm standards for existing buildings was not reached, with the text saying energy-savings must be increased, where it is technically, functionally and feasibly achievable. They fear that such a weak framework may fail to provide the necessary incentives to ensure the desired energy savings are met.
MEPs had been hoping that a certain percentage of existing buildings would be required to produce all their energy on site, or become 'zero-energy', whilst they were also aiming to ensure that all new buildings were zero-energy by 2019. On the other side, national governments have countered that such targets are simply unrealistic, which has led to the resulting compromise.
For both existing and new buildings lawmakers decided that it would be better for each Member State to decide how best to ensure these standards are met, having taken into consideration the fact that local conditions vary, often significantly, between EU countries.
It is hoped that the introduction of energy performance certificates, which will contain information on the energy performance of a building and recommendations on how to improve it and will be issued whenever a building is sold or rented, will provide further incentives for building developers or owners to improve energy efficiency standards. Here again, the implementation of certificate schemes is left to the national level.
Funding, which will likely play the key role in providing incentives to the sector, is another issue dealt with in the recast. The text states that Member States will have to declare their incentivising-schemes by mid-2011, be that through technical assistance, subsidies or low-interest loans.
The rapporteur of the recast, Silvia-Adriana Ticău, a Romanian MEP, praised the outcome, saying it had important implications not only for future EU policy, but also in the context of the upcoming negotiations in Copenhagen. 'At the Copenhagen conference, Europe could present an effective tool to make the ambitious environmental objectives happen. We are committed to invest more and to better use the financial instruments for the energy efficiency of buildings and renewable energy'.
Andris Piebalgs, the EU energy Commissioner reiterated Mrs Ticău's sentiments, and whilst the European Greens felt more could have been done on improving existing structures they were pleased that the foundations looked now to be in place. It will now be up to energy Ministers to conclude the deal, by endorsing the agreement when they meet on 7 December.
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