Cities seek better energy efficiency of buildings

The cities have united in pursuit of sustainable communities by integrating energy-efficiency improvement techniques and the use of renewable energy sources. They argue that the revamped Energy Performance of Buildings Directive should oblige authorities to display energy-performance certificates in visible places in all public buildings. In addition, all new public buildings should exceed national regulations by a certain percentage, they recommend.

The CONCERTO initiative, comprising cities from 18 EU member states, has been working closely with the Commission unit responsible for energy performance standards for buildings. Best practices are now being converted into policies, in that the draft version of the revised directive adopts many CONCERTO principles. 

For example, draft legislation on public sector obligations closely resembles the wording of a position paper delivered to the EU executive by CONCERTO, a representative of the group told EurActiv.

CONCERTO's other key recommendations include: 

• Lowering the current 1000m2 threshold required for buildings undergoing a major renovation in order to meet specific efficiency standards, 
• Including final energy-use figures, as well as the corresponding primary energy-use and CO2-emissions ratings, in energy performance certificates, and;
• Creating a certified professional category, introducing certification to guarantee the quality of inspections and energy-performance certificates.

The CONCERTO representative said the group had reached agreement with the Commission to continue to cooperate until the draft directive is adopted. "The 45 CONCERTO communities are all testing quantitative and qualitative indicators to reach even more than the 20 by 2020," she said, referring to the EU's 20% emissions reduction goal. Preliminary findings indicate that the first 26 cities alone should achieve CO2 emission reductions of 21,000 tonnes per year, the group states.

The initiative, launched by the EU executive, comprises 18 projects across Europe working to become as self-sufficient regarding energy supply as possible, all of which could contribute to the revised directive. For example, according to CONCERTO, the four French cities participating in the initiative managed to raise standards nationally by introducing higher standards into local tender processes.

"After two to three years, the market has also changed," the representative commented. "Architects are now proposing a 'minimum CONCERTO standard'."