Articles related to "Green buildings"

In an old harbour crowded with houseboats, Amsterdam is looking to the future with plans to construct low-energy homes in a climate-neutral neighbourhood.

Due to limited fuel choice, households in rural areas have turned to heavily-polluting oil and coal as their main source of energy, highlighting the potential of switching to cleaner energy sources, according to a new study to be published this week.

The Swedish EU Presidency will meet with MEPs at the end of the month to hammer out an early second-reading agreement on the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, but concluding a deal by the end of the year appears to be a long shot, EurActiv has learned.

EU energy ministers received an update on progress made regarding the bloc's energy efficency legislation at their meeting on Friday (12 June), as the EU seeks safeguard its energy future in a sustainable manner.

The European Parliament yesterday (23 April) called for all new buildings to produce at least as much renewable energy as they consume by 2019.

Governments need to communicate more clearly their objectives on improving the energy consumption of buildings, to give construction companies more certainty about future demand, according to a survey to be published later today.

The public sector must be the front-runner in raising energy-efficiency standards for buildings, according to 45 European cities that have come together to contribute to a review of EU laws regarding the energy performance of buildings.

Technology to deliver "dramatic" cuts in emissions already exists, but knowledge gaps and old habits mean progress in being made "at a snail's pace," argues the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) in a new report.

The most effective means of improving the energy efficiency of the European housing sector would be a common zero rate of investment in existing residential dwellings, David Orr, chief executive of the National Housing Federation of England, told EurActiv in an interview.

Sweeping improvements in the energy productivity of Europe's economies could prevent the runaway energy demand and consumption currently threatening to undermine the EU's economic growth, says a new report by the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI).

Although most EU member states have put forward their action plans to improve energy efficiency for the period 2008-2016, as mandated by EU law, the plans differ widely from one another and lack coherence, according to a new study.  

While Europe's appliance manufacturers are pushing for a numerical energy performance label and mandatory phase-outs of inefficient machines, EU member states are severely behind in implementing energy efficiency legislation, particularly in the buildings sector. 

Parliament's Committee on Industry has backed a report by MEP Fiona Hall, which charges that Commission and EU member states have largely failed to realise their own commitments to reduce energy consumption.

With 80% of Europeans living in urban areas, cities hold the key to sustainable development, said Commissioner Margot Wallström, outlining her "vision" for sustainable cities at the opening session of Brussels’ Green Week event.